After a successful outing last year, organizers of the annual Lakecity Film Festival,LACIFF, are gearing up for this year's edition which is billed to hold between August 21 and 23rd in Oguta, Imo State.
Announcing this, at a media and industry dinner in Lagos, founder Mazi Ekine Stronghold said This year's Lakecity Film Festival will hold against the backdrop of the annual Omerife festival. He stressed that ' this is in line with our set out objectives which is to celebrate the indigenous and showcase our rich cultural heritage. Oguta Ameshi, obodo girigiri is a land of history with a lot of tourism potential. Oguta has everything that a creative mind wants and we intend to explore these natural resources of ours in line with the economic diversification drive of the Federal Government as a sure path to moving Oguta beyond oil.”
He went on to explain that this year’s edition will feature a blue carpet, Nollywood novelty football match, a business and investment round table, Igbo film makers’ forum, master classes, lake tour, Ogene Nkirika parade and a host of other fun filled activities.
LACIFF, he said, will continue to focus on indigenous films, “what makes these films stand out, their indigenous content and appeal”.
Buttressing Stronghold’s statement, Dr. Ernest Nwapa, who has been a major patron of the festival, said, while making his speech at the event that it is his fervent believe that Nigeria can be what we want it to be. That is why the Tourism Committee of the League of Oguta Professionals of which he is a part of is putting its weight behind LACIFF.
“We want to do tourism,” he said, “and this industry is made for places like Oguta. What we need to do is to work together to promote and design creative ways to grow of this union of Film and Tourism.” Lamenting that we don’t take our movie industry seriously enough, he said whenever he travels abroad, he sees not one, not two but several Nigerian films screening onboard.
Among the other Nollywood stakeholders at the event were Board of Trustees Chairman of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Prince Ifeanyi Dike; President of the Association of Movie Producers of Nigeria (AMP), Mr. Ralph Nwadike, former president of the association, Paul Obazele; Actress Hilda Dokubo; Actors Chinedu Ikedieze, Charles Inojie, who is also the President of the Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria (SWGN) and veteran filmmaker Tunji Bamishigbin.
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