Category Archives: Featured

Serial Entrepreneur, Chioma Ikokwu, widely known as Chioma Good Hair sits with Chude Jideonwo, host of #WithChude to discuss being on the reality TV show – The Real Housewives of Lagos, her expectations before she joined the show, and her experiences.

“I enjoyed some parts of RHOL, like the fun activities. But in most parts, I didn’t. If you are having fun, you are having fun, and anyone who knows me knows that I like to have a good time. For a lot of the activities we had, I actually genuinely enjoyed it. I felt like I met one or two amazing people and that was interesting. Also, It challenged me, physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.

“But, it was a very toxic environment and my real life is not toxic at all. I don’t have anybody around me that is negative or jealous or has an unsolicited opinion. I don’t have people like that around me. To be subjected to that kind of thing day in and day out, where I can’t avoid you is very toxic, it is unnecessary.

“I went there quite naive, thinking, ‘be yourself, have fun with it’. I didn’t even realize that reality TV dramas sell, that when you have issues people gravitate towards you, whether they hate you or love you and you become popular. So, some people have that strategy and that is why they were probably acting crazy from the start. With other people, I feel like you can’t really hide your persona, like they say, a character is like pregnancy, you can’t hide it for long”.

Reacting to the meanness on the show and the drama that follows, she shared, “for me, it was just embarrassing. Looking at the person that I am, and the family that I came from, this is not something that I have ever even engaged in. I was never even on Twitter. The last time I was on Twitter was when I was in Lebanon because I had a desktop but after that time I never really went back. I just felt like it was such a violent space to be in, seeing all that was so new to me “.

“All the back and forth could have been avoided. What did we teach young girls? People come to me, and say things like, “Oh my, you are so inspiring”, but I know how much more I would have offered to the situation to actually genuinely inspire people, to want to be better and do better but I don’t want to be seen on TV as someone who is fighting or arguing. That is not the legacy that I want to leave. I don’t want the tagline to be insults, I want it to be something you can use to empower yourself and I never really liked the fact that they pushed more negativity. At the end of the day, of course, drama sells on TV, but it could have been mixed a little bit more”, she added.

When asked if she regretted being part of the show, she mentioned that she has mixed feelings about it, “some days I will just wake up and wonder what possessed me to be in the show, where even when there is the violence they don’t mind. Other times, I see that it also gave people an opportunity to see

different sides of me, before that it was just pictures on Instagram, and people kind of thought that I was so stuck up.”

Courtesy Joy, Inc.

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 397 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity remaining a priority.  The 2022 class is 44% women, 37% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50% are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States.  There are 71 Oscar® nominees, including 15 winners, among the invitees.

Four individuals (noted by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches.  These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2022.

The 2022 invitees are:

Actors

Funke Akindele – “Omo Ghetto: The Saga,” “Jenifa”

Caitríona Balfe – “Belfast,” “Ford v Ferrari”

Reed Birney – “Mass,” “Changeling”

Jessie Buckley – “The Lost Daughter,” “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”

Lori Tan Chinn – “Turning Red,” “Glengarry Glen Ross”

Daniel K. Daniel – “The Fugitive,” “A Soldier’s Story”

Ariana DeBose – “West Side Story,” “The Prom”

Robin de Jesús – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “The Boys in the Band”

Jamie Dornan – “Belfast,” “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar”

Michael Greyeyes – “Wild Indian,” “Woman Walks Ahead”

Gaby Hoffmann – “C’mon C’mon,” “Wild”

Amir Jadidi – “A Hero,” “Cold Sweat”

Kajol – “My Name Is Khan,” “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…”

Troy Kotsur – “CODA,” “The Number 23”

Vincent Lindon – “Titane,” “The Measure of a Man”

BarBara Luna – “The Concrete Jungle,” “Five Weeks in a Balloon”

Aïssa Maïga – “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” “Mood Indigo”

Selton Mello – “My Hindu Friend,” “Trash”

Olga Merediz – “In the Heights,” “Adrift”

Sandra Kwan Yue Ng – “Echoes of the Rainbow,” “Portland Street Blues”

Hidetoshi Nishijima – “Drive My Car,” “Cut”

Rena Owen – “The Last Witch Hunter,” “The Dead Lands”

Jesse Plemons – “The Power of the Dog,” “Judas and the Black Messiah”

Sheryl Lee Ralph – “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” “The Distinguished Gentleman”

Renate Reinsve – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Welcome to Norway”

Marco Rodriguez – “El Chicano,” “Unspeakable”

Joanna Scanlan – “After Love,” “Notes on a Scandal”

Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power of the Dog,” “Let Me In”

Suriya – “Jai Bhim,” “Soorarai Pottru”

Anya Taylor-Joy – “The Northman,” “Last Night in Soho”

Casting Directors

Rich Delia – “King Richard,” “The Disaster Artist”

Elodie Demey – “Happening,” “Summer of 85”

Yngvill Kolset Haga – “The Worst Person in the World,” “One Night in Oslo”

Louise Kiely – “The Green Knight,” “Sing Street”

Meagan Lewis – “Blast Beat,” “Free State of Jones”

Karen Lindsay-Stewart – “Marie Antoinette,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”

Juliette Ménager – “A Bag of Marbles,” “As Above/So Below”

Kate Ringsell – “The Lost City of Z,” “Justice League”

Toby Whale – “Dunkirk,” “The History Boys”

Cinematographers

Ava Berkofsky – “The Sky Is Everywhere,” “Free in Deed”

Josh Bleibtreu – “Dark Phoenix,” “Shazam!”

Alice Brooks – “In the Heights,” “tick, tick…BOOM!”

Daria D’Antonio – “The Hand of God,” “Ricordi?”

Mike Eley – “The Duke,” “Woman Walks Ahead”

Sturla Brandth Grøvlen – “The Innocents,” “Another Round”

Ruben Impens – “Titane,” “Beautiful Boy”

Shabier Kirchner – “Small Axe,” “Bull”

Martin Ruhe – “The Tender Bar,” “The Midnight Sky”

Kasper Tuxen – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Riders of Justice”

Costume Designers

Joan Bergin – “The Prestige,” “In the Name of the Father”

Antonella Cannarozzi – “A Five Star Life,” “I Am Love”

Andrea Flesch – “Midsommar,” “Colette”

Lizzy Gardiner – “Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”

Dorothée Guiraud – “Murder Party,” “French Tech”

Suzie Harman – “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” “Extinction”

Tatiana Hernández – “The Japon,” “Lope”

Louise Stjernsward – “Made in Italy,” “The Mercy”

Elisabeth Tavernier – “The Man in the Basement,” “Tanguy Is Back”

Paul Tazewell – “West Side Story,” “Harriet”

Mitchell Travers – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Hustlers”

Directors

Newton Aduaka – “One Man’s Show,” “Ezra”

Andrew Ahn – “Fire Island,” “Spa Night”

Bruno Villela Barreto – “Four Days in September,” “The Kiss”

Mariano Barroso – “Ants in the Mouth,” “Ecstasy”

Rolf de Heer – “Charlie’s Country,” “Bad Boy Bubby”

Jeferson Rodrigues de Rezende – “The Malê Revolt,” “Bróder!”

Pawo Choyning Dorji* – “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”

Blessing Egbe – “African Messiah,” “Iquo’s Journal”

Briar Grace-Smith – “Cousins ,” “Waru”

Reinaldo Marcus Green – “King Richard,” “Monsters and Men”

Ryusuke Hamaguchi* – “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”

Sian Harries Heder* – “CODA,” “Tallulah”

Gil Kenan – “City of Ember,” “Monster House”

Amanda Kernell – “Charter,” “Sami Blood”

Mary Lambert – “The In Crowd,” “Pet Sematary II”

Blackhorse Lowe – “Chasing the Light,” “5th World”

Nalin Pan – “Last Film Show,” “Samsara”

Jonas Poher Rasmussen* – “Flee,” “Searching for Bill”

Isabel Sandoval – “Lingua Franca,” “Apparition”

Amy Seimetz – “She Dies Tomorrow,” “Sun Don’t Shine”

Rachel Talalay – “A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting,” “Tank Girl”

Documentary

Julie Anderson – “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” “Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World”

Susan Bedusa – “Procession,” “Bisbee ’17”

Opal H. Bennett – “A Broken House,” “Águilas”

Shane Boris – “Stray,” “The Edge of Democracy”

Joe Cephus Brewster – “American Promise,” “Slaying Goliath”

Ellen Bruno – “Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy,” “Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia”

Traci A. Curry – “Attica,” “Boss: The Black Experience in Business”

Jason DaSilva – “When We Walk,” “When I Walk”

Emílio Domingos – “Favela Is Fashion,” “L.A.P.A.”

Sushmit Ghosh – “Writing with Fire,” “Timbaktu”

Lyn Goldfarb – “Eddy’s World,” “With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women’s Emergency Brigade”

Susanne Guggenberger – “Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes,” “The Beekeeper and His Son”

Cristina Ibarra – “The Infiltrators,” “Las Marthas”

Oren Jacoby – “On Broadway,” “Sister Rose’s Passion”

Isaac Julien – “Derek,” “Frantz Fanon: Black Skin White Mask”

Deborah Kaufman – “Company Town,” “Blacks and Jews”

Firouzeh Khosrovani – “Radiograph of a Family,” “Fest of Duty”

Jessica Kingdon – “Ascension,” “Commodity City”

Mehret Mandefro – “How It Feels to Be Free ,” “Little White Lie”

Mary Manhardt – “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” “Racing Dreams”

Amanda McBaine – “Boys State,” “The Overnighters”

Peter Jay Miller – “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,” “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport”

Elizabeth Mirzaei – “Three Songs for Benazir,” “Laila at the Bridge”

Gulistan Mirzaei – “Three Songs for Benazir,” “Laila at the Bridge”

Bob Moore – “Dope Is Death,” “China Heavyweight”

Omar Mullick – “Footprint,” “These Birds Walk”

Mohammed Ali Naqvi – “Insha’Allah Democracy,” “Among the Believers”

Sierra Pettengill – “Riotsville, USA,” “The Reagan Show”

Ben Proudfoot – “The Queen of Basketball,” “A Concerto Is a Conversation”

Jonas Poher Rasmussen* – “Flee,” “Searching for Bill”

Gabriel Rhodes – “The First Wave,” “Time”

Lynne Sachs – “Film about a Father Who,” “Investigation of a Flame”

Brett Story – “The Hottest August,” “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes”

Thorsten Thielow – “The First Wave,” “Mayor Pete”

Rintu Thomas – “Writing with Fire,” “Dilli”

Nathan Truesdell – “Ascension,” “Balloonfest”

Jenni Wolfson – “Pray Away,” “One Child Nation”

Jialing Zhang – “In the Same Breath,” “One Child Nation”

Executives

Steve Asbell

Carole Baraton

Steven Bardwil

Jeff Blackburn

Liesl Copland

Kareem Daniel

Eva Diederix

Scott Foundas

Brenda Gilbert

Joshua Barnett Grode

Gene Yoonbum Kang

Jenny Marchick

Ori Joseph Marmur

Anna Marsh

Katherine Oliver

Joel Pearlman

Elizabeth Polk

Louie Provost

Amber Rasberry

Brian Robbins

Marc Schaberg

Ron Schwartz

Aditya Sood

Frederick Tsui

Dana Walden

Clifford Werber

Film Editors

Geraud Brisson – “CODA,” “Dark Hearts”

Olivier Bugge Coutté – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Thelma”

Shannon Baker Davis – “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson,” “The Photograph”

Billy Fox – “Dolemite Is My Name,” “Hustle & Flow”

Myron Kerstein – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “Crazy Rich Asians”

Jeremy Milton – “Encanto,” “Zootopia”

Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – “Belfast,” “Stan & Ollie”

Heike Parplies – “Invisible Life,” “Toni Erdmann”

Joshua L. Pearson – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “What Happened, Miss Simone?”

Peter Sciberras – “The Power of the Dog,” “The King”

Aljernon Tunsil – “Attica,” “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”

Azusa Yamazaki – “Drive My Car,” “Asako I & II”

Makeup Artists and Hairstylists

Jacenda Burkett – “King Richard,” “Concussion”

Nana Fischer – “Encounter,” “The Lost City of Z”

Sean Flanigan – “The Many Saints of Newark,” “The Irishman”

Massimo Gattabrusi – “Loving Pablo,” “Volver”

Stephanie Ingram – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “It”

Anna Carin Lock – “House of Gucci,” “Borg/McEnroe”

Heike Merker – “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Anonymous”

Stacey Morris – “Coming 2 America,” “Dolemite Is My Name”

Justin Raleigh – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Army of the Dead”

Kerrie Smith – “Motherless Brooklyn,” “John Wick”

Nadia Stacey – “Cruella,” “The Favourite”

Julia Vernon – “Cruella,” “Maleficent”

Wakana Yoshihara – “Belfast,” “Spencer”

Marketing and Public Relations

Dana Archer

Debra Birnbaum

Tatiana Detlofson

Bethan Anna Dixon

Britta Gampper

Jane Gibbs

Sheri Goldberg

Jonathan Helfgot

Jessica Kolstad

Cortney Lawson

Vivek Mathur

George Nicholis

Stephanie Sarah Northen

Jodie Magid Oriol

Gina Pence

Stephanie Dee Phillips

Chrissy Quesada

Stuart Robertson

Jerry Rojas

Evelyn Santana

Sohini Sengupta

Michelle Slavich

James Verdesoto

Katrina Wan

Glen Erin Wyatt

Music

Billie Eilish Baird O’Connell – “No Time to Die”

Amie Doherty – “Spirit Untamed,” “The High Note”

Lili Haydn – “Strip Down, Rise Up,” “Broken Kingdom”

Leo Heiblum – “Maria Full of Grace,” “Frida”

Natalie Holt – “Fever Dream,” “Journey’s End”

Nathan Johnson – “Nightmare Alley,” “Knives Out”

Jacobo Lieberman – “Maria Full of Grace,” “Frida”

Ariel Rose Marx – “Shiva Baby,” “Rebel Hearts”

Hesham Nazih – “The Guest,” “Born a King”

Finneas O’Connell – “No Time to Die”

Dan Romer – “Luca,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Nerida Tyson-Chew – “H Is for Happiness,” “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”

Producers

Mariela Besuievsky – “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” “The Secret in Their Eyes”

Cale Boyter – “Dune,” “Pacific Rim Uprising”

Chad Burris – “Collisions,” “Drunktown’s Finest”

Damon D’Oliveira – “The Grizzlies,” “Love Come Down”

Luc Déry – “Gabrielle,” “Monsieur Lazhar”

Michael Downey – “Elvis Walks Home,” “Light Thereafter”

Yaël Fogiel – “Memoir of War,” “Latest News of the Cosmos”

Cristina Gallego – “Birds of Passage,” “Embrace of the Serpent”

Laetitia Gonzales – “Plot 35,” “Tournée”

Pauline Gygax – “With the Wind,” “My Life as a Zucchini”

Margot Hand – “Passing,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon”

Jojo Hui – “Better Days,” “Dearest”

Eva Jakobsen – “Miss Viborg,” “Godless”

Lucas Joaquin – “Mayday,” “Love Is Strange”

Lizette Jonjic – “12 Dares,” “Guerrilla”

Thanassis Karathanos – “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” “Tulpan”

Kim McCraw – “Drunken Birds,” “Incendies”

Sev Ohanian – “Run,” “Searching”

Christina Piovesan – “The Nest,” “Amreeka”

Natalie Qasabian – “Run,” “All about Nina”

Philippe Rousselet – “CODA,” “Source Code”

Sara Silveira – “Good Manners,” “Vazante”

James Stark – “Prayers for the Stolen,” “Mystery Train”

Riccardo Tozzi – “La Nostra Vita,” “Don’t Move”

Shih-Ching Tsou – “Red Rocket,” “The Florida Project”

Nadia Turincev – “The Insult,” The Boss’s Daughter”

Tim White – “King Richard,” “Ingrid Goes West”

Trevor White – “King Richard,” “LBJ”

Teruhisa Yamamoto – “Drive My Car,” “Wife of a Spy”

Olena Yershova – “Brighton 4th,” “Volcano”

Production Design

François Audouy – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Ford v Ferrari”

Laura Ballinger Gardner – “The Irishman,” “Joker”

Chris Baugh – “Steve Jobs,” “Argo”

Ellen Brill – “Being the Ricardos,” “Bombshell”

Joanna Bush – “La La Land,” “Life of Pi”

Christina Cecili – “Cyrano,” “A Quiet Place”

John Coven – “The Lion King,” “Logan”

Carol Flaisher – “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Miss Sloane”

Sandy Hamilton – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “Joker”

Ellen Lampl – “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Jurassic World”

Enrico Latella – “Tenet,” “All the Money in the World”

Steven Lawrence – “Death on the Nile,” “Cinderella”

Melissa Levander – “The Tender Bar,” “The High Note”

Drew Petrotta – “The Suicide Squad,” “Captain Marvel”

Jean-Vincent Puzos – “Jungle Cruise,” “Amour”

Maya Shimoguchi – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Men in Black 3”

Short Films and Feature Animation

Murad Abu Eisheh – “Tala’vision,” “Ta Hariri”

Olivier Adam – “Sing 2,” “Minions”

Michael Arias – “Harmony,” “Tekkonkinkreet”

Evren Boisjoli – “Fauve,” “What Remains”

Maria Brendle – “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” “The Stowaway”

Sean Buckelew – “Drone,” “Hopkins & Delaney LLP”

Olivier Calvert – “Bad Seeds,” “Animal Behaviour”

Enrico Casarosa – “Luca,” “La Luna”

Karla Castañeda – “La Noria (The Waterwheel),” “Jacinta”

Hugo Covarrubias – “Bestia,” “The Night Upside Down”

K.D. Dávila – “Please Hold,” “Emergency”

Charlotte De La Gournerie – “Flee,” “Terra Incognita”

Luc Desmarchelier – “The Bad Guys,” “Open Season”

Anton Dyakov – “Boxballet,” “Vivat Musketeers!”

Brian Falconer – “Saul & I,” “Boogaloo and Graham”

Youssef Joe Haidar – “Scoob!,” “Animated American”

Andy Harkness – “Vivo,” “Get a Horse!”

Pierre Hébert – “Thunder River,” “Memories of War”

Aneil Karia – “The Long Goodbye,” “Work”

Brooke Keesling – “Meatclown,” “Boobie Girl”

Nadine Lüchinger – “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” “Puppenspiel (Puppet Play)”

Tadeusz Łysiak – “The Dress,” “Techno”

Joe Mateo – “Blush,” “Big Hero 6”

Sharon Maymon – “Skin,” “Summer Vacation”

Kathleen McInnis – “Mama,” “Downturn”

Yvett Merino – “Encanto,” “Wreck-It Ralph”

Alberto Mielgo – “The Windshield Wiper,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Les Mills – “Affairs of the Art,” “The Canterbury Tales”

Jetzabel Moreno Hernández – “The Followers,” “Plums and Green Smoke”

Dan Ojari – “Robin Robin,” “Slow Derek”

Brian Pimental – “Tarzan,” “A Goofy Movie”

Mikey Please – “Robin Robin,” “The Eagleman Stag”

Erin Ramos – “Encanto,” “Frozen II”

Mike Rianda – “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”

Doug Roland – “Feeling Through,” “A Better Way”

Leo Sanchez – “The Windshield Wiper,” “Over the Moon”

Marc J. Scott – “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

Sarah Smith – “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” “Arthur Christmas”

Daniel Šuljić – “From Under Which Rock Did They Crawl Out,” “The Cake”

Conrad Vernon – “The Addams Family,” “Shrek 2”

Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland – “Abominable,” “The Emperor’s New Groove”

Sound

Douglas Axtell – “True Grit,” “I Am Sam”

Nerio Barberis – “Violeta al Fin,” “Find a Boyfriend for My Wife…Please!”

Amanda Beggs – “The Forever Purge,” “Finding ’Ohana”

Adrian Bell – “Mothering Sunday,” “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again”

Joshua Berger – “King Richard,” “The Lost City of Z”

Paul (Salty) Brincat – “The Invisible Man,” “The Thin Red Line”

Tom Yong-Jae Burns – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Blade Runner 2049”

Benjamin A. Burtt – “Dolittle,” “Black Panther”

Simon Chase – “Belfast,” “Artemis Fowl”

Brian Chumney – “West Side Story,” “The Croods: A New Age”

Richard Flynn – “The Power of the Dog,” “Slow West”

Albert Gasser – “Straight Outta Compton,” “Dances With Wolves”

Lewis Goldstein – “In the Heights,” “Hereditary”

Theo Green – “Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049”

James Harrison – “No Time to Die,” “Captain Phillips”

John Hayes – “The King’s Man,” “Tom and Jerry”

Ruth Hernandez – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Brooklyn’s Finest”

Huang Zheng – “Better Days,” “Chongqing Hot Pot”

Thomas Huhn – “The Wife,” “White God”

David Husby – “Tomorrowland,” “Elf”

Allison Jackson – “Don’t Think Twice,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild”

Paul Ledford – “One Night in Miami,” “Logan”

Leff Lefferts – “Vivo,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”

Nancy MacLeod – “The Revenant,” “The Hunger Games”

Charles Maynes – “After Earth,” “Letters from Iwo Jima”

Alan Meyerson – “Dune,” “Inception”

Casey Stone – “Frozen,” “Tsotsi”

Edward Tise – “Into the Wild,” “Full Metal Jacket”

Jana Vance – “Cast Away,” “Saving Private Ryan”

Tara Webb – “The Power of the Dog,” “Mortal Kombat”

Waldir Xavier – “From Afar,” “Central Station”

Denise Yarde – “Belfast,” “Dumbo”

Visual Effects

Ivy Agregan – “India Sweets and Spices,” “Wakefield”

Geeta Basantani – “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Vivo”

Aharon Bourland – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Venom”

Ivan Busquets – “Malignant,” “The Irishman”

Joe Ceballos – “Skyscraper,” “Thor: Ragnarok”

Richard Anthony Clegg – “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” “Blade Runner 2049”

Mark Curtis – “Sully,” “Spectre”

Markus Degen – “The King’s Man,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”

Jack Edjourian – “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Tenet”

Eric Enderton – “Shark Tale,” “Jurassic Park”

Marcos Fajardo Orellana – “Thor,” “Monster House”

Joel Green – “No Time to Die,” “The Kid Who Would Be King”

Earl Hibbert – “The Fate of the Furious,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”

Hayley Hubbard – “The Old Guard,” “Dumbo”

Maia Kayser – “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”

Garrett Lam – “Limbo,” “Shock Wave 2”

Jake Maymudes – “Dune,” “Terminator: Dark Fate”

Catherine Ann Mullan – “Dumbo,” “Maleficent”

Charlie Noble – “No Time to Die,” “Wonder Woman 1984”

J. Alan Scott – “Finch,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”

Tefft Smith – “Alice through the Looking Glass,” “Tomorrowland”

Alan Travis – “Black Widow,” “The Irishman”

Michael Van Eps – “Deepwater Horizon,” “Poseidon”

Sean Noel Walker – “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Black Widow”

Vernon Wilbert – “Stealth,” “I, Robot”

Eric Jay Wong – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Lucy”

Kevin Wooley – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Jurassic World”

Wei Zheng – “Mank,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Writers

Zach Baylin – “King Richard”

Henry Bean – “The Believer,” “Deep Cover”

Pawo Choyning Dorji* – “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”

Michael Grais – “Cool World,” “Poltergeist”

Ted Griffin – “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ravenous”

Ryusuke Hamaguchi* – “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”

Jeremy O Harris – “Zola”

Sian Harries Heder* – “CODA,” “Tallulah”

Mike Jones – “Luca,” “Soul”

Reema Kagti – “Gully Boy,” “Gold”

Adele Lim – “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Crazy Rich Asians”

Craig Mazin – “Identity Thief,” “The Hangover Part II”

Margaret Nagle – “With/In,” “The Good Lie”

Takamasa Oe – “Drive My Car,” “Beautiful Method”

Alex Ross Perry – “Her Smell,” “Listen Up Philip”

Adam Rifkin – “Giuseppe Makes a Movie,” “Small Soldiers”

Jordan Roberts – “Big Hero 6,” “3, 2, 1…Frankie Go Boom”

Katie Silberman – “Booksmart,” “Isn’t It Romantic”

Randi Mayem Singer – “Tooth Fairy,” “Mrs. Doubtfire”

Jon Spaihts – “Dune,” “Doctor Strange”

Małgorzata Szumowska – “Never Gonna Snow Again,” “Elles”

Mark A. Victor – “Cool World,” “Poltergeist”

Members-at-Large

Keith Adams

Josiah Akinyele

Richard Berger

Andrew Birch

Andrew Cannava

George Drakoulias

Andrew Dunlap

Erin Dusseault

James Farrell

Valerie Flueger Veras

Andy Fowler

Glenn Kiser

Anne Lai

Susan Lazarus

Joe Machota

Leonard Maltin

Deborah McIntosh

Julia Michels

Daniel Rabinow

Ilda Santiago

Danie Streisand

Matt Sullivan

Anne Lajla Utsi

Matt Vioral

Michael Zink

Mary was born deformed; it took eighteen years of plastic surgery to build her a face.

She changed her name and place after each surgery, and when she was ready to start a new life, fate came up with a proposal that brought Heaven and Hell to her threshold.

A pregnant virgin with a fire breathing dragon in her womb as the count to nine month is the count to Dooms Day.

When Nigeria was governed on the basis of tribe Northern (Hausa), Western (Yoruba) and Eastern (lgbo) regions and the colonial Lagos older than Nigeria itself was being claimed as a part of the Yoruba Westem region, by virtue of its location and Yoruba origin with reference to its Benin (Edo) royalty as far back as late 17th century and the American and Caribbean ongins of the descendants of the Ologbowo and the Popo Aguda (Brazilian) returnees of the 1840s. of course, original Lagosians of the time challenged the Lagos belongs the West theory; successfully proved the independence of the old Lagos (gede be L’ eko wa) not only
stopped the attempt to merge Lagos with Westem Nigena but also got Lagos State as one of the first twelve states of Nigeria created in 1967

Since 1967, cosmopolitan Lagos has moved from being the capital of Nigeria to a mega city of excellence which now sets the pace of political, social and economical development more than it has ever done in the past. This is because, the ongin of Lagos has been influenced by mot only the (Idejo) chieftaincy, the Benin (Edo) Oba Ado royalty, the civilized and educated Saro (Olowogbowo) and Brazilian (Popo Aguda) returnees of the 1840s, the Tapa (Bida/Nupe), the Black Americans and the Caribbean (artisans of the early 19″ century Lagos). These lots constitutes the force that built up Original Lagos (Eko Akoko) before the cessation of the colony of Lagos to the British crown in 1861, long before the creation of the British protectorate of Nigeria in 1914.

The original Lagosians established family compounds and business centres as far back as early 17th century, e.g Iga Aromire, Iga Iduganran, and the agboles (compounds) of the four original settlements Isale Eko, Olowogbowo, Oko Faji and Popo Aguda. These settlements of Lafiaji/lkoyi, Ebute Meta/Yaba were added during the colonial days.

By virtue of the above stated, original Lagos (Eko Akoko) produced Nigeria’s first modern day professionals such as lawyer Sapara-Williams (1880), Doctor J. K. Randle, Engineer Herbert Macaulay, Journalist Kitoyi Ajasa, Chartered Accountant Akintola Williams e.t.c all of them from the early Olowogbowo settlements.

In my own opinion, those who fabricate the very recent theory that Oba Ashipa was a Yoruba from lsheri instead of a Benin Prince from the Oba of Benin (Edo State) were mischievously, politically motivated to historically confirm the story of politicians of the 1940s who claim that Lagos belongs to the West; Yoruba/West of the regional Nigeria. The then Lagos politicians of the Action group Party controlled Western Nigeria went as far as to claim that some well known families of Lagos originated from Oyo, Ekiti, Ijebu, Egba, ljesha etc. in order to qualify them for membership of the Western Nigeria house of assemble or the Nigerian senate needless to say some got their fingers burnt when they were challenged by indigenes of the cities claimed in the 1940s.

It is very ridiculous to hear some academic historians challenge the historical Igbe songs of our innocent ancient Oloris (wives) of the Royal Houses just to please their political masters. Their types have been earlier exposed by the scriptures.

May I however conclude this piece, by reference to the fact that ‘facts are sacred while falsehoods are Satanic and Perishable’.

As a direct descendant of Oba Akinsemoyin of Lagos, I feel obliged to write this piece on original Lagos (Eko Akoko) in order to confirm the history of Royalty in Lagos

Signed:
Ademola Oladega Akinsemoyin
Esan People Blog 

The National Film Authority of Ghana signed a landmark partnership agreement with Pixel Ray Studios LLC which will lead to the construction of a full-service world class film studio in West Africa.

Pixel Ray Studios, a global television and film studio development and production company, has solidified a partnership with the National Film Authority of Ghana to construct 10 sound stages on over 200 acres of property in Ghana. In addition to the sound stages, the multi-use facility will include state-of-the-art production space and equipment, as well as post-production suites with globally trained and locally based crew to serve all production needs. The premier studio will have an estimated 150,000 square feet of production space.

As part of the agreement, the National Film Authority will develop and implement the legal framework and regulation for the creation and nurturing of the growth and development of the Ghanaian and African film industry through the distribution, exhibition, and marketing of films and associated visual and audio content.

The establishment of Pixel Ray Studios in Ghana is a testament to the company’s expansive experience in production, distribution, and entertainment. Pixel Ray founders include entertainment entrepreneur Audu Maikori, ESQ (Founder, Chocolate City Group), Franklin “Twizz” David (Chairman, Twizz Talent Management), Ojoma Ochai (Managing Partner of The Creative Economy Practice at CcHUB), and Hollywood Production & Development Executive Danielle Johnson. Esteemed Pixel Ray Board members include Oronde Garett (Partner at M88), Tamara Houston (ICONN Man) and Content and catalogue Executive Fotemah Mbah.

As announced at this year’s Africon, a multi-day conference featuring top tier movers and shakers in the diaspora, hosted by Amplify Africa, the studio will offer state-of-the-art production and post-production services to local Ghanaian, African and international film and content producers; entertainment for local and international tourists through activities such as set visits; and visual and audio effects and animation services to local and international films (scripted and unscripted content, films, TV series, commercials, OTT content, podcasts, and music videos).

Witnesses to this momentous declaration made at the “Investing in Africa’s Future” panel included Travis Adkins, President and CEO of United States African Development Foundation; Isaac Kigozi, Head of Trade and Investment Office of the President of the Republic of Uganda; and Temwa Gondwe Senior Manager, Intra-African Trade Initiative (Trade Facilitation) at African Export and Import.

The project is estimated to create about 11,000 jobs for the local economy. Partners include Chocolate City Group, REG Entertainment LLC, and Matt Rauchberg Consulting.

 “This partnership is timely as Ghana positions itself as a film hub, a friendly shooting destination, and a cinema gateway to Africa. Earlier in the year, the National Film Authority (NFA) of Ghana launched the ‘SHOOT IN GHANA PROJECT’ to enhance the agenda by promoting Ghana as an ideal location for film productions and attracting the international filmmaking community to make films in Ghana. Ghana has great locations, it is very safe, and it costs relatively less to shoot in Ghana than in many other countries. Ghana is the second-largest producer of films on the African continent, according to the UNESCO 2021 report. As the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) headquarters, it is just right that Ghana opens its doors to the world of movie makers.” said National Film Authority CEO, Ms. Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante.

Audu Maikori, Co-Founder of Pixel Ray Studios, comments, “I am honoured to be part of this team. Over the last twenty years, I have worked to promote African content and entertainment through Chocolate City, one of Africa’s foremost 360-degree media and entertainment companies comprising a record label, marketing agency, and talent management company, which I co-founded in Nigeria in 2015. I’ve always dreamt of creating even more avenues to tell our unique African/Black and Caribbean stories by providing the critical infrastructure that will create jobs, hone skills, and tell our side of the story. Pixel Ray Studios and our partnership with the NFA provides a platform for that.”

“It’s so surreal to see the project signed and come to life. There is such a need for additional production infrastructure in the global storytelling ecosystem, and I am confident that before long, the studio will become a prominent fixture in this evolving landscape of African and global storytelling,” added Co-Founder Franklin “Twizz” David.

‘’Black and African narratives, more than ever, need to be seen and heard. It is a huge privilege to be part of the project,” says Ms. Ojoma Ochai. ”This project will provide the infrastructure to enable the production and visibility of projects while offering globally competitive infrastructure and talent in a part of the continent known for its deep culture and commitment to championing black and African heritage”.

Stated Oronde Garret, “I’m happy to support the development of this groundbreaking studio in Ghana. It has become evident to me that we must illuminate and celebrate the diversity of the diaspora, and what better way to do it than by creating a space devoted to telling our stories.”

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FILM AUTHORITY

National Film Authority (NFA) is a government agency in Ghana mandated under the Development and Classification of Film Act 935 to regulate, develop and streamline the film sector in Ghana. The NFA’s short-medium term strategic goal is to position Ghana as a film hub and an attractive shooting destination on the continent for productions globally, while raising the level and value of local productions to meet international standards.

ABOUT PIXEL RAY STUDIOS

Pixel Ray Studios is a multimedia and content production company focused on building the first-ever black-owned film production franchise on the continent of Africa, which will serve both local

production needs and cater to Hollywood and other international markets. The studio provides an audio-visual/multimedia training academy covering film, TV, gaming, animation, and virtual and augmented reality, creating a franchise of sound stages for underrepresented places in Africa.

Courtesy: GhMovieFreak.com