Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has been bestowed with Trailblazer Award, as the 5th edition of the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (ENIFF) ended in grand style at the weekend with presentation of awards to best films and institutional collaborators.
The award was in recognition of his administration’s effort to create a conducive environment for the Nigerian film industry to thrive in the state and for his partnership that saw to the success of the 5th edition ENIFF.
This was even as the governor said that his administration was putting necessary infrastructure and conducive environment in place to ensure that Nollywood returns to its home, Enugu.
Represented by the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Barr. Ugochi Madueke, Mbah stressed that the creative and tourism industries were key in his administration’s effort to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn.
“We were quite intentional when we promised Ndi Enugu that we would grow our economy to become among the top three in the country in terms of GDP. If we must achieve this, we must harness our abundant potential in the creative and tourism industries. We know that Enugu is the real home of Nollywood. So, whatever pushed Nollywood out of Enugu, we are taking steps to put the right things in place to bring back Nollywood. Whether it is infrastructure or security, you could see for yourselves for the few days you spent here what the administration has been able to do. And as we tell Ndi Enugu, we are just starting. So, we look forward to Nollywood’s return,” he said.
Recall that for the 2024 edition, ENIFF partnered with the European Union, EU, to release a Short Film and Documentary competition.
The curator of the competition for the EU, Bright Wonder Obasi, said that about 60 films were submitted for the short film competition, explaining that although many were beautiful films, they did not follow the rules of the competition. The final six were selected for the short film competition. He encouraged the audience on the need to follow competition guidelines strictly.
The European Union Short Film Competition first prize of N1m went to Josh Osaro Victor and a plaque for his film entitled “Graduation Night,” while the first and second runner-up received N300,000 and N200,000 respectively.
The documentary grant was won by Odera Collins, who pitched the documentary, “Beggi Beggi” at the Impact Film training by EU on Friday. She also went home with N1m.
Going deeper into the night, awards were also presented for films in different categories. The award for Best Short Film went to “I Too, Crave Death”. The award for Best Film Shot in the South East went to “Women of Salt”. Both categories received cash prizes sponsored by Blecca Foundation.
The Audience Choice Award went to “The Man Died” movie, which was the opening film for ENIFF 2024. The Best Feature Film award went to a Ugandan movie.
Speaking, the ENIFF co-founder, Ujuaku Akukwe, thanked the governor for his generous support for this year’s event and for his pledge to grow the film industry in Enugu and ensure that ENIFF plays an important role in that respect.
“We are really impressed with what the governor is doing to reposition Enugu as the ideal home for the film industry and for tourism.
“The Honourable Commissioner for Culture and Tourism had also earlier taken us on a tour of some key projects and facilities in regard- such as the magnificent Enugu International Conference Centre. We have equally seen the International Conference Centre 5-star hotel, which is ongoing.
“We are glad that the governor is committed to making Enugu the home of ENIFF and we are totally committed to his vision for the Nigerian film industry,” she concluded.
