New Detective Movie Set for Shooting in the Country

The Daily Observer (Banjul)

Sheriff Janko

30 June 2011

The auditioning of a new detective movie that is set to make a name in The Gambia and the world at large was on Tuesday held at Jaliba Hotel in Senegambia, ahead of its premier mega cast.

The forthcoming movie that will be shot in the Smiling Coast of Africa will be a joint effort between Gambian movie stars and some top Nollywood movie stars. The initiative, which is open to all Gambians and non-Gambians alike who have talents in the film industry, is designed to unearth hidden talents. The movie will be produced by Onyeka Okechukwu, one of the leading Nollywood producers. Some of his famous movies include: ‘Prince Bride’, a popular movie that made a name for itself in Gambian; ‘Love and Tear’ and ‘Ungodly Mistake’.

The movie is expected to boost the much-talked about sub-regional integration, as according to officials, sub-regional integration must start from the people and then to countries. However, Tuesday’s auditioning event witnessed thrilling acts from over 150 talents who appeared before a team of seasoned movie personalities to expose their acting skills ahead of the grand event.

In an interview with the Daily Observer, Emeka Okafor alias ‘Mr Prison’, the director of the film, confirmed that his mission to The Gambia is to direct the movie. “As you can see we are doing the auditioning since in the morning. Our vision is to catch young talents; we know that in this country there are young talents that have not had the opportunity and we want to use this opportunity to catch them and nurture them especially those that are good in acting and singing as well. The movie we are about to shoot is written by me and it will no doubt make waves in The Gambia and beyond. So far so good, the auditioning is still on and we are hoping to commence rehearsal by the end of the week and start the shooting by next week,” he assured.

The Abuja-based Nigerian movie actor cum singer further stated that in movie making “if you evaluate the system you will find out that there is no limitation just like in football. As far as you are good there is no barrier or limitation”. Further explaining what the movie industry is all about, Okafor noted that acting movies is a good opportunity to unite countries in the Sub-region and that the easiest way to make it real is to associate with those who have already made it. “So Nigerian talents coming and collaborating with their Gambian counterparts is a step in the right direction. We know that Nigeria have made an impact in the movie industry just like other countries; so coming to The Gambia will boost The Gambia’s movie sector,” he said.

He however expressed optimism that The Gambia is the next step as the movie industry is growing very fast. After the auditioning, Okafor disclosed, they will look at a location where they will shoot the film. He called on the movie talented Gambians to be persistent in the trade, noting that the easiest way to make it in life is to enquire from people who have already acquired. “The greatest development in life is self-development,” he added.

Okechukwu Onyeka Henry, the prospective producer of the movie, said the upcoming movie will be a standard one as it will feature finest stars in both The Gambia and Nigeria. He added that the coming of the two countries’ movie stars to act a movie is a step in the right direction. “People in The Gambia have the talent and potential to act movies, but the only constraint affecting them is the lack of opportunity to shoot it. So we thought of collaborating Nollywood stars and Gambian talents to make an international premier movie. This collaboration will no doubt raise the talents in both countries especially The Gambia, a country rich in talents. We also observed that The Gambia’s movie sector is growing very fast and in the coming two-years, The Gambia will compete with other big names in movie industry just like Nollywoods, Bollywoods, among others,” he stated.

He then called on the movie lovers not to lose hope as the country is rich in talents and that with determination they can raise the image of the country to be the next movie destination. For his part, Stanley Baron, radio presenter cum editor, also comenting on the Gambian movie industry, said The Gambian movie industry is growing very fast as compared to before, when the industry made its premier edition with the coming of ‘Banjul Cops’. Stanley further explained that the sector is one area that engages the youth actively and enable earn gainful living.

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