•Tessy Mukoro-Daniels
In a bold statement of self-validation, the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Delta State chapter, is set to host the first-ever Entertainment & Film Award Night, challenging perceptions about the region’s filmmaking industry. Scheduled for Saturday, November 30, 2024, at Hotel Benezia, the event aims to spotlight the contributions of local filmmakers who have been quietly revolutionizing Nigerian cinema.
Tessy Mukoro-Daniels, CEO of Jewel Affairz and Vice Chairman of the state’s AGN, is spearheading the initiative.
The awards ceremony, described by Mukoro-Daniels as “something like Africa Movie Academy Award,” will honour 65 entertainers across various categories. From former state governors to veteran actors, the event promises to be a comprehensive celebration of Delta State’s entertainment landscape.
The filmmakers in Asaba line up to be recognised for their year-long hardwork in shooting movies that keep millions of viewers entertained across the globe. Tagged Asabawood and derided for its movies many say are below par in the art of making cinema, it, is collaborating with Jewel Affairz, to organise the maiden edition of Entertainment & Film Award Night to celebrate the hard work of filmmakers in the state chapter who continue to elicit attention, for good or for ill, on account of their filmic craft.
In one of her many Facebook posts of film celebrities to be recognised, the CEO of Jewel Affairz, Vice Chairman of the branch’s AGN and Chairman of Planning Committee, Tessy Mukoro-Daniels says breezily, “Making someone feel seen, heard and understood is the loudest way to love them!” Mukoro-Daniels, who self-styles herself as ‘First daughter of Isoko’, is making a case for self-validation of the so-called Asaba filmmakers who receive flaks for the work they do.
“We’re having something like the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA),” she told TheArtHubNg in Asaba, “our people have not been carried along in the South-South. Being a vice chairman of the state, it’s something we can do to reward ourselves. Film and Entertainers Award Night is not for those in film alone, but for all entertainers, something for people in the South-South to look forward to, so it motivates them to step up their game.”
With the active support of the state chapter’s Chairman Mr. Emma Onyemezie, no less than 65 entertainers will be given excellence awards in categories such as Excellence Award that has the state’s former governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Commissioner for Culture for Arts & Tourism Dr. Darlington Nnamdi Ijeh, Commissioner for Housing Hon. Goodnews Angele, Hon. (Dr.) Hilary Obioma, Blessing Tunde Agofure, Dr. Chukwudi Ifekanandu, among others. Legendary Award categories has veteran actors Patience Uzokwo, Ebele Okaro, Ngozi Ezeonu, Tony Akposhwri, Obi Okoli, Joseph Daniels, Ugezu J. Ugezu, MacCollins Chidiebele. Others are Humanitarian Award that has Abraham Oba, Oluchi Amuneke, Pastor Idowu Okeze, etc., Leadership Awards and Actors & Crew Award.
Although Mukoro-Daniels commended the former governor of Delta State Sen. Okowa for setting up the film village and leisure park, she lamented that the facility has not been of help to filmmakers in the state, as the facility has been politicised. She said filmmakers still go to nearby villages to source for film sets that depict African setting and sensibilities rather than the facility that ought to serve them, noting that the composition of the film village is anything but ideal for movie making. The African setting at the film village, she said, is surrounded by a mud wall, a concept that is alien to African architecture and so cannot be of any use to filmmakers.
“There are plenty of limitations, restrictions at the film village,” she said. “It’s being run like a commercial place, it does not encourage filmmakers. It’s a leisure park; those of us in film are not in charge of it. We still run our office from a hotel space. It’s shocking that people doing film don’t have an office there. It’s political, a commercial ground. We are not in charge.”
While there is a booming filmmaking culture in Asaba, people often see films made in the city by the River Niger as low quality films that are really not up to the standard of what films should be, but Mukoro-Daniels easily counters such negative narrative about films made in Asaba, saying, “I would say 70 to 80 per cent of films shown on DSTV come from Asaba. As we speak, we have more or less 15 locations shoots going on in Asaba and environs. People see our films as quack, but we see it as jobs; this is an opportunity. This is what is moving plenty of people away from the streets in terms of crime and criminality. Imagine we have a film set where you have more than 30 to 40 people working daily. Most of those Lagos productions are studio-based works, more of editing. But the stories down here are more of African stories, authentic; it’s our day-to-day lifestyle. If you do your research well, you will see that Epic on DSTV has more viewership than all those other channels. Those are our films.”
She said Asaba filmmakers are merely responding to the economy of scale especially in an environment where access to finding is in dire strait and producers have to scrape up shoestring budgets to make films, arguing that some of Asaba critics are beneficiaries of films made there.
“And all those who criticise our films come to Asaba to make films, to get jobs,” she said. “Yet they criticise us; they come to shoot back-to-back for two months; it’s paying them money, yet they criticise us as if we don’t know what we are doing here. It’s really larger than what you see.”
Mukoro-Daniels acknowledged the shortcomings of films made in Asaba, but noted that they were merely responding to what the environment dictates, assuring that things have begun to change, as refinement is beginning to creep into their cinematic craft.
“Fine, on our part we know that we ought to do better; that there are places to work on to make us grow,” she admitted. “We know our flaws; they should also understand that we have our own limitations. How many companies do we have in Delta State as we have in Lagos? Who are the people sponsoring our films here? Where can we individually get N70 million to produce a film? So, we are not really amateur the way they tag us. We have financial limitations. Sometimes, it has to do with people that are involved. Most times it’s our ‘nna bros, how far?’ calling the shots, sorry to put it this way: how much can you put in my film? These are business-minded people; they are not ready to put anybody in a hotel for one month, just to shoot. For what? Two to four days’ shoot is all they can afford.
“So we understand all these things; we know, but when you put it to us like, ‘Asabawood, Asabawood’, but you will not leave us alone in our Asabawood. Let me also shock you that 70 per cent of those in Lagos now started making films in Asaba here. They will not tell you part of that story. This is where they started doing ‘waka pass’, but as soon as they had a breakthrough they relocated to Lagos. But we know their origin.
“But it’s getting better gradually. There are people making films for RockTV. RockTV has been airing my films for over two years now. So we are stepping up; it’s getting better. Not as bad as it used to be.”
Mukoro-Daniels’ film credit as producer and actress include No to Ease, The Surrogate, Essence of Living, Oniovome and Uvi Otaze.