When Kene Mkparu returned to Lagos in 2008 from his sojourn in London, it was to a city with little or no cinema culture and even fewer big screens. Now the story of cinema in Lagos cannot be written without dedicating several pages to his contribution.
At the time he started his career in cinema in the UK, little did he know that his experience that took him to the management cadre at the biggest cinema chain in Europe, would come in handy back home in Nigeria.
There is no doubt that it is the CEO, FilmOne Distribution’s love for cinema, knack for spotting opportunity, and taking advantage that has brought him this far and will continue to take him places in the industry he has embraced.
Starting from Lagos and Calabar in 2012, Filmhouse Cinemas now has screens in different places in Nigeria. Films can now make the cinema run resulting in better returns to filmmakers and many more films. His company has started to invest in film-making resulting in box office shattering productions. This kind of progress is only possible by a Lagos Big Boy.
Bet you didn’t know his career in cinema started with a part-time job at Odion Cinemas in the UK as a postgraduate student.