Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Badagry Int’l Film Festival holds Oct. 25, generates Three Thousand film entries – Organizers
The organizers of the Badagry International Film, Cultural and Sports Festival (BIFIF) on Wednesday said the maiden edition of the festival has been slated to hold from Oct. 25 to Oct. 28.
Mr Viyon Awhanse, Chief Executive Officer of BIFIF, while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos said that the festival had so far generated over 3,000 film entries.
Awhanse noted that 30 of the films would be carefully selected for screening in the course of the festival.
He said the aim of organising the festival was to reposition Badagry and make it attractive for local and International tourists.
According to him, BIFIF has considered films projecting spirituality, celebrating sports, culture and promoting tourism.
“This is a long-term project which we started in 2015, I am from Badagry, a town immensely endowed but nothing is happening in terms of tourism.
“This is my way of ensuring Badagry gains more feasibility to attract tourists: using the audio visuals because we discovered it is the best way to educate people about the potential in the town; people do not read again.
“We will be screening 30 films, 10 for each day of the festival.
“To also make the town and its people come alive and have some sense of inclusiveness, there would be sporting activities around the beautiful coastal area of Badagry.
“We will have tourists engage in 10km race along the shores of the coastal line as well as boat regatta, volleyball and beach soccer,” he said.
Awhanse noted that over 5,000 tourists were expected from Brazil, Asia, East Africa and more nations across the globe.
He said in the course of the festival, the town’s culture would be projected in the area of its unique traditional worship, languages and historical monuments.
Also, Mawuyon Ogun, Director of Media, BIFIF, said the theme for the festival, “Once Upon A Time”,
was carefully chosen to educate tourists to begin to see Badagry as a safe and secure town with hospitable and friendly people.
According to her, renowned filmmaker, Segun Arinze, is the festival director,” she said.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Kanye West, Former Assistant Settle Sexual Harassment Case
‘Supergirl’ hits N164m, ‘Moana’ earns N86m in West Africa
‘Supergirl’ and ‘Moana’ have recorded impressive box office performances, highlighting the continued strong appetite for international films across West Africa.
FilmOne Entertainment announced on its Instagram page that Supergirl has grossed N164 million at the West African box office.
The distributor described the superhero film’s performance as a testament to the strong support of cinema audiences across the region.
“She’s flying high and not stopping.
Supergirl grosses N164 million in the box office and counting. Thank you for experiencing Supergirl in cinemas,” the company said.Meanwhile, Disney’s animated adventure, ‘Moana’, has grossed N86 million at the West African box office, maintaining a steady run in cinemas.
FilmOne thanked moviegoers for their continued support noting that the film was still attracting audiences across the region.
“Still sailing smoothly in the box office with N86 million in the box office.
“Experience Moana’s voyage to restore the heart of Te Fiti in cinemas closest to you. Get tickets now,” the distributor said.
Both Supergirl and Moana are still showing in cinemas nationwide.
The strong box office performances of the two titles underscore the resilience of the West African cinema market and the sustained appeal of superhero and animated family films among moviegoers.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Phyno Releases ‘Na Afa Nna’ Freestyle, Hints at Forthcoming Album
Nigerian rapper and songwriter, Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike, popularly known as Phyno, has released a new freestyle titled “Na Afa Nna.”
The award-winning artiste announced the release in a post on his verified Instagram page on Thursday.
“NA AFA NNA (freestyle) audio and video out now!!!” the rapper wrote, adding, “Road to the album.
”The post was accompanied by a one-minute video of the freestyle, while another post featured the artwork for the track.
Although Phyno did not disclose the title or release date of the anticipated album, his reference to “Road to the album” suggests the freestyle is part of activities leading up to the project.
Fans took to the comment section to applaud the release, with many expressing excitement over the freestyle and anticipation for the rapper’s next body of work.
Phyno is widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous hip-hop artistes, known for blending Igbo and English in his music.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture
Peter Okoye Calls Out Rudeboy for Shading Him amid Public Criticism
Peter Okoye, one-half of the defunct Nigerian Afrobeats duo, P-Square, has accused his twin brother, Rudeboy of always joining popular trends to bring him down.
Peter made the allegation on Wednesday evening while responding to Rudeboy’s reactions to his post about the advantage of Nigerian languages.
Peter had while responding to a question from his fan, asked “who Naija language help?”
The singer has been heavily criticised online following the controversial statement.
Distancing himself from Peter, Rudeboy in several posts on X said, “I’m a ‘nobody’.
I repeat! A nobody! Without the culture, native, language.”However, reacting, Peter said “But again, bro, you’re at it again, using this moment as another opportunity to pull me down. Just like I wrote in my open letter two years ago, doing everything possible to make people hate me will never work.
“Yes, people are dragging me over my statement, and that is okay. I accept that. But deliberately twisting my words and using petty tactics to damage my reputation says a lot.”
“I don’t know why you look for every opportunity to make derisive comments or jump on the bandwagon whenever I am being attacked,” he said.


