LEILA DARES FIPAG & ACTORS GUILD

Leila Djansi, Ghanaian filmmaker of international repute, has jumped to the defence of producers of Idris Elba’s ‘Beast of No Nations’ over complaints by Film Producers Associations of Ghana (FIPAG) and Ghana Actors Guild (GAG) about Elba’s recent shoot in Ghana.

According to FIPAG and GAG, the production team that brought Elba for the shoot in Ghana did not seek permission from them before shooting in the country Elba’s mother comes from.

Also, FIPAG claimed foreigners who come to Ghana to shoot movies must pay a certain amount of money to its association.

“This cannot be done anywhere! You can’t do this in America! If you are a foreign actor in another country, it’s most appropriate to meet the executives of their actors’ guild,” the Razz Newspaper quoted Nii Odoi Mensah, president of Ghana Actors Guild.

But Leila, who in the past brought Hollywood names like Kimberly Elise and Jimmy Jean Louis to shoot in Ghana, questioned if both FIPAG and GAG associations were statutory bodies to be giving such orders.

“Gosh. My people perish, for lack of knowledge. Ummm, who told the president of these guilds this lie? If you are not using a guild actor, producer or crew, you have no need, no need to inform any guild you’re filming. You inform the city, which in Ghana will be the AMA if you’re filming in Accra, or the DCE if you’re filming in districts and the ministry of information and the ministry of tourism if you will impact any tourist sites. NOT any guild. Guilds are NOT statutory bodies! By the way, has he been to Britain or America to film before? Where is this information he has coming from,” Leila said on facebook last Wednesday.

THE DOME STANDS IN LIMBO: NO RE-OPENING DATE YET

It has been 15 long months since the Dome theatre in Accra, the biggest indoor theatre in the country, which is the first port of call for many big event organisers, was “temporarily shut down for renovation”.

At the time of the closure, most event organisers expected that the 2600 seater movable theatre run by Creator Digital Company, would open early enough for the Christmas season when many big events in the capital are usually held but that was not to be.

Christmas 2013 has come and gone, Easter too has passed and without word from the owners about how much longer the supposed renovation would take, event organisres may be losing hope on its opening soon particularly after questions were raised earlier this year in the media about its safety and it being an illegal structure.

But in an interview with the Project Manager for the Dome, Kevin Aggrey, he denied that the Dome had been permanently shut down.

He told Showbiz on Tuesday that the Dome was undergoing rehabilitation works to make it a better place to host events.

“I don’t know where all these speculations are from but there is enough evidence to show that we have not closed down the place permanently. When you get there right now, there are ongoing major works on the facility.

“Just some few weeks ago, the whole building was washed and we are working on improving the seating design, the acoustics, security and air conditining system”, he said.

The Dome is a temporary structure that was erected for an UNCTAD conference in 2008. It was meant to be dismantled after the conference but some private individuals showed interest in its management and had since hosted many events including the annual Ghana Music Awards.

Its closure since last year has been a great discomfort to many event organisers and still no one is talking about a re-opening date.

Mr Aggrey said “I don’t have the official power to talk about when it will re- opened. I have to consult with my managers because it is a collective and management decision. For now, I can only assure the public that the maintenance work is for their own good and we don’t intend to do anything that will hinder the progress of entertainment industry” he said.

In an interview with George Quaye, Head of Communications at Charter House, he expressed his delight at the possible reopening of the Dome. “It’s good to know that the Dome will be opened to event organisers. The impact of its closure on event organisers has been huge and if they have any plans of re-opening the Dome, then it should be soon.

“For me, I find it heartbreaking that a country like Ghana cannot boast of an auditorium that can take about 5,000 people. I don’t know if it’s the arts and entertainment industry that is not positioned well. Ask people in the industry and they will tell you that event venue business is a very profitable business.

He noted that the Dome was the preferred choice for most event organisers because of the numbers it could take to enable event organisers to recoup the cost of a show’s production.

“If you don’t have a venue that can take in numbers of people, you would end up with a huge loss. The nature of the economy doesn’t even permit organisers to increase prices of tickets even though production items have gone up.” he said.

He said that it was very unfortunate that the Dome had been closed down for so long and appealed to the government to intervene.

Last Friday when Showbiz contacted the Director of the Accra International Conference Centre on whose premises the Dome is “perching” she declined to comment on the issue.

She rather requested that an official letter be written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the appropriate response. “I can’t talk about it unless I am given a directive by the Minister”, she said.

A visit to the Dome however didn’t show any sign of rehabilitation as Mr. Aggrey earlier claimed. The place looked deserted and the doors were locked except the main exit door.

‘COZ OV MONI’ GOES TO DURBAN FILM FESTIVAL

Cos Ov Moni’, a movie produced by FOKN Bois, has been officially selected for the Durban International Film Festival.

FOKN Bois is made up of Wanlov the Kubolor and M3nsa.

‘Cos Ov Moni’ is the second sequel from FOKN Bois and happens to be the only Ghanaian movie that was selected for the 35th edition of the film festival slated for July 17 to 27 in South Africa.

The Durban International Film Festival is South Africa’s largest and longest-running film festival organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

In an interview with NEWS-ONE, Wanlov admitted that the selection meant a lot to them.

“The organisers of Duban International Film Festival will be flying M3nsa and I to SA on July 16. We will be there for about a week. Our ‘Coz Ov Moni’ film will be screened at three different locations in three different days,” he stated.

‘Coz Ov Moni’ series is the first pidgin musical film in the world produced by Wanlov and M3nsa.

The FOKN Bois will also be performing in Cape Town as they screen the ‘Coz Ov Moni 2’ on July 22.

“We stand a chance of winning award depending on how that weekends and how people vote at the festival. For us, this is a very big deal. Just 2 paddies fooling around and making a film and now see where it has gotten us. We will be giving some panel talks and some discussions as well,” he added.

The Duban International Film Festival is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institute, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture and a range of other valued partners.

The forthcoming 10-day celebration of world class cinema will see the screening of over 200 new films from South Africa, the continent and the world, with a number of world premiere screening of local and international films.

Among the list of films that will be screened, according to South Africa reports, are “Khalo Matabane’s ‘Nelson Mandela: The Myth and Me’, Richard Linklater’s ‘Boyhood’, Mickey Dube’s ‘One Humanity’, Annalet Steenkamp’s ‘I, Afrikaner’, Carey Mackenzie’s ‘Cold Harbour’, Diao Yinan’s ‘Black Coal, Thin Ice’ and Jane Pollard and Iain Forsyth’s ‘20 000 Days on Earth’.”

“I AM NOT OUT OF THE MOVIE INDUSTRY YET” - HELEN ASANTE

Ghanaian actress Helen Asante who has been missing from the movie scene for some time now says she is not giving up on movies yet.

On the Xpress Breakfast Show with Kwaku David, the cute and beautiful actress said she is aiming at Hollywood therefore has no intension on throwing in the towel.

The award winning actress currently owns a film production company called Epic Visions which focuses on movies and other entertainment content.

Her company is coming up with a show named “The Surprise Show” which centers on surprising birthday celebrants.

Helen Asante has starred in movies such as “In the eyes of my husband”, “Somewhere in Africa”, “Wedlock of the gods” and Sparrow Productions’ “Adams Apple”.

She complained bitterly about the movie industry gradually becoming more business minded rather than being passion driven.

She thanked her fans for supporting and believing in her.

APPIETUS: I AM READY TO SING

Perhaps when he sang on Sarkodie’s Azonto Fiesta, 5Five’s Mujee Baya; and Bosso Nkena, and NY’s I Like That , sound engineer and music producer, Appietus, was giving a hint that he could sing too.

And last month, Appietus released his first single as a recording artiste. The song Kuntunimu features Castro.

Although he didn’t do much singing on Kuntunimu, Appietus said he is ready to do more singing on his subsequent works to hit the market soon.

Talking to Showbiz, the award winning sound engineer said his latest song is a teaser to what is about to happen since many people have doubted his singing capability.

“Kuntunimu which means under the blanket in Twi is to tell people what to expect from me when I start dropping my singles. ”

According to Appietus, he felt the time is right to show the world the other side of him. “I did well when I featured on Azonto Fiesta, Mujee Baya and Bosso Nkena and I know the singles I am about to release would be accepted by Ghanaians”

He explained that ever since he started featuring on other musicians’ songs, his fans and the musicians themselves have mounted pressure on him to come out with his own songs.

“Initially, I did not want to sing even though I had the talent but I have no option right now than to go all out since a lot of people are requesting songs from me. I can say without fear that Appietus as singer will be a house-hold name soon” he added.

HE IS A BOYFRIEND MATERIAL BUT...- MZVEE

Feeding on personal comments that dancehall artistes MzVee and Stonebwoy have passed about each other in recent times and the remarkably good chemistry between them especially during their joint performance at this year’s Ghana Music Awards, the entertainment media have been speculating that what the two share may be beyond “just friendship”.

In an interview with Showbiz, however, they both denied speculations of possible romantic relationship between them claiming that they are just friends and that they have nothing going apart from music.

According to MzVee, “there is absolutely nothing going on between us. I see a brother in him, someone I can talk to.

“We share and have a lot in common and it is just a coincidence that we’ve found ourselves doing the same genre of music which is Dancehall but truth be told there is nothing going on. We are just friends”

She went on to describe Stonebwoy as a wonderful person.“I will not dispute the fact that he is a nice person, caring and a boyfriend material but we are not dating. As things stands now we are just friends” she said.

Reacting to a suggestion that there may be something going in the near future, MzVee said” I cannot tell what the future holds for us because I am not a sorcerer neither am I God but all I can say is Stonebwoy is a respectable and likeable fellow”

Stonebwoy on the other hand stood by a previous comment he had passed about MzVee in a publication in which he described her as a wonderful person with an interesting personality.

“Yes I still stand by what I said about her, nothing has changed. I still see her as a lively person with a great personality and I do not think she will change.

I would not have a problem going out with her but as I’m talking to you, there is nothing going on. Whatever relationship we have is strictly professional”, he said.

“MzVee is a woman I feel. She is beautiful, intelligent and has the shape I want from my ideal woman. Most of all, she is a dancehall artiste and based on this, the two of us click very well but it all ends after studio sessions”. he added.

Born Vera Hamenoo – Kpeda and known within showbiz circles as “MzVee”; the Keta born is a first year student at Ghana Telecom University and was the lead singer in the defunct girl group, D3.

Stonebwoy is the stage name of Livingstone Etse Satekla , an Afropop, Dancehall and Reggae artiste and the C.E.O of Burniton music group.

He was born in Ashaiman and began making music in his early school days. He studied at Methodist Day Secondary School the same year with Ghana’s fastest rapper Sarkodie.

Stonebwoy brands himself as the “Prince of African Dancehall’ and goes with a baritone music slogan, ‘Bhiim’ which has gradually caught the lips of most of his fans in Ghana and beyond.

LYDIA WEEPS FOR CHILD SLAVES

Ghanaian actress Lydia Forson says she will not relent in her effort to free underprivileged children who have been sold into slavery by their parents under the pretext of making a living.

According to Lydia, humanity has failed to address the problem of slavery, which still persists in Africa many disguised forms.

A few months ago Lydia collaborated with Right To Be Free, an organisation owned by one Eric Peasah, to rescue a 12-year-old boy who had been trafficked to the Volta Region of Ghana for child labour.

The actress embarked on a similar project last week to rescue other kids.

She took to her Facebook page yesterday to pour out her frustration about the issue of child trafficking and slavery.

“We have failed! We vowed that we would never perpetuate such injustice against humanity; but today slave trade has taken a modern sophisticated twist. Millions of people are sold daily around the world and we do very little about it. We all hear the nasty stories, cry a little and move on with our lives. Yet everywhere we turn we are surrounded by these inhumane acts.

“Today when you step out of your house, try this, for every little child you see who seems out of place i.e. selling on the street, or begging for money, ask a simple question. “Where are you from?
“Chances are they will lie. But probe further and you will see something in their eyes; a cry for help,” Lydia campaigned on behalf of the underprivileged children yesterday.

GIVE THANKS TO KUMAWOOD - KWAKU MANU

Kumasi based actor, Kwaku Manu, has expressed his disappointment over how Kumawood actors are continuously looked down upon despite the obvious strides they are making in the Ghana movie industry, better than their English language counterparts often referred to as “glamour” movies.

The actor, who is popular for his comic roles in many Kumawood movies said that Twi speaking movies should be supported rather than treated poorly as if they did not matter in the growth of the Ghana movie industry.

Speaking to Showbiz last Monday, Kwaku Manu said that it was time Ghanaians appreciated movies that were made in the local languages other than seeing it as inferior to other foreign languages.

“I have travelled to many places in the world and I have not seen any country that worships and appreciates other people’s language like Ghana. I have had the privilege of being in France and Italy and it will surprise you to know that these people cherish their respective languages so much. You hardly hear a native of France speaking English but that is the opposite here.

“We sit in Ghana and appreciate China and Indian movies that we don’t understand yet when we use our own language as a medium of communication in our local movies, we say it is ‘kolo’. I find it interesting to see people behave as if it is a taboo or a curse to speak our own mother tongue. Besides, is it by force that we all speak English?” he asked.

He noted that available statistics from the sale of Ghanaian movies show that Kumawood movies have higher sales than the glamour ones.

“Do these Kumawood critics know the number of movies we churn out in a year, the sales and how we have taken over the movie scene? We are making it big yet some people think that we are at a loss. It is only Kumawood movies that project the Ghanaian culture and heritage.

“Besides, it is not as if Kumawood actors are illiterates. Some can fluently speak the English language but they feel they can express themselves better when they act in their own language. And I have always wondered if that is also a crime?” he noted

Commenting about the silent “rivalry” existing between Kumawood actors and the English speaking actors, Kwaku Manu who earlier last year stated his disappointment about how the latter snubbed Kumawood actors at events said he found it interesting that Kumawood movies are labeled as local.
“In my view, every Ghanaian movie is local whether it is in the English language or not. The labeling of Kumawood movies as local is what makes people think that we are not there yet but the reality is that, we are making great strides in Kumasi”, he noted.

He said that the success story of Kumawood has been a bait that has attracted a large number of Accra based producers to the Garden City in recent times. In his words, “it is understandable because everybody wants to progress in life”.

Kumawood movies have mostly been criticised for its poor quality productions but Kwaku Manu came to the defense when asked about it.

“I don’t think that is the case now. The poor productions were in the past. We have matured in the industry and don’t settle for just anything. The criticisms get too much as if we are doing nothing. Even now, I can confidently say Kumawood movies have arrived. ” he stated.

Kwaku Manu started as a production assistant on movie sets until he shot to fame with Aware So. Prior to that, he had featured in many movies before the breakthrough and he is also popular for his role in movies such as Poor No Friend, Ataa Ayi, Kwaku Asuoden, Kwaku Killer, Oya Soro Oyaa and Pay Back

MY FANS SEE ME FIT TO BE A DANCEHALL QUEEN – MZVEE

Dancehall artiste, MzVee, born Vida Hamenoo-Kpeba, says she is Ghana's 'Dancehall Queen' because her fans have bestowed on her the coveted crown.

Dancehall music in Ghana, until recently, was a male dominated music genre. The only female dancehall artiste the industry could brag about was Kaakie.

But MzVee, speaking in an interview on Hit FM said although she has not been in the industry for long, her fans believe she is the 'Dancehall Queen.'
"My fans see me fit to be a 'Dancehall Queen'," she said.

The winner of this year's Ghana Music Awards 'Unsung Category' rose to prominence after the release of her first single, 'Borkor Borkor' in January.

That song received great reviews and heavy rotations on radio and night clubs across the country.
MzVee's second single, 'Natural Girl' featuring Stonebwoy is already receiving massive airplays just like her first.

Asked if she sees Kaakie as a threat or she is a threat to Kaakie's music career, she said neither is applicable because an individual can "only see someone as a threat if you don’t believe in yourself."
MzVee will release her maiden album with an appreciation concert for her fans later this year.
"I am  having fun doing all the music now," she added.