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Every TV buff knows enough about Nigerian movies to make them authorities on the shooting sequences and sometimes the scene a certain kind of dialogue would open. That’s how big these movies are in Ghana -- and the producers know it.
The video CDs are everywhere, cheap and accessible. Do you now wonder why Nigerian actors are getting their shine so much that our local movie celebs are intimidated by their presence?
The automated doors leading to the hotel lounge would hum softly as it slid open towards a group of people eating lunch and looking uncomfortable. Maybe it was the cutlery. For a lot of people, eating with the hands always has irreplaceable joys you can’t make up for.
A few feet away from the animated guests sat a dark man in Versace sunglasses. He swallowed small morsels of potatoes like it almost had an unspoken pattern to it and gently wiped the sauce caught between his lips and mustache.
Publicist, Laurencia Duah sat next to him. Eating quietly, she would raise her head and say “What’s up?” Randomly people at the lounge periodically came to the table and said hi to the man in the Versace sunglasses.
He had to be some kind of celebrity I said to myself. It’s bad enough if you don’t watch Nigerian movies in spite of all the ECOWAS integration blah blah. But meeting Jim Iyke and not knowing his name is like a major faux pas.
“Aren’t you going to join us?” he asked, lifting his head sharply. When he made conversation, it was lengthy and in-depth. Plus he enjoyed talking. Minutes into the small talk, his publicist would tilt her head and whisper his name but it wasn’t audible enough to make any difference.
What was different however was that he didn’t know he was being interviewed by someone who doesn’t like Nigerian movies and didn’t even know who he was!
“Video movies have become the most dominant form of Nigerian popular culture, with more than 1,000 titles released every year,” Iyke says.
“The industry makes between $200m to $300m annually with spin-off jobs that could make Hollywood cringe. First, because it’s in a supposedly third world nation, plus the profit numbers keep appreciating. Add that to our trademark aggressive demeanor- and you have an atomic grid.”
That was Prof. Iyke schooling everybody with backing figures on the Nigerian film industry and he did turn a few heads. Could have been his fault, his voice is naturally loud.
Jim Iyke is a product of the monstrous Nollywood machine and in many ways has become the ideal persona for roles many of his peers will struggle with.
He seemed to make mental notes of the questions thrown at him. His lecture on the Nigerian movie industry was long and by now the waiters in the lounge had recognized him so in between talking with food in his mouth and holding a plastic smile -- Jim had to make up his mind if he would stay in the lounge and sign autographs and pictures all day or just move to a different location.
His composure held for a good 20 minutes before asking for a ‘quite’ place.
Nigerian flicks obviously have the biggest buzz across the continent and Ghanaian Televisions have immortalized their actors in the minds of drones of movie fans. When he was done cleaning his plate, Jim reclined almost automatically into the velvet chair and talked about his pending charity event in Accra.
Apparently he has a thing for orphans. So he’s adopted two in Ghana for a start. The numbers he says would grow as time goes on.
“This is my first time in Ghana,” he says. “It’s very laid back [he meant ‘slow’] but I like it, it’s very different.” But he’s not come here for a tea party.
“I’m planning a Charity event with KOSMOPOLITAN PR to raise some funds for the Baptist Complex Orphanage in Suhum and Frafraha Orphanage on the 8th and 9th of September. I’ve been told I have a substantial fan base in Ghana and this is my way of giving back to the people who have supported my career this far”
His plan is to bring his Nollywood buddies to Accra for a grand ball. Pretty women (and some men off course) will be auctioned off for dates.
The man is ultra confident about the show’s success and according to him, that could open a new channel of business opportunity for entertainment in Ghana. The ball is going to be an annual event as it stands now and it could mean great opportunities -- and it could also mean business as usual for Nollywood producers.
Jim’s thoughts on ‘made in Ghana’ movies were very diplomatic, to say the least. It was as if he was being too careful with his words:
“Ghanaian film producers don’t seem to have the will to put money into their products. A lot of times they want to do big things but they lack the will to do what is necessary for a movie to be successful so it’s hard to work with them even when you want to.”
His time at The New York Film Academy has proven useful as he recently landed a role in a film project that will see him playing alongside Taye Diggs. That’s big for any actor in this part of the world.
“The other good news is that I’ll be launching my own clothing line soon and it’s going to be a mix of urban and classic couture. I’m making everything from sunglasses [he had to say that one] to the stuff I’m wearing [pointing to his linen pants and cotton jacket].
Laurencia seems to have a thing for picking up celebrities and putting them all over the place. This is a big project for KOSMOPOLITAN PR and she’s well aware of that. Jim places a call to his driver who quickly pulls up in front of the hotel. A group of ladies watch him strut towards the Pajero; as if on cue, he turns and winks to them rather forcefully.
Typical ‘anago cine’ style.
Jim Iyke endured substantial obstacles throughout his young yet remarkably dramatic career before becoming in early 2000 one of the most discussed figures in Nigerian flicks. A respected actor who became one of the most prominent figures in the growing African cinema of the late 1990s, Jim has made his name in gritty crime dramas and romantic ensemble comedies alike.
Source: Jive
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Originally Posted by cyssme
mrstraetz
Jim. He respects his craft enough to study it.
