Emem Isong defies babysitting rule, takes 10 months baby to location
Written by fred Iwenjora
Script writer; film producer and director Emem Isong took her knack for hardwork without turning to unprecedent heights when she recently took her then ten months old baby Kenechi to location for the production of her latest film.
The film titled Uyai is an Ibibio language film shot at locations in Eket, Akwa Ibom state after she had traveled through Lagos, Abuja, Benin with the baby to make sure the location is right. Emem and little Kene who celebrates one year this weekend were kept on their toes throughout their travels.
Poor little thing. He got his baptism of fire. And with the way he felt at home with cast and crew, baby Kenechi could not but elicite so much interest.
Emem Isong, one of Nollywood’s award winning film makers with a penchant for romantic drama has touched Nollywood in no small way. Having produced wave making Emotional Crack, Games men play and several others, Emem would not be deterred by baby sitting. She took her baby to the war front so to speak.
The work had to be done, she explains “I had written the script earlier and proposed to shoot. We were dotting the ‘I’s and crossing the ‘T’s working for the time. And when the time came for shooting, not even Kenechi could change the schedule.
As far as I was concerned duty called and we had to go and if it meant Kenechi would follow the train, so be it. And so it was. The poor boy could not but relax and watch the goings on.
I have a strong feeling he enjoyed the entire show, we had to check out several locations and we settled for Eket and Kenechi was part of the train which also had Ini Edo, Moses Armstrong and Desmond Elliot as well as several other artistes.
You may have known that it is a language film and we decided that the best location for Uyo would be Eket. So not even my being delivered of a baby or the work of nursing a little baby could stop or change the shooting and product time table. As you can see, we have concluded, and waiting to release.
Incredentially, Baby Kenechi is one year this week. I have a very strong spiritual attachment to this film. Apart from the fact that he was part of it at an early age, I wrote the movie script several months before his arrival, it is now hoped that the movie also goes to some festivals and wins laurels.”
On whether it would be sold in popular movie market in Nigeria, Emem says “I do not know yet. However I am optimistic that everything would go well.”
Emem Isong
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