ALL SET FOR THE WEDDING PARTY

Okechukwu Uwaezuoke
Really, it should come as no surprise that the Dubai Tourism Grand Premiere of The Wedding Party is already sold out. No one who attended FIFTY’s grand premiere at Eko Hotel and Suites late last year should have expected anything less.

This ELFIKE Film Collective movie, directed by Kemi Adetiba, still relishes the rapturous response it received at its sold-out screening on the opening night of Toronto International Film Festival in September. The prestigious Elgin Theatre, according to reports, was brimming over with an audience of over 1,400 viewers, including some of Africa’s biggest names

Meanwhile, the star-studded premiere, which holds this weekend, will feature the cast of the movie, including Banky W, Adesua Etomi, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Ireti Doyle, Alibaba Akpobome and Sola Sobowale.

“The much-talked-about premiere is undoubtedly the most sought-after invitation of 2016,” crows a statement from the premiere’s organisers. “It promises to be an unforgettable evening, with a line-up of exciting activities at the Bridal Court, Love Zone and Gourmet Board, before guests watch the film in a custom-built theatre. There will be a gifting lounge, hosted by Santa Claus, after which guests can move to the Honeymoon Bay for the after-party. During the evening, there will be a raffle draw with lots of fabulous prizes to be won.”

The ELFIKE Film Collective, by the way, is a collaboration of Africa’s leading film powerhouses: EbonyLife Films, FilmOne Distribution, Inkblot Productions and Koga Studios. “They bring together years of experience and a wealth of creative resources, to make Nigerian movies with high production values and global appeal,” the statement added.

Recall that EbonyLife Film’s debut, FIFTY, was named last year as the only Nigerian film and one of only five African films from a global selection of 238 films and selected to screen at the 59th BFI London Film Festival in 2015. While its Grand Premiere, which flaunted the crème de la crème of Nigeria’s upper crust, was hosted by Mo Abudu, one of the Executive Producers of The Wedding Party and CEO of EbonyLife Films, Dubai Tourism leads a collection of premium sponsors, including Airtel, Diageo, Bank of Industry, Access Bank, Bollinger and Amstel Malta, amongst others for The Wedding Party’s Grand Premiere.