Lekki Film Summit  Opens April 24

Lekki International Film Festival launches the first in a series of international film seminars, the maiden edition of which begins on April 24 and continues daily to April 27. Tagged the Lekki Film Summit, it is a gathering of film practitioners spanning the entire spectrum of specialists, from producers to directors, actors, technicians, and distributors.

“Practitioners in the film industry are completely involved people,” says Mrs Oluwatoyin Awolesi, director of media at Lekki International Film Festival.  “You can say that we literally bury our heads in work which in itself is a not a bad thing because it is impossible to make a real headway here without that kind of commitment. You remember that we do not at this moment enjoy the luxury of division of labour, something that others elsewhere take for granted. The producer alone is forced to take on more than he or she should, additional responsibilities such as directing, marketing, distributing, media management and so on. The result therefore is that, we easily get left out or left behind in certain aspects of development in the business because we rarely have the time or opportunity to interact and get to know what’s going on or what’s new.”

She also explains that with so much evolving in the film world, people are seeking new ways around old obstacles. “New doors are opening every day. This is the reason for this kind of interactive forum. And it comes with many other benefits.”

Talking about those benefits, she alludes to networking, from which she believes great ideas and opportunities grow. “We are looking forward to the prospect of people working together across countries and regions,” she enthuses. “If you like, different handshakes across the Atlantic or the Pacific, something like that.”

The last time the festival held its full outing was before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic forced the organisers to postpone every programme in the pipeline. That was also when the management thought the drawback would be put to good use. Thus, the idea of turning an international conference into a virtual event came about. “Originally the interactive aspect of the main festival event was going to grow into an international conference,” Mrs Awolesi, who is also a radio personality and writer, explains. “That was on the drawing board. Our overall director Dapo Adeniyi who belongs to a committee of directors in Europe was in consultation with some of his friends with the aim of making that a reality here. A stand-alone event that will involve participants from all over the country and around the world.”

Lekki Film Summit 2023 aims to generate interactions, a comparing of notes among practitioners in the area of film distribution. Each lead speaker’s presentation will be followed by discussions where participants can talk about practical problems and approaches in open-ended  discussions. 

Speakers in the forthcoming summit include Dante Montagnani, a British director and actor with many films under his belt; Akin Alabi, a Lagos-based film photography director and production specialist; Tajudeen Agboola, a director and publisher who is among the pioneer directors in Nollywood; Sam Uche Anyamele, a well-known actor, director, producer, and public relations consultant; Augusta Okon, a barrister at law, entertainment advocate, writer, and film critic; and Dapo Adeniyi, the founding director at Lekki International Film Festival, who started his career on radio in Nigeria and later produced drama for BBC World Service.