Behold, Kannywood’s Hottest Chics

What Do They Share In Common?

By Al-Amin Ciroma (Published in LEADERSHIP Newspapers July 18, 2009)

When you see them at a gathering or on location, you may wonder if they are artistes or executive producers or project managers.
These ladies are outstanding, bold and beautiful. Call them pop idols, you will be right; refer them as icons, you will still be in order. Behold, call them Kannywood’s big chimmies.
They are famous; this is their roll call: Rahama Hassan, Rukayya Umar Santa (Dawayya) and Rashida Adam. The trio are indeed splendid.
What do they share in common? First of all, they all drive in good cars of the moment. Hassan and Adam drive in the latest RAV Jeeps, while Dawayya cruises in golden colour, Honda, End-of-Discusssion, 2005M.
There is a particular venture that signifies these screen goddesses and make them register their names in the industry’s hall of fame. They are fully established business tycoons. Though there are many like them, but it qualifies one to have aside another endevour that will complement his or her daily bread. Dawayya and Rashida are international business tycoons, operating along the shores of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Rahama Hassan has an up-to- date boutique and salon in Abuja.
One may probably ask what is so special in being a business man. After all, it’s no big deal being a business man, there are many like them. However, it has not stopped them from just being in the entertainment industry.

Kansakali’s Kidnap Case: Investigation Still On

By Al-Amin Ciroma
(Publioshed in LEADERSHIP Newspapers, July 18, 2009)
Following the case of kidnap of the popular Hausa actress and wife of Anchau local government area chairman in Kaduna State, Alhaji Hashimu Garba Anchau, the police, according to sources available to Inside Kannywood, are still conducting investigation as well as ensuring the possible apprehension of the culprits.
The award winning actress was said to have been kidnapped by an unknown gang last week, and was reported to be found after two days, lying by the roadside near the Kofar Doka city gate unconscious. She was latter taken to a hospital and consequently discharged. She has since returned home.
Meanwhile, sources at the Kaduna State police command reiterated that all hands are on deck to get to the root of the matter. As at the time of going to press, there was no development yet.

LIFF Sets Out For The Best, Launches Lagos Content Market

By Al-Amin Ciroma
Published in LEADERSHIP, July 18, 2009)
The Lagos Film Festival (LIFF), one of the biggest and most prestigious film shows in the country, has successfully launched its maiden Lagos Content Market (LCM), which is scheduled to take place from August 11 to 16 in Lagos, Nigeria.
According to a statement signed by the project consultant of LIFF, the system recognises the challenges of distribution within the sub-region and beyond, and seeks to address this problem by creating the market as a solution to the problem of distribution.
He said: "We shall replicate global best practices for film markets…speed dating buyers and sellers of content. Whereas, Nollywood is reputed to be the second largest film industry, distribution system remains largely unstructured. LCM will restructure the distribution system in Nollywood and in fact the sub-region."
LIFF started in 1996 as the National Conference on Entertainment. In 2005, it metarmorphised into African Video Expo. In line with global best practice, the event was in 2006 re-branded as the Lagos International Film Festival. The event, which takes place every December 4-7, aims at creating a convergence between related sectors of the Nigerian film industry by initiating platforms for manpower and intellectual property rights development in areas such as movie business, film production and distribution, which brings together financiers, relevant regulatory agencies, actors and industry guilds for a few days of discussion in the business capital of Nigeria.
The event is targeted to become a major fixture on the African cultural calendar, which includes, creating international exposure for film makers, establishing an annual platform to monitor and analyse trends in African cinema, providing an exciting new movie- going experience for Lagos cinephiles and creating distribution opportunities for audio visual products.
LIFF has over the years enjoyed high profile visitors, including, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the vice president, Federal Republic of Nigeria.

TRENDS IN THE MAKING: NFVCB’s Magpie For Censorship And Classification

By Al-Amin Ciroma
(Published in LEADERSHIP Newspapers, July 18, 2009)
In its effort to digitalise the new distribution framework and make the system easy and user-friendly, the Information Communication Technology (ICT) unit of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) has created a special software application called 'Magpie,' a system that will enable film and video distributors track the progress of their films throughout the process of classification.
A major concern in the business of media and communication is the ability to store and retrieve information quickly and accurately. The enormous quantity of information and data available in the business of censorship and classification of movies is so much that the traditional methods of information and data use is grossly inadequate. The use of Magpie Suite applications by the NFVCB is to ensure timely and accurate assessment of data for effective and efficient delivery of services. The system will also ensure the sharing of information, both within the corporate network and the internet. Another value added service inherent in this system is that it helps automate and improve work flow processes. It will also enhance the effectiveness of the censors board's classification processes.
The applications of the newly invented software are the classifier, link master and SMS engine. The classifier, according to the board's spokesman, encapsulates the business logic in the process of censorship and classification of films and video works. It is intended to standardise the process of classification and censorship by properly documenting all procedure leading to the censorship and classification of a film or video work. He said it will aid censorship decisions and generate recommendations by highlighting identified issues and decisions while suggesting a classification.
Interestingly, it embodies an object component that enables distributors track the progress of their film via SMS and the internet as it goes through the process of classification.
The second application package, link master, is an application employed in manipulating the repository of data relating to operators in the film and video work industry.
Its features include data entry fields that capture the distributor's and exhibitor's data for easy retrieval which includes informing operators, via SMS, of the status of their license (expired or about to expire). It has an auto response to inquiries via SMS engine strength. The link master generates printable reports, as well as assigns license token, among other tasks.
The Short Message Service (SMS) as the third package has achieved a huge success in the wireless world. Billions of SMS messages are sent everyday, which is complemented by the fact that virtually everybody owns a mobile phone. Its services are user-friendly in the sense that it makes for easy communication. With a mobile phone one can send and read SMS messages at any time, no matter where one is.
Observers are of the opinion that if the board executes these giant strides successfully, movie makers and distributors will tend to benefit immensely, considering the fact that Nigeria is now rated second in the world, quantity wise.

Right of Reply: Hausa Films, Not Preserving Northern Cultures

From JIbril M. Ibrahim
(Published in LEADERSHIP Newspapers, July 25, 2009)
I have been reading your articles on the possible ways of restructuring Kannywood. They are quite interesting, educative and well researched. Al-Amin Ciroma, I really commend your effort on this. Before I embark on my criticisms, however, I want to highlight briefly my perception about movies.
In a simple definition, a movie is a series of images that are projected onto a screen to create the illusion of motion. Therefore, it is referred to as motion pictures, in the sense that it enables people immerse them in an imaginary world for a brief period of time. It is one of the most popular means of enterinment. If produced well, movies teach people about history, science, human behaviour and many other sucjects.
When a film is produced, the lameman views it as magic, but ordinarily, a motion picture is just an individual photograph. But when they appear rapidly in suceccssion, the human eye does not detect that they are separate images. This results from persistence of vision, a phenomenon where the eye retains a visual image for a fraction of a second after the source has been removed.
A notable filmmaker, Ola Balogun, in his works, noted that although we do not experience the images in individual photographs, we notice the difference between them. The brain then perceives these differences as motion. According to him, a movie must have an accompanying sound.
Many types of motion pictures, but the most significant categories are features, documentaries and animinatons. He said, many people contribute their skills and talents to the making of films. The stars and actors who appear on the secreen, are only part of the story, most of those who work on a production do not appear on camera.
Accordingly, a lot of filmmakers are of the opinion that the most prominent roles behind the scenes are the directors, producers, scriptwriters, unit production managers, casting directors, designers, sound editors, music composers. All of these people are collectively called the cast and crew. Because film is a unique project, these role may overlap or differ, depending on the individuals involved.
Before we judge this industry and its products in the North, an answer to this question is relevant. Do Hausa films portray and preserve the Northern cultural heritage? The answer could be negative. The movies are not faring well and a lot of them portray Hausa Indian cultural relations. Sometimes, I feel ashamed of myself seeing these films. The facts represented in the movies are usually poorly researched with the sequence and the art not convincing. There are too many repetitions of the same storyline in different titles, the most annoying being that a simple story will unnecessarily be stretched into many parts and worst of all, productions are made for monetary gains without recourse to the social impact of the movies.
In one of the trips to Europe, I went with a Hausa flick. Although subtitled in English, I convinced my Arab friend, who is based there, see it. 30 minutes into the film, we realised that the remaining sequence was just a repetition of what we earlier saw in the first segment, followed by a pile of advertorials and several other unnecessary attractions.
Again, a lot of them Soyayya (love). The worst of all is that many of the films lack original storyline. Whenever you see a Hausa film, it must have something to do with an Indian flick. Is it that we don't have our original stories? Nigeria is a dynamic state with diverse cultural backgrounds; we have beautiful stories to tell. Even in the North, the region constitutes one of the largest geographical entities in the country, which signifies why we should be original. We must not follow other people's ideas, we have our own rich cultural background and our ways of life is totally different. Competing with Hollywood should not be our goal, we should not feel arrived simply because Nigeria is rated second largest producer of movies. In every 10 movies produced, one hardly can find two meaningful ones.
In essence, film could influence human behaviour, both in leadership and followership circles, and attains aesthetic and commercial success if the rules are followed. On several occasions, the artistes have passed comments in the media that Kannywood has attained its best and is fast developing. There is no doubt about that, but it is not yet uhuru for the industry. How many actors have been able to carve a niche of professionalism for themselves in Kannywood? When you talk of dynamism, you only point out Ali Nuhu and Sani Mu'azu who are more or less the only prominent Hausa artistes who are flexible in both the Hausa genre and English movies. What about others?
I call on the practitioners to come together and define their status. Though, a few are to be commended, but majority of them are ignorant. Northern cultures may best be addressed if and only if the players are well informed.

MU’AZU’S SECOND TENURE: Democracy Dividends As World Bank Invests $20M In The Industry

By Al-Aminc Ciroma

(published in LEADERSHIP Newspapers, July 25, 2009)

At the end of its tenure, the Sani Mu’azu-led Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) was unanimously accorded a vote of confidence for a second term. This was inclusive in the bi-annual delegates’ conference held in Kano last week.

The event, which took place at Mumbayya House, Aminu Kano Heritage, Kano, hosted all delegates of the umbrella body of Kannywood. All the delegates hailed the good governance of the present administration of MOPPAN.

Shortly after the welcome address by the president, the organisation’s secretary-general, Dr. Umar Faruk Jibrin, highlighted achivements recorded by the administration under the leadership of Mu'azu. He described the leadership of Mu’azu as the best thing that ever happened to the industry.

However, shortly after taking oath for the second tenure, Sani Mu’azu announced the vacant posts that needed to be filled. First was the position of vice president 1, which was formerly managed by Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Sarari, who now picked up an appointment with the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) as its zonal director, North East Zone. He described Sarari as a hardworking and committed member of MOPPAN. He said, Sarari was one of the pillars behind most successes recorded by his administration, describing his appointment as success not only for him, but for the entire practitioners in the industry. The position was taking over by Mallam Khalid Musa, who was formerly the MOPPAN chairman of Kano chapter.

Equally, Alhaji Sa’idu Gwanja was elected as the new treasurer, succeeding Hajiya Balaraba Rahmat, who completed two consecutive tenures. She was also unanimously voted as an ex-officio of the organisation, considering the she transparently managed public funds.

Reacting on the vote of confidence accorded to his administration by his colleagues, Alhaji Sani Mu’azu expressed his delightness for the confidence his colleague have on him, stating that it is quite encouraging for one to be appreciated. I term what happened at the delegates’ conference as motivating factor towards gingering us for further challenges’’.

Earlier, the first business of the day was an interactive session with officials of the World Bank development fund. Their mission, according to Mu'azu, was to harbour suggestions from the movie stakeholders on how to invest in the industry.

He said: World bank is ready to invest a wooping sum of $20m into the industry in Nigeria. "The funds are not only restricted to Hausa film industry, but for the whole nation. We were asked to profer suggestions as to how the fund will best be invested, where we equally gave them our inputs."

In his assertions, the MOPPAN boss said his organisation suggested to the officials, to consider the establishment of resort centre in Kano.

Said he, "The resort centre will include a film school, production and facility centre. We also suggested that there is need for them to work with the commercial banks so that the filmmakers will access the funds from such banks in form of soft loans."

Reacting, the officials were delighted at the wonderful input of Kannywood stakeholders, and promised to respond positively.

Story of the Two Aminus: Are They Really One?

By Al-Amin Ciroma

(Published in Leadership Newspapers, August 1, 2009)

They are perfect actors in Kannywood. Whenever the names of A- List actors are listed the two Aminus are sure to be mentioned... Both bear three names, viz: Aminu Ahlan Shariff and Aminu Shariff Ahlan. This piece intends to unveil the two pillars of the Hausa film industry. Are they brothers, friends, associates or brand allies? What is more amazing is that both Aminus were born in the same local government council - Gwale - in Kano State.

What differentiates one from the other? Aminu Ahlan Shariff was born on 22nd April, 1973 at Gwale Quarters, Gwale local government area. He had his primary school education at Matasa Primary School, Sani Mainagge, between 1978-1983, after which he proceeded to Government Senior Secondary School, Gwammaja One, for his secondary education, between 1983-1989. The screen Romeo obtained his NCE at FCE Kano between 1994-1996, after his quest for additional knowledge took him to Obafemi Awolowo University in 1997 where he earned a diploma and an advanced diploma in Computer Science. The film star, as busy as he was still able to bag a degree at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), in the year 2005. Despite these Ahlan still nurtures the dream of going back for a second degree.

On the other hand, Aminu Shariff Ahlan was born at Galadanchi in Gwale local government area on 10th October, 1977. He was also raised there. He is a diploma holder from the prestigious Bayero University Kano, where he studied Sociology.

FILMOGRAPHY:

Both actors ventured into the show business, almost at the same time. Aminu Shariff Ahlan came into Kannywood when Sir Hafizu Bello featured him in his blockbuster, Ukuba. In the movie, Aminu displayed his natural talent when he played a villainous role and became well known for it. He is cool-headed, with versatile acting abilities. The name of the character he portrayed in the movie, Momoh, distinguished him from the other actors who appeared alongside with him. One could probably point out that the major distinction between the two ace actors is that Aminu Shariff Ahlan is nicknamed 'Momoh'.

On the other hand, Aminu Ahlan Shariff, a natural actor, started acting long before the birth of the Hausa Film industry. He acted in two English drama series between 1991 and 1992. He starred as a friend to the lead actor and as a family boy in Weeping hearts and Echo in the dark, respectively. In 1999, Bala Ahmad, a director, called him up and offered his flick, Mayaudara. The actor accepted. By virtue of that, Mayaudara became the actor's debut Hausa film. After a year, Ishaq Sidi Ishaq gave him a second opportunity in Laila, which was his breakthrough. One of the most sought after actors in Kanywood, Ahlan produced the blockbuster movie Jinsee, through his mega production company - Video Villa. Jinsee, directed by Ishaq Sidi Ishaq, became a hit. The movie graced the screens of Hausa homes for a long time. The actor who is also a producer and director, has produced some super hit movies, among which are: Jinsee, Amira, 419, Mafia and Matsolo. He then turned his fortunes to the directing line, and he presently has over eight movies to his directing credits such as Dan Gwal, Mafia, Mahadi, Sirrin Daso, Adaka, and Rufa-Rufa. Ahlan's best is yet to come.

Individual Existence:

‘Momoh’ is the quiet type and very subtle. His fans describe him as the man with the midas-touch, pointing out that whatever he touches, turns gold. It is well known that his face sells movies. Quite a number of producers in the industry are always on the hunt for Momoh, most especially to depict an innocent dribbler in their movies.

The charming Aminu Ahlan Sharriff, a.k.a ‘Ahlan’ on the other hand, is quite idiosyncratic. He came into the Hausa movie genre with a difference. He blazed the trail and set a pace for others to follow. He became the Video Villa boss simply to showcase his multi-talented skills. Ahlan is also known to be a 'system builder' of sort, perhaps in part, because he possesses unusual traits, a combination of imagination and reliability. Standing over six feet tall, intelligent, dedicated, analytical, professional, very humble and very artistic. A very rare combination in the modern Hausa film industry. Blessed with a sonorous voice, the handsome dude is known for his Hausa and English dialectical expressions, a habit he finds hard to do away with, according to him. In his spare time, Ahlan watches films, reads novels, and listens to music. For the actor, football is the game and he was formerly a Real Madrid fan, till recently when he migrated to Chelsea. According to one of his directors, Ahlan tends to be scrupulous about recognising his colleagues' needs and contributions, and he also has the ability of taking full advantage of every opportunity that comes his way.

Marital Life:

Momoh fought with his last blood to win the heart of his dear wife, Maryam Ahmad Diallo, who is one of Kannywood's top lyricists. Their union has been blessed with children. Ahlan also married his beautiful and understanding wife, Aisha Mansur Kankarofi, and their union is blessed with a pretty and angelic girl, Hassana, named after the actor's mother.

Awards:

Momoh was winner of the esteemed Motion Pictures Practitioners’ Association (MOPPAN) Award for Best Actor in 2004, while Ahlan's movie, Jinsee, won the Best Film award at the same ceremony.

Similarities between these stars are by no means exhaustible, certainly, our esteemed readers may as well identify several others not captured in this piece.