From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Greece Ambassador to Nigeria, Ioannis Plotas has promised to support Nigeria Film and entertainment industry.
Plotas made the promise at a press conference made yesterday in Abuja, to announce the hosting of the 2nd edition of the Nollywood Travel Film Festival holding in May in Anthens, Greece.
The Greece envoy explained that film industry plays a significant role in bringing different countries together and that through the event, the existing relationship between Greece and Nigeria would be deepened and strengthened.
“For us, the event is a priority and There a cultural tie between the two countries which will be greatly impacted through this film festival.”
The NTFF founder, Mykel Parish said the objectives of the film festival in Greece is to strengthen
collaboration between host country and Nigeria’s screen industry in area of film and high-end TV Co-production between the countries; launch Greece-Nigeria Annual Film Week as a practical platform for establishing an MoU on Audio-Visual Co-Production between countries; establish a film market that bring together content providers, stakeholders, and investors from both countries to discuss possibilities of collaboration and investment throughout the value chin of the film industry and celebrate the artistic and cultural excellence of the people of Greece, Nigeria and other possible participating countries.
Other objectives include: create job opportunities for the you if both countries through cultural exchange, and inward investment f0 both countries and to recognise and reward talents in both countries’ film industry.
Nollywood Travel Film Festival (NTFF) is a project of the Pan-African Film Development Foundation, a Nigerian nonprofit organization established yo support and give a platform to hardworking African I dependent filmmakers to showcase their work on a global scale.
Since, 2017, Nollywood Trace Film Festival had hosted screening in Toronto, Atlanta, Humburg, Oslo, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Lima, London, and Glasgow.
The festival’s focus is to screen Nollywood Films that would not typically be shown in Diaspora and create new opportunities for the industry.
Previous editions of NTFF attracted more than 3,500 filmmakers, fans, distributors and marketers globally
President of Directors Guild of Nigeria, Dr. Victor Okhai said the initiative has demonstrated strong partnership between Greece and Nigeria, saying that there is no best time than now.
He added that Africa and Greece have something in common culturally and assured that his members would key into the festival to take the industry higher.
Anold Jackson of Nigerian Export Promotion Council, on his part said culture is no longer an abstract thing but tangible that can be leveraged to strengthen existing bond between both countries.
“Nollywood is one if the 6 sub sectors of the economy we have chosen to develop due to competitive advantage we have in these areas.
” Economy of the world’s driven by services sector and that is where the world is now. Entertainment is another area Nigeria can leverage on. These will give us a lot of millage in international scene, he said