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By Henry Akubuiro
With a theme, “The Power of the Theatre and Film in Shaping Human Progress,” the Abuja Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Authors is pleased to announce that the Guest Author for January 2026 is Lucky Ejim. He is an award-winning Nigerian-Canadian actor, filmmaker, director, and storyteller.
Ejim is a renowned creative whose practice bridges Nigerian and diaspora cinema. He received the 2014 Nollywood Movies Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Render to Caesar, and as co-creator and lead actor in the multiple international award-winning feature film The Tenant, which garnered festival honours across North America. His body of work includes major international productions like the Moby Dick miniseries, as well as critically acclaimed contemporary films such as Orah (2023), screened at major international festivals including TIFF Industry Selects.
Lucky Ejim creates work at the powerful intersection of art, culture, and social consciousness. With consistent thoroughness, his work in theatre, film, and television explores the human condition, migration, justice, identity, and the ongoing role of storytelling in society. From commanding performances to bold directorial choices, his career has always reflected the deep belief that art can be a mirror and a catalyst for change.
In this January 2026 gathering, our guest author joins other high-profile panellists in an engaging talk through how theater and film have shaped civilisations, confronted injustice, curated collective memory, and catalysed human progress — from ancient communal storytelling traditions to today’s world cinema. From his experience and creative practice, he will shed light on how performance remains one of humanity’s most enduring tools for empathy, resistance, and renewal.
“Like all the monthly ANA Abuja gatherings, this will be an opportunity where writers, dramatists, filmmakers, students, and lovers of the arts get to rethink the power of story, voice, and performance in shaping who we are and who we can become,” said the organisers. The event takes place on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at the Chinua Achebe International Conference Centre, Mamman Vatsa Writers Village, Mpape, Abuja. “It will be a session of unforgettable encounter with this storyteller whose works have thus far proved that when art speaks in loud tones, societies listen and evolve,” said Uthman Qasim, Secretary, ANA Abuja.
The event will be hosted by Architect Chukwudi Eze. Chairman, ANA Abuja.
