Information reaching Hi Newspaper from our source at the local copyright office in Ghana says a Nigerian movie has found itself sold to two different Ghanaian producers by two Nigerians- the movie's director, Ifeanyi Onyeagbor and the Executive Producer, Mr. Ikenna Anumba, C.E.O of Lisbon Motion Pictures Nig. Ltd.
This, according to our source, has created problems with the release of the movie in its original title onto the Ghanaian market.
Ifeanyi Onyeagbor is the director of the following popular Nigerian movies- My Mother's Heart, Love Birds, Guardian Angel and End of the Game.
Our information is that, Ifeanyi Onyeagbor sold the movie he directed for Ikenna Anumba originally titled Fulani (an AMAA Awards nominated) to the Ghanaian producer/actor, Ruffy Samuel, ceo of Young Father Production without the consent of Mr. Anumba, the copyright owner of the movie.
Young Father immediately registered the movie, our source says. But unknown to Young Father, according to our source, Mr. Ikenna Anumba, recently sold the same movie to another Ghanaian producer, Mr. Ahmed Banda, ceo of Bandex, who paid $2,000, making him the right owner in Ghana.
Bandex found out about the double sale when he went to register the movie at the copyright offices last month. He then reported the issue to Mr. Ikenna Anumba.
Around mid November, Mr. Banda confronted the director who admitted selling the movie to Young Father. “But efforts to get the director to refund the money he collected from the Young Father have proved futile since last month”, says Bandex.
Meanwhile, Mr. Banda has been asked to present the document of purchase to the Copyright Office to validate his registration.
Speaking to Hi Newspaper, Bandex said the issue could have ended up in courts but for the intervention of some top Nigerian movie people who pleaded with him not to pursue it further.
At press time, Mr. Banda said: “Ifeanyi Onyeagbor has refused to release the master copy of the movie to me. He called and apologized and promised to give me the master copy which has higher picture quality, but has yet to do so”. He said
“I had to changed the title of the movie to protect my investment but it is still not safe until I have the master copy”, he said
Speaking on phone from Onitsha, Anambra State, Nigeria, Mr. Ikenna Anumba told Hi Newspaper that he gave the master copy of Fulani to Ifeanyi Onyeagbor. “It was my first major production and I didn't know the industry outside Nigeria. Ifeanyi Onyeagbor offered to help me so I gave him the master copy. An actress in the movie introduced me to Bandex, who according to her showed interest in the movie after seeing the trailer. I met with Mr. Banda and payment and other necessary paperwork were done”, he said.
“Bandex is the rightful owner of the movie”, the Executive Producer confirmed to Hi Newspaper. Documents to this effect have been sent to Hi.
When Hi Newspaper spoke to Mr. Ifeanyi Onyeagbor on Monday, December 6, he said: “There was nothing fraudulent about what I did. I decided to sell the movie right to Young Father hence the preview copy I gave him. He didn't pay me and went ahead to register the movie with the copyright office. We have since solved everything and there is no cause for alarm.”
Due to the developments, Bandex has decided to release the movie in Ghana under a different title. The movie was released in Nigerian market with the title “Fulani”. In Ghana, it will be released as “Princess Sahara” to avoid further copyright controversies. The 2010 AMAA Award nominated movie is a story set in an Hausa community of Nigeria. It stars Rita Dominic, Oge Okoye, Vivian Achor, Daniel Adeboye and Peter Bruno.
2010 GHANA MOVIE AWARDS OVERLOAD TOP MUSICIANS, ORGANIZERS EXPLAIN WHY By Hi Newspaper
4x4, V.I.P, Daseebre Gyamenah, Samini, Ofori Amponsah, Rana, Tic Tac, Wutah, Nana Boroo, Mimi, Kwabena Kwabena and Tiny are scheduled to perform on the highly anticipated Ghana Movie Awards on Saturday December 25, 2010 at the Accra International Conference Center.
Ghana Movie Awards (MAG) Founder, Fred Nuamah confirmed this to Hi Newspaper on Monday.
The tall list has already generated mix comments from industry critics who have questioned how the show planners would use such large number of artists on one night.
“That’s why it is dubbed the Ultimate Party of the Season”, says Prince Tsegah, a member of the planning Committee.
But how does former Production Manager of Charterhouse, Fred Darko, now Production Director of MAG, intend to use these artists knowing that at such industry awards, more time is allocated, deliberately or not, to rehearsed speeches, flaunting and receiving of statuettes?
“No artist, except on critical need, would perform more than a song on December 25. The gaps in between award-receiving are going to be a big party where these musicians, drawn in groups, would perform their hit song only, back-to-back minus hosts interruptions”, Fred Darko explains.
Details of the main show are expected to hit the press by next weekend, however, Hi Newspaper gathers that the event begins at 7pm prompt with a ‘real’ red carpet session where fashion meets movie. Spotlight will be placed on elaborate fashion extravaganza.
At a recent related Party at the Golden Tulip to announce the 2010 MAG Nominees, emphasis was made on glitz; on December 25, we expect nominees, invited guests and celebrities (movie, sports, music, media etc) to walk up the red carpet making huge fashion statements while the paparazzo do their work.
Also, some special spotlight will be on the need to patronize made in Ghana creations or designs by Ghanaians to the main show. Trendy fashion designers, MKOGH, Prince Collections etc will clothe some of the nominees and performers.
Already voting has began and the nominees have started using social networking websites such as facebook to urge their fans to vote by txting their category letter and nominee number (see Graphic Showbiz and Hi Newspaper for details) to special short code 1788 on MTN, Airtel, Vodafone and Expresso. The event aims at recognizing excellence in achievements of actors, writers, directors, producers, technicians and other personalities of the filmmaking industry of Ghana. . .
At the time of going to press, entry fees have been fixed for GHc50 for V.I.P and GHC100 for V.V.I.P. On what the diference is, the organizers claim “everyone at the event would be considered V.I.P hence no need for the word ordinary tickets”, says Efua Houadjato, the Events General Director. We are not informed about any other special treatments yet.
Ghana Movie Awards 2010 is a Gollywood Productions event in Partnership with Multi TV Cine Afrik and GTV. It is supported by Air Nigeria, Golden Tulip Hotel, FET.Power, X-Men, Spa 216, Emef Estates, Graphic Showbiz, Image Consortium, Hi Newspaper, Ghanacelebrities.com, Peace FM, Joy FM, 4Syte TV, Don Emilio, T.T Brothers, 7 Colours Printing and DDP. For more info visit www.ghanamovieawards.com
ANGRY PHAMOUS PHILMS’ GYO RETURNS 4SYTE MVA VODAPHONE PRIZE. IGNAS THINKS HE’S UNGRATEFUL By Hi Newspaper
Gyo Gyimah, ceo of Phamous Philms, an outfit known for producing some of Ghana music industry's most powerful videos has described the recent 4Syte TV Music Video Awards as 'fraudulent', saying: “the organizer (4Syte TV) and main sponsor (Vodafone) robbed us and made a clown out of the winners on the stage by promising to give out a BlackBerry phone for each award won, but did opposite to the letter of the promise”.
Gyo spoke to Hi Newspaper late Saturday, Dec. 4 at the prize presentation ceremony at Citizen Kofi Niteclub when the organizers presented one BlackBerry phone instead of the 3 he expected, for winning three awards at the MVA organized at the Conference Center on November 20, 2010.
At the 2010 4Syte MVA, Gyo won all three non-artist (or technical) awards- Best Directing (for 4X4's Fresh One), Best Special Effects (for 4X4's Fresh One) and Best Photography (for V.I.P's I Think I Like Am).
“My beef is simple”, Gyo says “I was announced winner of three awards and I climbed the stage three times only to receive three empty Vodafone branded prize bags. At the backstage, Ignas told us each prizes would come later”, Gyo narrated.
“Tonight (Sat. Dec. 4), I came to receive the prizes but Ignas and the Vodafone reps. gave me only one phone. Does it mean all three bags would have contained only one phone on the event day if the prizes were available then? Gyo asked.
After Gyo's junior brother and ceo of Links Multimedia, Charles Gyimah had earlier on collected the BlackBerry phone on behalf of Phamous Philms, Gyo went to Citizen Kofi a little after mid night to return the phone.
“I don't need a phone to use, I want the right thing done”, he told the organizers. This created a temporary hold up, prompting Vodafone managers at the event to intervene.
Gyo said he asked Ignas at that moment if it was his idea to give out only one prize item or Vodafone's, to which the 4Syte boss said “it was Vodafone’s”.
“Vodafone Events and Sponsorship manager, Cynthia Torto, told me in the face that I was been ungrateful, but she didn't realize that 13 out of the 22 video used in the entire show were produced by Phamous Philms/People”, Gyo asked.
“Some of the videos I own copyright because of agreements I went into with the artistes before production”, Gyo says.
Explaining the organizer’s version of the story to Hi Newspaper, calm looking Ignas Hego, ceo of 4Syte TV, said “before the show and even on stage, every nominee was made to understand that each winner/person was entitled to a Blackberry phone”. “Frankly speaking, we had intended to give out only 10 phones for artistes alone but Vodafone generously offered to give out 22 BlackBerry phones so everyone would go home satisfied”, Ignas said.
“I'm not fighting for myself; I'm fighting for the industry. If out of 22 awards at the entire event, my videos won thirteen awards; my question then is: would 4Syte TV and Vodafone have organized this show without my videos? Jeez! someone show a little respect, at least. You did business with my creative job and I didn't complain, just respect my creativity and you think that is too much for asking”? Gyo quizzed.
According to Ignace, 4X4 won four awards, one of which Gyo mistakenly received (that's Best Special Effects) when the MC announced it. 4X4 were given three phones, signifying the group’s win. V.I.P won two awards and got three phones because they are three in number as a group. I don't' understand why they all did not complain but Gyo. I'm aware he had wanted from the onset to cause confusion and embarrass the award brand and my sponsors for his personal gains”
But Gyo says: “If I had plans to cause confusion and destroy his show, would I have first allowed him to use my videos, let alone showed up at both events?
“The truth is that”, Ignas says, “Gyo did not want us to use videos he produced for the awards since the beginning. Before the show he asked me to pay some money before using video he produced but I never budged and hence insisted the owners of the videos, the musicians themselves came up to my office to sign Release Forms to indemnify us from legal actions before we used the video for any commercial purposes”, says Ignace.
Hear Gyo: “I hate to be taken for granted. They disrespected me in the first edition and I told them not to involve me in the second edition, but Ignas had to beg me to use my videos at no cost”.
According to Ignas, the rules of the show stipulated that each nominee (artiste of outfit), no matter how many times they won, is entitled to only one prize package.
At the time of going to press Gyo was planning to return the main statuettes he received at the Nov. 20 show to 4Syte TV “if they are not ready to go by their words, I will return the statuette by the close of this week so they can now erase my name as winner from their records. I’m very pissed by embarrassment meted out at me at Citizen Kofi over the weekend”, he said.
Vodafone could not be reached for an official comment, but a Manager at the Marketing Department (who prefers to remain anonymous) confirmed that Vodafone initially promised 10 phones for the winners but had to change that decision to give out 22 phones in all. The prizes include SIM cards and various talk time packages.
[BlackBerry Curve8520 is valued at GH¢350 and BlackBerry Bold 9700 at GH¢750 at local Vodafone Shop]
2010 GHANA'S MOST BEAUTIFUL, AMA, IS NKOSUOHEMAA OF SHAI TRADITIONAL AREA By Hi Newspaper
2010 Ghana's Most Beautiful, Nana Ama Agyeiwaa, who represented the Eastern Region, has since winning the crown at the National Theater on November 21, 2010, been de-stressing in her native, Aburi town.
Speaking to Hi Newspaper on Saturday, she said, “Having gone through three months of heavy stress, mixed with the sweet experience of becoming Ghana's Most Beautiful, TV3 thought I needed to take a holiday before resuming to any major duties.”
On Sunday, 5th of December 2010, the stool name Dede Kosi was conferred on Ama by the elders of Shai Traditional Area in appreciation of her efforts during the show.
A colourful mini gathering of Chiefs and people of Shai Traditional Area welcomed her amidst drumming and dancing of the Klama dance. The chiefs and people of Shai Traditional Area expressed their appreciation and praised her on her good work in educating Ghanaians about the traditions of the people of Krobos during the 13-week contest.
The Queen of Dodowa was present to grace the occasion and enstoolled Ama as the new NKOSUOHEMAA OF SHAI TRADITIONAL AREA. She dressed her, and on her wrist, placed a beautiful bead popular known as Adiagba.
Nene Okle also honoured her with beads during her enstollment. The people would not let Ama leave until she danced to chief drummer's rhythm. Ama, joined in by some women of Shai moved graciously to the drum beats.
Now that she seems to have had enough rest, she would begin soliciting support from NGOs to embark on her project. “With the brag right and most importantly, the support from TV3, it would be easier to get people to buy into my project and support it”, the lively 20-year-old told Hi Newspaper.
As her projects, she wants to put in place, a career guidance, mentorship and empowerment programme for the youth.
Speaking on her project, she blamed the growing immorality in the country on what she describes as “misplaced career choice by the youth”.
She says the tendency for many parents to pressurize their children to choose careers against their will and capability “contributes to the high school drop-out rate and other anti-social activities”.
