For all those who participated in the #GogeAfrica20 Video Documentary Contest, and have been wondering who the Video Documentary jurors are, your inquisition is doused! Here are the profiles and faces of the jurors saddled with the responsibility of choosing our winners. Good luck to all contestants.
MOJISOLA SONOIKI
British-born Nigerian, Mojisola Sonoiki, has over 15 years’ experience curating, programming, and consulting on various Film Festivals and Cultural Events around the world.
Amongst other things, she is the Founder of the WOCAF (Women of Color Arts & Film Festival) Atlanta, has directed a short documentary “Occupy Naija”, an insider’s view of the Occupy Nigeria demonstrations of 2012, co-written a made for TV film “Mixed Feelings” which aired on the cable channel, Ebony Life TV in Nigeria in 2015 and is currently producing an award-winning docu-interview web series “Indigo Tongues” which showcases trailblazers from Africa and the Diaspora.
Ms Sonoiki also co-hosts & produces a new entertainment and arts & culture podcast called Not just Nollywood.
PRISCILLA NZIMIRO NWANAH
Priscilla Nzimiro Nwanah has over 10 years of experience in the television industry, Producing/Directing Television format shows including Project Fame West Africa, Nigerian Idol, Malta Guinness street dance and several independent productions that have been broadcast Pan-Africa wide.
For the last 5 years, she has worked as a Senior Producer/Director for Africa’s 1st Global Black entertainment channel, EbonyLifeTV, where she has created and produced many programs ranging from reality to lifestyle entertainment including The Fattening Room, Sistaz, Tiannah’s Empire, Wardrobe Diaries, Chefrican and many more. Her debut film as a Producer, The Royal Hibiscus hotel, was selected and screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Most recently, she also produced the highest grossing Nollywood film, The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai.
She co-founded the “She Rocks” brand which was created to celebrate women in media, arts and entertainment. Starting as a weekly event showcase of upcoming female artist and honoring powerful women, it has evolved into other media channels, products and markets. In 2019, she launched her podcast platform, “Not just Nollywood”, discussing with industry greats about the film and visual content industry as it relates to Africans on the continent and in diaspora.
At her core, Priscilla is a consummate artist. A documentary filmmaker and video artist. Priscilla continues to break the boundaries of female stereotypes in Africa. Her works explore through audio and visual means, topics that focus on our ecology and social environment.
Anyone who knows Priscilla Nwanah, would describe her as a hard-working and a fearless young woman with a generous sense of humor, inspired creative vision, a passion for excellence, and joie de vivre. With that, Priscilla reminds us to never be afraid of making a difference in the world around us.
EMEM ISONG-MISODI
Emem Isong-Misodi is an award-winning, screenwriter, producer and now director in Nollywood. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Calabar, venturing into film making in Nigeria when it was not fashionable to do so.
She boldly launched her own production company, Theatre Images in 1994, after resigning from a job in the bank. Since then she has not looked back and but has gone on to produce the following award-winning movies, ‘Breaking Point’(1996) ‘A Minute to Midnight’ (1997)’, ‘Emotional Crack’(2003) winner of the Reel Awards for Best Actress and Best Upcoming Actress of the Year respectively. ‘Private Sin’, ‘Promise Me Forever’, ‘Critical Decision’ winner of the AMA Best Actress and Best Actor of the Year Award, ‘Games Women Play’, ‘Behind Closed Doors’, ‘Games Men Play’, ‘Ekaette’, ‘Fatal Imagination’, ‘A Piece of Flesh’, ‘Unfinished Business’ , ‘Mfana Ibagha’, ‘The Wrong Woman’, ‘A Time to Love’ and much acclaimed ‘RELOADED’ (2008) a film that was nominated for African Movie Awards (AMAA) for Best Scriptwriter, Editing and Best Music and won several awards including City Peoples Award for Best film, Best Producer of the year and Best Screenplay.
She later set up Royal Arts Academy, a front-line media school that contributes immensely to youth empowerment in Nigeria by teaching talented young people how to act, write scripts and edit films. The company which is situated in Surulere, also has a production arm and a film distribution/marketing section and has produced several award winning movies such as ‘Guilty Pleasures’, Bursting Out, ‘Kiss & Tell’, ‘Catwalq’ (a soap) , ‘I’ll Take My Chances’ and the star-studded movie, ‘Weekend Getaway’ ‘Lagos Cougars’, ‘Knocking On Heavens Door’, ‘Apaye; A Mother’s Love, ‘ Cougars: The Series, Love is The Hair, Ayamma, Champagne, ‘Body Language’, Getaway:The Series.
Emem is known to be a producer with a knack for recognizing and nurturing talents and is credited to have discovered several A list actresses and actors in the industry today. She has also contributed immensely to the development of film production in Akwa Ibom State when she pioneered the making of films in Ibibio language with productions like ‘Mfana Ibagha’, ‘Ekaette’, ‘Uyai’, ‘Edikan’, ‘Uduakobong’, ‘Idomo’, ‘Udeme mmi’.
Internationally, Emem recently collaborated with Nollywood Workshops, an American based NGO (financed by the Gates Foundation) that aims to build bridges by sponsoring movies that promote of positive social change in Africa. That collaboration resulted in the production of ‘Code Of Silence’ a critically acclaimed film on the dastard effects of rape in a community. She was also interviewed by NPR, a world renowned Washington-based online radio station on her impact in Nollywood.
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