This forum was a follow-up to the announcement made by That Good Media’s founder, Toyosi Etim-Effiong, earlier in the month about her partnership with the ESSENCE Festival of Culture and Film New Orleans to lead a delegation of Nollywood’s stakeholders to the United States.
Gracing the event were actors, media personalities, and influencers such as Shaffy Bello, Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Mofe Duncan, Shawn Faqua, BamBam, Tola Odunsi, Erica Nlewedim and representatives of production companies like Inkblot Productions, FilmOne Studios, Dabz Productions and more.
During the Nollywood Stakeholder Forum, Lamonia Deanne Brown, the director and event lead of Essence Film Festival, shared that the entire ‘Nigeria Day’ on July 1 will be dedicated to filmmakers, storytellers, people who help with funding, producers, actors and everyone who makes the whole Nigeria film industry what it is today.
This year, for the first time in its history, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture will include an Africa House. That Good Media will be partnering with the Essence Film Festival to lead a delegation of Nollywood stakeholders for ‘Nigeria Day’. This day will feature panel sessions on topics like ‘Creating and Promoting Globally Relatable Content’ and movie screenings that highlight the Nigerian film industry and provide stakeholders with an opportunity to network with global counterparts.
In her opening speech of the day, Etim-Effiong highlighted her passion for Nollywood and interest in seeing Nollywood grow into an industry that is well-connected and ranked with its global counterparts.
“Nollywood and Afrobeats are of the same mother and father. Nollywood cannot be the child that does not make it,” she stated.
Guests were treated to cocktails and canapes throughout the course of the event and had the opportunity to interact with one another on the impact of the international partnership and how to be a part of it.
The ESSENCE Festival is an annual event that celebrates African-American culture and music. It is held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees from all over the world.
The festival features a range of activities, including musical performances, panel discussions, and cultural events. First held in 1995, it has since become one of the largest events of its kind in the United States of America.
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