Nigerian filmmaker Newton Aduka has won the Yennenga Stallion. for his outstanding film Ezra.

The Nigerian film Ezra has won the top prize at the biennial African Film Festival, Fespaco, in Burkina Faso.

The festival is the major showcase for the continent's films, many of which are not widely distributed.

Ezra, the story of a child soldier in the decade-long Sierra Leone civil war, was a popular winner at a lively closing ceremony.

The film, directed by Newton Aduaka, was awarded the top prize, known as the Yennenga Stallion.

The importance of the subject and the quality of the direction were cited by the jury as the main reasons for its decision.

Aduaka was visibly moved when he received the giant golden trophy, and appeared lost for words when he spoke to the media afterwards.
To judge by the reaction of the large crowd at the closing ceremony, it was a popular choice.

Diverse winners
Ezra pipped the Cameroonian film, Les Saignantes (Those Who Bleed), a daring story of sex and corruption set 20 years into the future.
The other prizes were spread out around the continent, with Ethiopian and Moroccan movies winning the best short film and the best documentary respectively.

Fespaco is crucial for African directors, as their films are often not widely distributed.
Many of the films in competition address problems in African society or the issue of migration.

Fespaco is held every two years and brings together the cream of African cinema for debates and film screenings.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6416355.stm

No Nollywood movie was screened at Fespaco and some Nigerians who were there complained of discrimination against Nollywood movies. But the organisers said Fespaco only accepts films shot on celluloid and not videos. And also noted that most Nollywood movies do not meet the criteria for such internationally acclaimed film festivals. And I have sent my statement in defence of Nollywood.

Nollywood movies are actually not meant for film festivals, but to entertain the families of the Igbo traders who are the movers and shakers of Nollywood from Idumota to Onitsha. So, Nollywood is not ready to bow to the rules of Fespaco. Fespaco should create a special category for movies shot on video to showcase Nollywood movies and other movies in video.

If an artist cannot afford to paint oil on canvas, he uses whatever is within his reach and creates a work of art. And whatever medium the artist chooses does not diminish his art and cannot restrain him from creating masterpieces that can dazzle the world. Because, a masterpiece is a masterpiece regardless of the medium of the production.

We are not shooting films on 35mm or even 75mm, because most Nigerians prefer to watch VCDs and DVDs of movies instead of going to the cinema. And you have to supply on demand and not trying to impress the Western patrons of Fespaco.

Africans should make their own rules and not aping or copying the Western dictators. Nollywood will not bow to Hollywood. Nollywood is leading the digital revolution in filmmaking.

digital revolution my ass! Heck, even the photographer hustling by the roadside can become a Director Of Photography overnight.

Sh*t is they lack finesse and intellect and that's what that film festival is about- finesse and intellect.

You rightly put it when you said Nollywood "videos" are/were meant to entertain the families of the Igbo traders that are the movers and shakers of Nollywood (that statement got me laughing hard).

The thing is, if Nollywood wants to get its dumbass retarded Home Videos recognized, they open a "Video Festival for Retarded Home Videos" and stop whining like cheap whores to film festivals of international standards.

I agree with Orikinla. When I become a big-shot in Nollywood, I will lauch a movie award ceremony. Noscar!

On second thought, the idea is not ridiculous at all. Even the name is not ridiculous.

Gbade. x,
My Nna brothers don't care about all the Western yardsticks we are using to measure movies, because we are not their target audience.
Film gini?
Biko wayta ego!

Seun,
Tunde Kelani shoots on DV and the future of film is going to be on digital and not reel to reel.

We should just perfect our chosen medium of movie making.

The Box Office makes Hollywood and without the cinemas Hollywood will collapse and since Hollywood makes billions of dollars for America, they have to continue to drive the bandwagon and want others to join their bandwagon.

I want our best actors and actresses to break into Hollywood to make Hollywood realize that celluloid or no celluloid, we have the actors and actresses who can excel anywhere in the world.
Ramsey Nouah can win an Oscar if given the equal opportunity to prove himself in any of their box office films.
Genevieve Nnaji is as good as Nicole Kidman.

A star is a star.

@ Orikinla:

you don't seem to get my point. It's not just about the actors and actresses - it's the technical support a la crew profession that is the crux here. I'll be the one to admit that our actors are as good or even better than/as any actor Hollywood can offer given the right environment. But that doesn't mean we should ignore other factors - when it comes to technicality, Nollywood is still crude and full of sh*t.

Last time i checked, DV and celluloid's merging, DV is not paving shit.

One more thing, i hope you know Tunde Kelani doesn't even consider himself a part of Nollywood!! Dude belittles and distances himself away from Nollywood as far as possible!

Plus i'm a fan of his movies!. . . . And he also shoots in celluloid.

DV is perfect for DVD distribution. It only becomes inadequate in the cinema, at which point HDV takes over!

Then why the hell don't they just convert to HDV and dump that dumbass DV??

Orinkila,
Why did you have to tribalize this topic as Igbo traders in Onitsha? Last time you said that Igbo producers should be tried for making huge profits. Is there any law in Naija that says that people should not make good movies, besides its factually wrong to infer that Igbo traders are the targeted audience.

Let's stay within the point not to tribalise. Ok

Then why the hell don't they just convert to HDV and dump that dumbass DV??

Because almost every Nigerian watches movies on VCDs and VHS tapes, which are far below DV quality!

Hmm. . .true talk, but there seems to be huge rise in Nigerians buying DVDS of late. . . .all thanks to pira DVDS.