On April 1st 2019, The Official Convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), CinemaCon recognized the Nigerian movie industry with the Emerging Market Award at Ceasar’s Palace, Las Vegas, U.S.A. The award was presented to CEO of  The Filmhouse Group, Kene Okwuosa and MD, FilmOne Production and Distribution, Moses Babatope.

This award comes as no surprise as the 2010s spelled growth for the cinema culture with various cinema brands popping up to create competition in the space for already established players. At this time, thanks to globalization, the concept of cinema viewing had become popular, and it was ripe for a company serious about bringing the movie-going experience to the masses emerged. At this point record-breaking revenues in the amount of N1.72trillion (2013) was being reported with the industry valued at N853.9billion (third in the world after the United States and India). Nollywood was responsible for 1.4% of Nigeria’s economy. In 2013, FilmHouse decided to take on the challenge of entering the market to expand the cinema industry to a wider population. Today, far from the middle and upper class activity cinema-going used to be, with 44 cinemas across the country (up 29% increase from 2017), serving an estimated population of 190 million Nigerians – though not yet saturated, the growth of this culture and incidentally the industry connected to it is undeniable.

FilmHouse, dedicated to opening as many branches as time and space would permit even with 23% of the 180 screens already enjoys a 39% market share, signaling room for even more growth provided the right investments and marketing efforts are made to expand the industry. With their presence attracting distribution deals with foreign big names like 20^th Century Fox, Waner Bros Pictures, as well as Empire Entertainment (South Africa), the marriage between Nollywood native content and Hollywood international offerings has created just the right ecosystem for a flourishing global cinema culture. There are also many thanks to be given to the presence of improved recording equipment and better-trained filmmakers in the industry.

Emerging Market Spotlight Award winner Moses Babatope, Managing Directork FilmOne Distribution speaks during the International Day Lunch held at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging for CinemaCon)

From a financial perspective, it appears the cinema culture has been very useful in combating the effects of piracy to an extent for filmmakers. In 2018 alone, FilmOne recorded a Gross Box Office in-flow of N2.8billion with over 2.7million ticket admissions. By the time you add the income of other cinema houses, the Gross Box Office earnings jumps up to N5.5billion (up 23% from 2017). From Nollywood alone, N1.4billion of this gross figure was realized, FilmOne as the biggest production house holding a 92% share of the local content cinema market in what some might refer to as a monopoly. For interested investors in this sector, after accounting for sales of items like popcorn, hotdogs and drinks, a staggering revenue of N20.3billion was declared by FilmHouse, a first for any company in the industry.

From left, Arturo Guillén, VP, EMEA and India, Comscore, Emerging Market Spotlight Award winners Moses Babatope, Managing Directork FilmOne Distribution and Kene Okwuosa, CEO, Filmhouse Cinemas during the International Day Lunch held at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging for CinemaCon)

These strides have not happened without international recognition. From the willingness of Netflix to pour in billions of dollars into the industry over the next five years, to CinemaCon (largest and most important gathering of movie theater owners from around the world) recognizing the Nigerian cinema market on April 1^st 2019 with the Emerging Market Award, an honor not even the Bollywood rival is yet to enjoy, the tide is still very much on the rise. This is what you would expect when in 2018 alone West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia) recorded the highest Gross Box Office earning and more titles than ever earned over N300, N200, and N100million respectively. Moses Babatope (Managing Director, FilmOne) and Kene Okwusa (CEO Filmhouse) both expressed their gratitude to be selected as industry leaders to receive the CinemaCon award on behalf of the Nigerian film industry. They have expressed optimism for growth as well as appreciation for stakeholders that have made the journey so far possible. The world continues to look to Africa and by extension, the industry leader, Nigeria, for fresh content; and the Nigerian market remains open for investment – foreign and domestic, to build in capacity. Are we in a second golden age for the Nigerian movie industry where cinema takes the lead? As the saying goes, men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t. All eyes are watching, the industry and the screens.

From left, Emerging Market Spotlight Award winners Kene Okwuosa, CEO, Filmhouse Cinemas and Moses Babatope, Managing Directork FilmOne Distribution during the International Day Lunch held at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging for CinemaCon)

From left, Emerging Market Spotlight Award winners Moses Babatope, Managing Director FilmOne Distribution, John Fithian, President and CEO, NATO and Kene Okwuosa, CEO, Filmhouse Cinemas during the International Day Lunch held at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 1, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging for CinemaCon)

“Our generation is fortunate to have the privilege of being able to tell our story ourselves, so the first thing I’m going to do is always to tell the other side of our unique African story.”

Baby Mamas, the first ever South African film to show in Nigeria is set to premiere in Lagos on the 1st of March, 2019 at all Filmhouse Cinemas’ locations.

Baby Mamas follows the daily lives, loves, and drama of four professional women – who are all in different stages of their own real baby mama drama. The term “Baby Mamas” is a term that has now been permanently included in pop culture and colloquial language to mean a mother who is not married to her child’s father or is not currently involved with her child’s father. As the four women explore the many dynamics of being baby mamas, they open themselves up to pain, healing, sorrow, joy, friendship and indeed, love.

The writers and director of the movie, both South African women (Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese) are passionate about changing the narrative! As young black women, they are able to bring to the forefront topics in their films that are relevant to society, in a fun and unique way, and in this way, they have developed into storytellers who are bringing to the forefront stories that are both entertaining, thought provoking and compelling.

With an ensemble female cast of Salamina Mosese, Thembisa Mdoda, Dineo Ranaka, and Kay Smith, with Stephina Zwane in the director’s seat, the film makes a strong case for sisterhood, female empowerment, and pure black girl magic. Many of the themes explored in the film are the journey to motherhood, the stigma, and shame that comes with pregnancy out of wedlock, the pain of dealing with a failed relationship, the courage to leave an abusive situation and of course, dealing with the absence of a child’s father.  A sisterhood develops among these four very different women, as they find in each other the strength and courage it will take to navigate the treacherous waters of the relationships, good and bad, that they have with the men in their lives

These various themes explored in the film thus birth incredibly honest and vulnerable performances that are really relatable, heartwarming and quite moving.

This film comes at just the right time because of the many conversations in recent times, and the director of the film believes we need to take control of the narrative!!

This film highlights the fact that none of us are really that different; we generally go through the same things and it’s important that we remember to connect as human beings and be kind to one another for we are all struggling to make it through each day.

When asked why she wrote this story, and why it’s important for such stories coming out of Africa to be told, Stephina Zwane says “our generation is fortunate to have the privilege of being able to tell our story ourselves, so the first thing I’m going to do is always to tell the other side of our unique African story.”

She says of the film’s four female lead characters. “I’m tired of images that don’t celebrate me as an African, and instead shows me constantly lacking and struggling. This is not all that we are”.

We urge you to join in the conversation by following @filmoneng on Instagram . “Baby Mama’s” is out at cinemas across Nigeria on March 1^st 2019

Watch the Trailer below

https://www.youtube.com/embed/d_WMOmFoJGw

About FilmOne Distribution and Production: 
FilmOne Distribution and Production Limited is the leading West African independent distributor of filmed entertainment. Based in Lagos, Nigeria, we distribute a wide-range of mainstream, commercial pictures including international and indigenous titles. Since its foray into production, the company has also become one of the leading production houses releasing crowd pleasing hits such as The Wedding Party Series, My Wife and I, New Money, Lunch Time Heroes and the upcoming Merry Men: The real Yoruba Demons. Further information on FilmOne can be found at www.filmoneng.com

LAGOS – The inaugural edition of The Film Gala®, hosted by Osas Ighodaro-Ajibade,  2010 Miss Black USA Pageant winner and acclaimed actress, and by Toni Tones, singer, songwriter and actress, at the Wings Tower, Victoria Island, and presented by Filmhouse Cinemas, in partnership with Moët & Chandon, was held on the 26th of January, 2019. Filmhouse Cinemas, the premiere movie/film platform in Nigeria and Moët & Chandon, the official champagne of the Golden Globes, collaborated to bring to the forefront of the Nigerian film industry bodies of work that are breaking the norm in contemporary Nigerian cinema and inspiring really creative pieces of art. And as such, it was no surprise that the theme of the night was “Married To The Arts.”

Gracing the purple carpet of The Film Gala was the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry. The likes of Ngozi Nwosu, Chinedu Ikedieze, Shaffy Bello, Dakore Egbuson, Alex Ekubo, Kemi Adetiba, Iretiola Doyle, Oyeka Udoka, Waje, Omawumi, Abimbola Craig and Timini Egbuson were among the celebrities in attendance. Many more A-list industry stars, music luminaries and the upper echelon of Lagos society made their way to the gala in the most elegant fashion.

The Film Gala was curated to celebrate and honor the works of our game changers and groundbreaking members of our ever-blooming film industry. The gala featured the best of Nollywood and various initiatives that left strong imprints in the industry, and society as a whole. Most importantly, it was an event that reflected the continuity of support, promotion of opportunity and growth that the community has given to Nigeria’s growing film industry. In that same vein, the Film Gala awarded Michael Akinkunle Akinrogunde, an AFP Alumnus and filmmaker with Accelerate TV,  with a One Million Naira cash prize from VISA and Filmhouse Cinemas, a distribution deal on his first feature-length film, and with The Lady®, its official statuette, for his short film, “Penance.” The young filmmaker was voted ‘best short film director’ and his film voted ‘best short film’ by the audience via live visual audience votes after his film and other incredibly outstanding shorts, carefully selected and nominated, were viewed.

Seyi Tinubu, CEO of Loatsad Promomedia, presented the award to Michael Akinrogunde, while the representatives of Filmhouse Cinemas, Lolu Desalu and of Moët & Chandon, Elizabeth Oputa, addressed the audience on this groundbreaking artistic partnership that will ultimately redefine award season in the industry and the film industry as a whole. Moët & Chandon has a long-standing affair with cinema and this innovative partnership with the foremost cinematic platform in the Nigerian industry, Filmhouse Cinemas, is sure to make luminous the magic in all the budding talent and art within the industry.

The team behind the gala, Filmhouse Cinemas, and Moët & Chandon, definitely brought the theme of the event to life with the decor and ambiance that depicted classical art and opulence. They also presented fine dining to their guests through the exquisite and sumptuous dishes of chef extraordinaire, Chef Eros. Guests were served a four-course meal consisting of Lobster Bisque, Duck Salad, Poached Chicken and an assortment of desserts. All the meals were paired with the finest selections of champagnes within the Moët & Chandon’s range.

The post-gala after party followed immediately after this exclusive event, which was held by the waterside of the Wings Tower, a specially extended section outside the main auditorium the gala event was held in. It began with an explosion of fireworks as guests danced and mingled, popping Moët and Chandon champagne and Hennessy bottles, reveling in the magic and grandeur of the lit night sky. And what a beautiful night it was!

About Moët &Chandon

Recognized for its quality and prestige, Moët & Chandon is the champagne of choice for celebration in both big and small moments. The venerable house has captured the attention of the brightest stars since the birth of the film industry. Founded in 1743, Moët & Chandon contributed to introduce champagne to the world by offering a range of unique wines for every occasion. Moët & Chandon celebrates the thrill of living. With a bottle of its champagne opened every second around the globe, Moët & Chandon knows that every second is an experience, and every experience is a #Moetmoment to live now.

About Filmhouse

Filmhouse Cinemas Limited is a dynamic film exhibition company with a vision to be the no. 1 cinema brand in Nigeria.

The company management team has over 100 years combined cinema operation and development experience gained in England, Italy, USA, Spain and Nigeria. Filmhouse has a clear and well-understood organisational structure and strives to appoint employees with requisite skills, knowledge and experience for the roles they undertake.

The Cinema designs and operation style largely incorporates complimentary multifarious features including games arcade, ice cream café, food concession, toys shop, digital cinema, 3D cinema and kid’s club. Filmhouse success is driven primarily by a strong experienced management team, innovative marketing activities and impressive guest service standards.

The Company’s mission is to continue to create magical experiences through content that entertains and inspires.