Words failed hardworking Keke Bongos Ikwue when she got on the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) stage to receive AMAA crest for her achievement in Inale, the epic movie she produced earned. Keke, daughter of the chair Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) board, Bongos Ikwue, was overwhelmed that she could not utter more than three-line words during the post award response. Moviedom caught up with Keke who runs BIK Entertainment, the company behind the production of Inale.
The AMAA winning
It felt good to be nominated and then win. It’s an honour to be nominated and definitely great to win. I didn’t have the chance to thank AMAA during my speech and to even acknowledge the effort of the director Jeta Amata and the rest of the cast and crew because I was so overwhelmed. I think what AMAA has done is to recognise a new idea in Nollywood — an idea that a lot of people have been skeptical of. So, being nominated for any category, I think it’s like giving official approval on the work.
Your father’s reaction
Oh, he was so excited and proud that we won. Anyone who comes by the house, he says: “Hello how have you been… let me show you the award Inale won.” He was really very proud and happy about it, because being away from the music scene for this long, he feels great to be recognised in this way by this generation. He felt like he never left the scene.
The Monaco film festival
We are also excited to be invited to the Monaco Charity Film Festival. Inale is the first African movie to be invited, so we weren’t even selected from a bunch of movies, we were invited; which an honor. We have been nominated for seven awards including Best Film, and Best Actress and Actor. The week-long festival will hold before film festival starts on May 4.
Expectations
Meet people, mingle with Hollywood greats and be part of history, and win a couple of awards, God willing.
Inale’s premiere and cinema screening in the country
The reception was outstanding. It was more than we hoped for. The audience were more intrigued about the concept of Ini Edo possibly singing or watching a Naija musical … making them think, ‘I have to see this.’ We took it out of the cinema last year because we had a whole lot more in store for the film in 2011, which includes a road show around Nigeria.
Budget for the film
Mute, is the word for now, as we are still spending. I don’t even want to give an estimate yet. I should have a total picture by the time the cinema goes round, including the road show that we are planning. Though, we have only recouped a small fraction of what was spent, the fact remains that we are still spending, working on a nationwide tour, taking it to African countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Ghana and others. The film will be coming out on DVD towards the end of the year.
And the Montessori Centre in Abuja
I can’t jettison such plan for anything. It is still a passion of mine, and is very much on cause. Having a school in the country is definitely a dream that will come to reality
