By Ioannis Plotas, the ambassador of Greece to Nigeria, has pledged to promote the country’s film and entertainment sector.
At a press conference held yesterday in Abuja to announce the hosting of the second Nollywood Travel Film Festival, which would take place in May in Anthens, Greece, Plotas made the commitment.
The Greek representative noted that the film industry is important in fostering international ties and that the event would improve and further develop the already-existing relationship between Greece and Nigeria.
“For us, the event is a priority, and this film festival will have a significant impact on the cultural connection between the two nations.”
the launch of Greece-Nigeria Annual Film Week as a practical platform for establishing an MoU on Audio-Visual Co-Production between countries; the creation of a film market that brings together content providers, stakeholders, and investors from both countires; and the strengthening of collaboration between the host country and Nigeria’s screen industry in the area of film and high-end TV co-production between the countries, according to the festival’s founder, Mykel Parish.
The creation of employment possibilities for citizens of both countries through cultural interchange and attracting inbound investment to both countries are additional goals recognize and reward talents in both countries’ film industries.
The Pan-African Film Development Fund in Nigeria created the Nollywood Travel Film Festival (NTFF) as a project to support and provide a platform for deserving African independent filmmakers to present their work on a worldwide level.
Since 2017, the Toronto, Atlanta, Humburg, Oslo, Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin, Lima, London, and Glasgow Nollywood Trace Film Festival has held screenings.
The festival’s main goal is to play Nollywood movies that aren’t generally screened in the diaspora and to open up new business options for the sector.
More than 3,500 filmmakers, fans, distributors, and marketers from around the world attended earlier NTFF events.
The idea, according to Dr. Victor Okhai, President of the Nigerian Directors Guild, has shown a strong partnership between Greece and Nigeria, and there is no better time than the present to implement it.
He continued by pointing out the cultural similarities between Greece and Africa, and he gave his members his word that they would participate in the festival to advance the sector.
In contrast, Anold Jackson of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council asserted that culture is now a concrete concept that can be used to deepen bilateral ties.
“Nollywood is one of the six economic subsectors that we have selected to grow because of our comparative advantage in these fields.
The services sector drives the global economy, which is where the globe is at the moment. Another area Nigeria may capitalize on is entertainment. This will help us gain a lot of traction on the global stage, he claimed.
