What other films do you have and what efforts are you making for them to be seen in Nigeria? 
My other films are ‘Night To Fly’, ‘The Okra Principle’ and ‘Mystery of Birds’. The Africa Channel, an African television network based in Los Angeles, California has screened these films in the past. Their network covers most of the USA and the Caribbean, so because of this we ship DVDs and also get many emails from people who have seen our films in those regions. We’ve also shipped a lot of the DVDs to the UK. We’re also currently working with a Los Angeles-based distribution network to get the films on a couple of major content streaming sites including Amazon.com. The films should be on those sites by the end of the first quarter in 2015. We’ve tried to bring them to Nigeria a few times but hit some roadblocks. But we’ll keep trying.
Tell us about Take the Spotlight that won you the Best Filmmaker award? 
Take the Spotlight is the story of an American film director, Artie Rain, hired by two African producers to make a film about a modern day African slave trader called ‘Gustav’ who is portrayed by Chinedu Ikedieze in a brief but marvelous cameo. Artie Rain puts his heart and soul into trying to make the film but encounters all kinds of snags including those created by his over-zealousness. A lot of comedic elements are introduced in the story to make the movie exciting and entertaining while at the same time dealing with the more serious aspects of the movie.
The storyline doesn’t sound like the central character is an African? 
That was exactly the point that the producers, Amaechi Madueke, Iorna Handem, Chinedu Ikedieze, Allen Warchol and Daniel Foster wanted to make by embracing this story. We wanted to make a film that has a very universal reach and appeal. So, right from the beginning, we challenged ourselves to come up with a story that ventured out to other territories while holding onto some African elements. We initially struggled with the idea of doing a story that did not have an African as the lead character, especially since all other films that we’d done in the past followed the path of the Diaspora African experience in his new environment. But after some soul-searching, we completely embraced the idea. We understood that we could give a more positive knowledge of our African-Nigerian heritage to the world, by presenting an excellent story regardless of its central character’s origin.
Are you going to continue on this path in future? 
We are going to follow the path of inspiration as we always have. We will do whatever story or idea that we’re inspired to do regardless of the setting or central character, but with a bias or inclination towards stories about Diaspora-Africans. That’s because it is our life story and also because there’s a big vacuum for very good productions of such stories.
A lot of us in the Diaspora want to be reckoned with. So in our little way, we will represent our culture with the tools and talents at our disposal in this case, films. We see ourselves as ambassadors for Africa. This means that no matter how long we’ve lived in our adopted country, we still understand that we are the first point of reference for Africa for other races. So, whether we are making films or trying to corner other bounties in life, we will not let our heritage limit our vision or who we are. We strive to reach for the same stars as everyone else. There are enough stars in the sky for everyone, not just for a certain part of the world.
Apart from Chinedu Ikedieze, who else is in the film? 
We also have Hollywood’s Lynn Whitfield who features in movies like ‘Eve’s Bayou’ and ‘A Thin Line Between Love and Hate’, and also Glenn Morshower from movies like ‘Black Hawk Down’, ‘Transformers’ and ‘After Earth’. The film equally parades Allen Warchol, Megan Glover and Nigerian-Diaspora actors like Nene Nwoko, Roy “KC” Nwakamma, Uju Egbuji, Hayley “Gigi” Polak from South Africa and a host of others. The film really boasts of a diverse and interesting cast.
How do you really feel after winning the Best Filmmaker award? 
Winning the award is just a good step towards our end goal, which eventually is making a film that will be nominated and celebrated in the topmost platform in the world like the Oscar. I am thankful for the producers who believed in the project enough to commit their time and resources. Amaechi Madueke of That Kid Productions, Iorna Handem of Handem Productions, Allen Warchol with whom I developed a lot of the central character; Daniel Foster who is the founder of a Dallas-based acting studio, Class Act Dallas and through whom we secured a lot of the talent in the film; and then Chinedu Ikedieze who has played a pivotal role in providing priceless resources and direction towards eventually showcasing the film and our other films to the African audience.
I am also thankful for all the actors who gave their time and talent in making the film. Actors are the heartbeats of films, the ones who bring to life the merely written words. I have a whole new level of respect for actors after working on this film. I also thank the production crew, Edgar Rodriguez and Clay Pacatte for the cinematography; David Pinkston for the sound and colour editing; Jesus Martinez for his beautiful music score; Miss Keke (Kelechi Onwumere) for her marvelous music; Henock Getamassey (Jukebox), who came all the way from Ethiopia, for his wonderful music; Samuel John, David Gilden, Phyllis Anyiam and a host of others. I am grateful to some of my schoolmates from my alma mater, Federal Government College, Okigwe, Imo State who attended the screening in Atlanta. Some of them flew miles while others drove from other cities in the USA to attend the event. Their presence at the screening was fulfilling for me and winning the award crowned it all. I am equally grateful to other film festivals that have showcased the film so far including Capital City Black Film Festival in Austin, Texas, Film Maker’s Corner Film Festival in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Urban Media Makers Film Festival in Norcross, Georgia.
Is this your first award in the industry? 
No, it’s not. But this is the only award so far for ‘Take the Spotlight’. Our last film before this one, ‘Mystery of Birds’ also won an award for Best Film by an African in Diaspora at the 2012 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). I was really thrilled when I received this award in Nigeria. You know, it was like a grand homecoming for me. And that indeed indicated that the future of the industry is bright.
What’s next for you and your crew? Do you have any new projects in the pipeline? 
We are still sorting out details with ‘Take the Spotlight’ like how we are going to distribute it. Winning this award in Atlanta did come with a couple of offers for distribution here in the United States, but the truth is that we are not yet ready to let it go for distribution until maybe the third quarter of 2015. By then we would have screened it in a few more places like Nigeria and hopefully other parts of Africa. We are also looking at translating it to other languages so it could gain more audience worldwide. As for new projects, yes, there are greater ideas where this one came from. We currently have a great story idea that was actually conceived about six years ago but are we ready to make it now? Maybe, not right now. Our goal is to hit the highest pinnacle with our next project, and to do this; we are talking about funds with which to bring in the best talent that one can find. I am talking about the best cinematographers out there, best sound people, best editors; elements that must never be neglected in making the perfect film. With ‘Take the Spotlight’ and ‘Mystery of Birds’, I personally did a double as the director and editor just because we did not have much funds available. I do not want to keep doing that, because honestly, my expertise has peaked. Finding better expertise would definitely thrust us into folklore, but again, we are talking funds. I bet you that with proper funding, we can win great laurels and awards for Nigeria and the African continent. Even, we can win the Oscar. A good movie just like a rich pot of soup is all about how much one is ready to commit.
Do you have plans to come and shoot films in Nigeria? 
Given the right opportunity and funds, yes, I would definitely love to do that. My brother, Chuks Madueke who is also a writer and I discuss it all the time. In fact, we have started to develop a story that would be filmed in Nigeria in the near future. I would love to work with a lot more Nollywood actors and make my mark in a burgeoning industry. Thanks to the initiatives of the Nigerian government and organizations like AMAA and then the Nigerian film producers and actors that work tirelessly to bring scripts to life. It is because of them that the Nigerian film industry has come into reckoning worldwide.
Source: sunnewsonline.com