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Tag: Florence

  • Nigerian govt to implement drill or drop policy on IOCs

    Nigerian govt to implement drill or drop policy on IOCs

    …urge companies to develop assets

    The federal government has called on International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria to ensure development and utilization of their assets, as it disclose plans to begin implementing the drill or drop provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) where necessary.

    Heineken Lokpobiri, minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil), stated this at the Cross Industry Group (CIG) meeting organized by IOCs operating in Nigeria, held in Florence, Italy.

    According to Lokpobiri, industry players are expected to explore collaborative measures such as shared resources for contiguous assets, farm-outs, and the release of underutilized assets to operators ready to invest in production.

    “We cannot continue to have assets sitting idle for 20 to 30 years without development. If you are not utilizing an asset and it remains underdeveloped for decades, it neither adds value to your books nor to us as a country.

    “We encourage industry players to explore collaborative measures such as shared resources for contiguous assets, farm-outs, and the release of underutilized assets to operators ready to invest in production. Otherwise, like any responsible government, we will take back these assets and allocate them to those willing to go to work,” he said in a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday.

    The Minister urged operators to consider farm-out agreements where assets are close to existing infrastructure, rather than incurring high costs on new Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units.

    Lokpobiri also noted that while IOCs have pointed to Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contractors as a challenge, EPCs will only commit when they see strong investment decisions from industry players.

    “The Government has done its part by providing the requisite and investment-friendly fiscal policies, including the President’s Executive Order incentivizing deepwater investments. Now, the ball is in the court of the IOCs and other operators to make strategic investment decisions that will drive increased production and sustainability in the sector.

    “The Federal Government remains committed to ensuring a thriving oil and gas industry and expects operators to match its commitment by making tangible investment decisions that will drive growth, sustainability, and national energy security,” the Minister stated.

    He further emphasized the need for IOCs to support local refining efforts, noting that more refineries are coming on stream and will require a steady supply of crude oil. To make this easy and possible, he stressed that ramping up production will enable Nigeria to meet both local and international obligations.

    In his remarks, Osagie Osunbor, Chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), commended the Minister for his direct engagement with industry players and for the Federal Government’s continued efforts in advancing the sector.

    “We appreciate the government’s commitment to creating a conducive environment for investment. The Minister’s engagement has provided critical insights and has also challenged us as industry players to step up efforts to increase production,” Osunbor stated.

  • ‘The Man Died’ nominated for the Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles, February 4-17

    ‘The Man Died’ nominated for the Pan African Film Festival, Los Angeles, February 4-17

    … Wins awards at AFRIFF, ENIFF and LAFF

    The Man Died, the feature film inspired by Wole Soyinka’s prison notes of same title, has been nominated for the award of “Best Feature Narrative” at the 33rd Pan African Film and Arts Festival, which holds February 4-17 in Los Angeles, USA, on the theme, Dream Beyond.

    The good news was contained in a letter signed by Miki Goral, the festival’s Filmmaker Liaison & Research Director, on behalf of the PAFF directorate.  Dated January 28, 2025, the letter reads in part: “I am happy to inform you that The Man Died has been nominated for the “juried Best Feature Narrative at the Pan African Film Festival.”

    An earlier letter from the directorate had hinted that the 105 minutes feature will be screened on February 12 and 14 at the Culver Theatre, Culver city, California. It is the film’s first appearance in the United States, having done London, UK twice, and North Africa twice, among others.

    Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans, Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu, the Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF) has, according to its website, remained “dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression. For over 30 years, PAFF has been the international beacon for the African diaspora film and arts communities. Every year, it showcases over 200 new high-quality Black films from the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Europe, the South Pacific, Canada, and increasingly, Asia.

    The latest news is coming on the heels of recent accomplishments of the film, which has so far won three awards, including the latest at the 14th Luxor African Film Festival in Upper Egypt, earlier this month, where it won “Best African Film That Tackle An Important African Issue.” Thirty-five of the hundreds of entries from 150 countries, competed in various categories of the final stage of the festival founded in 2010.

    Before Luxor, the film had clinched Best Screenplay trophies at both the African International film Festival, AFRIFF, (November 3-9, Lagos), and at the 35th Carthage International Film Festival, held November 14-21 in Tunis. It had also won Best Audience Choice Award at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, ENIFF, Enugu, November 27-30.

    The film stars a coterie of renowned names on the Nigerian screen, including Wale Ojo as Wole, Sam Dede as Yisa, Norbert Young (Prison Superintendent), Francis Onwochei (Prison Controller) and Edmund Enaibe as Commissioner; as well as international actors, London-UK-based Christiana Oshunniyi (Laide Soyinka), and Los Angeles, USA-based Abraham Awam-Amkpa (Johnson), among others.

    Meanwhile in continuation of its global tour, The Man Died, has also been selected for the Jo’Burg Film Festival, holding March 11-16. It is being considered for special screenings at educational institutions in Florence, Italy; Abu Dhabi in the UAE; Oxford University, UK, as well as at New York University, Harvard University, and at Ithaca College, all in the USA, among others. This is as it is also being reviewed by at least three major global streaming platforms, and international distribution channels.

  • ‘‘The Man Died’ hit the big screens in UK, Oct 27, 28

    ‘‘The Man Died’ hit the big screens in UK, Oct 27, 28

    Inspired by Nobel laureate’s prison notes, the film, The Man Died, will be on a double-bill screening in London next week, in continuation of its global tour of festival circuits and educational institutions.  

    On Sunday, October 27, The Man Died will be screened at the Rich Mix Theatre, South East London as part of the Film Africa Festival 2024, which opens formally on Friday October 25. It will then move to the University of East Anglia, where it is expected to be seen and assessed by members of the academic community, especially students and scholars in the media, theatre and humanities. While the Rich Mix screening will be followed by a Q & A session with the director, the East Anglia one will be tailed by a conversation with the director and some of the cast and crew members in London.

    Though yet to be formally released to the theatre, the film since its maiden outing in July, has continued its run of festival circuits and educational insitutions, as programmed by the promoters, the Foundation for the Promotion of Documentary Films in Africa, FPDFA, otherwise known as the iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Forum, iREP.

    “The two screenings are part of the strategic agenda to make the film register its impact in the two most important target audiences — Festival circuits and Educational institutions before it hits the commercial phase — theatre screening and online streaming,” stated the iREP directorate.

    This is the second time the film is doing the London run, having been first screened to a full house of over 400 guests at the London School of Economies, LSE, on July 25 as part of a 9-day programme jointly organised by the Lagos-based Wole Soyinka International Cultural Exchange (WSICE) and The Africa Centre (TAC) — to mark the Nobel laureate’s 90th birthday anniversary hosted by the Centre.

    Starring a galaxy of  renowned and notable names in the Nigeria film industry, with Wale Ojo in the lead role of Wole, and Sam Dede as Yisa, Wole’s chief tormentor, The Man Died, has since been screened at QFest of Words (Oct 5, Lagos) and at the Streamfest of the Labone Dialogues (Oct, 11, New York University Accra).

    Produced by Zuri 24 Media, The Man Died, according to the synopsis on its website — www.themandiedmovie.com — is the story of Wole Soyinka’s 27 months incarceration by the Nigerian government in 1967 at the cusp of the civil war. He was famously seeking a truce between Biafra and the Federal Government to allow time for a negotiated settlement of the conflict. It is fundamentally a personal account. Essentially, the subject found refuge from the brutality inflicted upon him by retreating into and living within his own mind. At times, he drifted about the frontiers of madness, hanging on to himself by a thread. At other times, he pondered, listened, and watched, like only the truly otherwise unoccupied can. Importantly, he managed to scrounge paper and a pencil from time to time and record his journey of ‘motionlessness.”The director of the film, an actor, playwright, director of stage plays, films and curator of visual arts, Awam Amkpa is a Nigerian-American professor of drama, film, and social and cultural analysis at the New York University in New York and Abu Dhabi. Author of Theatre and Postcolonial Desires (Routledge, 2003), Awam is director of film documentaries and curator of photographic exhibitions and film festivals. He has also written several articles on representations in Africa and its diasporas, representations, and modernisms in theater, postcolonial theater, and Black Atlantic films.

    On home turf… LABAF, ENIFF, AFRIFF – all in November

    The Man Died is billed for Wednesday November 13 at the Agip Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan Lagos as part of the Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF, which had declared its 2024 season “The Soyinka Year”, and dedicated its 26th edition to celebrating the eminent life and illustrious career of the renowned poet, dramatist, essayist, novelist human and civil rights activist, famously referenced as the “Global Humanist.”

    TMD will also be at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, ENIFF in Enugu on November 27, and at the African Film Festival, AFRIFF also in November.

    …Return to the Global turf

    TMD is also on the radar of educational institutions in Florence, Italy; Abu Dhabi in the UAE; Jo’Burg, South Africa as well as at Harvard University, Ithaca College (US), and Oxford University (UK), among others.

    The film, which is garnering volumes of critical acclaims, is in the review gaze of such top-notch global cinematic gatherings as the Berlinale in Germany, Catharge in Algeria, Jo’Burg Film Festival, SA; African Film Festival, New York, US, and FESPACO in Burkina Faso, among others. This is as it is also being reviewed by at least three major global streaming platforms, and international distribution channels.

    The Producer, an accomplished storyteller, content producer, filmmaker, and media scholar, Femi Odugbemi is the Founder/CEO of Zuri24 Media Lagos, producers of the film. His screen credits over 25 years in the creative industries span feature films, multiple drama TV series and documentaries. He was one of the founding producers of the daily soap opera Tinsel as well as Executive Producer of several popular TV soap operas, including Battleground; Brethren; Movement JAPA, and Covenant, among others. Also, producer of several award-winning documentaries and feature films, Odugbemi is Co-Founder/Executive Director of the IREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival Lagos and a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoeiYA8vjrk