''I think people rate Hollywood higher in terms of their advance technology and not story line. We write good stories here, the only constrain we have is adequate funding and high technology’’. --------Ikenna Irikannu

IKENNA IRIKANNU, a movie producer, gained stardom with his blockbuster movies, Gift of pain and live to die. The movies were premiered in America in one of the biggest cinema and sold hugely. In fact some of the lead actors in the films were nominated for awards and they won the awards. Producing such a high quality film is not an easy task. Irikannu shares his experiences with CINDY AMOS.

Excerpts:Can you tell us about the movies and the secret behind its success? Gift of pain, part 1 and live to die part 2 gained much publicity because of its uniqueness and extraordinary input. The movies are totally different from what is regular in Nollywood. It’s about a family riddled with sickle cell anaemia, facing the choice of love and confusion. The most interesting phase was the remarkable and heart-warming responses received. Producing the movie was not really an easy task, it consumed time, energy and off course money.
In America, it was premiered in one of the biggest cinema. Also we received a lot of calls and emails from fans who appreciated the work. I used a lot of wonderful actors for the movies and that really brought out the beauty of it. I and some of these actors received awards for the movies. Cha Cha Eke was nominated for the best actress 2012 from the movie Gift of pain and Jibola Dabo, best old actor, also from the same movie and they both won the awards.

What inspired you to write the movie?
I have seen what sickle cell patients pass through and the agony their parents face in keeping them alive. The movie tends to create awareness about the disease and the right steps to take in combating it. Most importantly, the need for individuals and government to support them in any way they can.

Have you ever experienced any serious quarrel with any actor while on set?

Well…..I am a very friendly person, and I have always made my set a lively one for all my actors, we smile all through production. It’s not as if its always very smooth without some itches here and there, but there have never been any serious one, besides we settle our differences maturely.



Tell us about yourself, did you study film making?
No, I studied computer science, at Nnamdi Azikwe University when I finished my secondary school education at Ihiala, Anambra state. I am from Anambra State; the third from a family of seven, Christian by religion.

Since you studied computer science, how did you venture into film making? It has been my dream to become a big time film maker right from my teenage days.

Do you have an intention of going into acting later in future? Yes, but professionally, producing is my field. Though I act in some of my movies.
What inspires you to develop a story and transform it to a movie? What happens around me on daily basis inspires me a lot and that is why majority of my films are true life stories, to pass a message across to viewers. I also do a lot of research so when I discover some great hidden history; I make a film of it in other to educate people.

Do you only produce the movies you write? So far, all my movies are written by me but I also accept and buy good stories, very good stories.

There is a popular belief that most

Nigerian movies are stereotyped, what do you have to say about that? I believe every story has a foundation and originality. So, resemblance of derivation does not make our stories stereotyped. But  

Hollywood movies often do not look alike, are you saying they are frictions? No, but what happens over there is different from what happens here, and our films are often true life stories, so it’s necessary we produce realistic films because one of the essence of movies is to pass messages across and as well teach lessons. I think people rate Hollywood higher in terms of their advance technology and not story line. We write good stories here, the only constrain we have is adequate funding and high technology. Although, we are not where we wish to be yet, we are certainly not where we used to be.

Do you have any movie you are presently working on? Yes. I am working on two movies now, Nurses Cot and Tears of Motherhood.
How do you market your films? I have good marketers to market my films.
Do you often get your expected returns from the marketers? Majority of my marketers are producers too. They know what it takes to have a masterpiece, so they are diligent in their job and I get my reward adequately.

What can you say about Nollywood? Nollywood is doing greatly well in film making. It has grown in leaps and bounds and has been widely accepted as the biggest industry in Africa.
Is there any association established for Nigerian Movie Producers? Yes, it’s called Association of Movie Producers (AMP)

What do you have to tell your fans? For those who supported me one way or the other in the past and now, those who encouraged me and called to commend my movies, I salute you all. I would not have gone this far without your supports. I promise not to let you down. I also want to use this opportunity to appreciate two special people in my life, true friends, colleagues and mentors, Okey Zubelu Okoh and Mrs Uche Nancy; they helped me a great deal in my career. I am eternally grateful.