Lexus VCAM Submission

Last month, I entered a contest for the Lexus VCAM challenge on Current TV. My team did not win but we were one of the twenty two finalists out of over a hundred submissions. Here is our submission. Please view it, vote and comment at the bottom....

Silent Scandal

I very rarely recommend Nigerian movies but I feel quite confident recommending this one. Starring Genevieve Nnaji, Majid Michel and Ebele Osaro, this is a contemporary tale revolving around Jessica Obi, a successful and uptight entrepreneur, her self destructive daughter and the man who brings love, perspective and a whole load of drama to their lives.

The movie is the brain child of a newcomer to the Nollywood production, a woman by the name of Vivian Ejike. I am looking forward to more of what she has to offer. No, she is no Cameron or Scorcese but that is because she is only beginning. It was an enjoyable and engaging film, the technical hitches can be overlooked for the story and for the wardrobe choices...

Happy Holidays

It has been one roller coaster of a year and for one, my blogs have received some of the most neglectful (if that is a word) treatment possible...but still, they remain for me an outlet for my musings, frustrations and experimental conversations.

I wish you a wonderful holiday and hope that I can keep my new year's resolution to reinvent my blog(s)....

Smooches

Thirst

Every so often, I see a movie that completely revolutionalises the way I see cinema. I have discovered Korean director Park Chan Wook, whose latest movie, Thirst is a thrilling look into the world of forbidden desire through the eyes of a priest turned Vampire.

The movie stars Song Kang Ho, an Asian cinematic heavy weight and casting favourite of Wook's paired pitted against the captivating newcomer, Kim Ok Bin whose performance had me mesmerised, tantalised and scandalised all at once.

A must see and for me, a must have on DVD

The stoning of Soraya M

The location was a remote village in 1980s Iran, where a French Iranian reporter's vehicle breaks down on his way to the border. While waiting for it to be fixed, he is approached by a Zahrah, a woman with a secret to share and whom the entire village intimates to him is unstable. Her story which takes him back over the preceding months and culminating in a most horrendous finale only the night before exposes corruption, religious manipulation and abuse of women's human rights in the country.

Starring Shoreh Agdashloo, Jim Caviezel and a graceful, Mozhan Marno, The Stoning of Soraya M is a chilling look at the treatment of women in areas where the justice system is based on a patriachal religious doctrine. What makes it more horrifying to comprehend is the fact that these practices are still being carried out today, with very little indication that there will be a change in sight. If you come from any country where Sharia laws are practiced in any form, The Stoning of Soraya M is an eye opener into the many ways that its laws can be manipulated to prey on women and those who have no rights under the law.

Not to be misconstrued as an attack on Islam or its practices, the movie starts slow, yet ends with a heartbreaking finish. This movie is a must see, for everyone, everywhere because this could very well happen where you live.

Catwalq Grade: A-

This is My Africa

In less than an hour, This is My Africa, a 2008 documentary presentation serves up a light-hearted, interesting an attempt at an introduction to the continent, her people and many cultures. The first part of an intended trilogy offers insightful commentary from a diverse selection of Africans based in the UK as they share what it is that Africa means to them.

Filmmaker, Zina Saro-Wiwa was present at a recent screening for the film at the Busboys & Poets restaurant in DC and shared her experiences with putting the project together and her intended plans for the distribution of the project. AfricaLab, the producing partners for the film intend for the project to serve as a portal through which Africans can connect with the rest of the world and vice versa. This is an attempt to celebrate Africa's identity on a global platform and the documentary was a commendable attempt though it did not go indepth into alot of the facets of African identity. Being that This is My Africa, is part of a trilogy, it can be hoped that future projects will cater to these missing aspects.


Visit, the website for more information and producer contacts to get involved with the future development of the project.

Nnena Okore's first exhibit in Nigeria