American Magazine Features Top 10 African Born Directors And Majority Are Nigerian

                                       
Born in 1945 in Ségou, the fourth region of Mali, Cheick Oumar Sissoko is a film director and politician. He studied filmmaking at the Ecole Nationale Louis Lumière in Paris. When he returned to Mali, he made  ”The Garbage Boys” (1986),” a bittersweet  film about children growing up and fighting obstacles in Bamako, Mali. His goal was to promote diversity and understanding among the various ethnic groups in Mali.
The film was regarded by many as a significant turning point in African cinema.
                                       
Chineze Anyaene’s first feature film “IJÉ:  The Journey” (2009) became one of the most popular to come out of  Nigeria. The story follows a Nigerian woman who travels to the United States to aid her sister who has been charged with the murder of three men, including her own husband. The film won Best Film Feature at the Arizona Black Film Showcase in Phoenix,  the Golden Ace award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival, the Silver Palm award at the Mexico International Film Festival, and Anyaene won an award for excelling in filmmaking at the Canada International Film Festival.
                                            
Amaka Igwe, also called “Mama of Nollywood,” made “A Barber’s Wisdom” in 2000, a film about a retired military man who opened a successful barbershop, but soon realized the true cost of success in the big city. Igwe released  ”Rattlesnake “ and “Violated” in 1996 and both movies became standards in the Nigerian film industry.  She  is also the producer of the long-standing soap opera “Checkmate” that airs on Nigerian television.
                                        
John Akomfrah is a filmmaker from Accra, Ghana. His debut film “Handsworth Songs”(1987) examined the fallout from the 1985 riots in Handsworth, Birmingham, U.K.  The film won acclaim at the Grierson British documentary awards for Best Documentary in 1987. As an artist, lecturer, and writer as well,  Akomfrah’s  20-year body of work is among the most distinctive in the contemporary British art world, and his cultural influence continues today.
                                             
Djibril Diop Mambéty, a filmmaker from Dakar, Senegal, made his first film short called Badou Boy (1970), which dealt with the life of a young renegade. His first feature film, Touki Bouki (1973), about disaffected youth became an instant classic.  Nearly 20 years after, he created another film, Hyenas (1992), which is considered a sequel to “Touki Bouki” and a parable based on the classic play “The Visit” by Swiss dramatist Friederich Durrenmatt.  Although Mambéty only completed a few short films and a meager two full-length features, the quality of his body of work has rendered him legendary status among African filmmakers and the international film community.
                                  
Nigerian Michelle Bello’s first feature film, “Small Boy”(2007) was a success not only in her home country, but also in the U.S.  The following year the film was nominated for two awards – at the American Black Film Festival in Los Angeles and the Heineken Red Star Award for Innovation in Film. ”Small Boy” was also nominated for two African Movie Academy Awards, for Best Art Direction and Best Young Child Actor.
                                  
Teco Benson is a filmmaker from  Nigeria currently noted for his movies “High Blood Pressure” (2010), “The Fake Prophet” (2010), “Mission To Nowhere” (2008), “Explosion: Now or Never” (2006) and “Blood Diamonds” (2004).   Originally a civil servant, Benson ventured into the movie industry in 1994 as an actor and a year later  began script-writing and film production. He now focuses on directing. His 35-mm film, “Mission to Nowhere,” is credited by the African Film Festival Inc. for introducing Nollywood to international screens.
                                   
Mahmood Ali-Balogun is the Nigerian director behind  the film “Tango With Me,”  about a newly married young couple whose love is challenged after a series of events lead them to the breaking point. The film became one of the most successful in Nigeria, earning five nominations at the 2011 African Movie Academy Awards.  Ali-Balogun is celebrated in Nigeria by his colleagues for running his productions with unparalleled professionalism.
                                  
Lonzo Nzekwe is a Nigerian writer and director. His acclaimed multi-award-winning first feature film, “Anchor Baby” was released in 2010-2011. Anchor Baby is a story of a Nigerian couple living in the U.S. illegally, on a quest to achieve the American dream for their unborn child. The movie won Best Film at the 2010 Harlem International Film Festival in New York. It was subsequently released theatrically in Canada, Nigeria, Ghana and the United Kingdom.
                                  
Nigerian Izu Ojukwu is the accomplished director of the  2006 film, “Sitanda,”  which follows the life stories of an abused wife and a kidnapped child made a slave.  The film received nine nominations and won five awards at the 2007 African Movie Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Nigerian Film. Some of Ojukwu’s other movies include “Across The Niger” (2004),  “White Waters” (2007), “La Viva” (2009), and “Nneda” (2009). To say i was mighty proud when i saw the list is an understatement. Nigerians are going places.
ABS.