National Daily

NAMOJ shines at ZUMA Film Festival

By AHAOMA KANU

THE association of movie journalists of Nigeria (NAMOJ) recently at the nation's capital Abuja shone like a million stars when the members successfully held its first ever international workshop at the just concluded ZUMA Film Festival, which commenced on the 4th and ended on the 8th of May 2008.

Orji Onoko, delivered a paper on Nollywood and possibilities..
Also on hand to deliver papers on the essence of film critique by journalists was Shuibu Hussein a journalist in Lagos. He lent credence to the fact that it is important movie journalists live up to their duties as watch-dogs whose primary function is to ensure that movie makers are not allowed to churn out low budget movies.

The workshop was moderated by Mamoud Balogun, a seasoned personality in the film industry, while other discussant were Madu Chikwendu, (secretary of Pan African Federation of Film Makers and former president of Association of Movie producers in Nigeria), while Fidelis Duker the immediate past president of Directors Guild of Nigeria was also on ground to add their views at the workshop.

While the president of the association Stanley Okronkwo, stressed on the need to continue to seek for avenues to promote a conducive platform where stakeholders and movie journalist will come together to chart ways forward. He opined that in no distant time movie makers will one day give Nigerians movies that will be up to the standards in international film festivals.

He also took special interest in congratulating the Northern chairman of NAMOJ, in the person of Mallam Al-Min Ciroma who went home with the award for the best film journalist for the year in view.