Nollywood NYC hosts film screenings and the cast of Fela! stops by New York’s Boucarou

By Gina Jean

Last Thursday I had the pleasure of attending the NollywoodNYC Benefit at Boucarou Lounge in New York’s Lower East Side. “Nollywood” aka Nigerian Hollywood movies have been sweeping the country and entertaining moviegoers for quite a while now. What began as a cobbling of low budget film productions has exploded into a global outlet to debut Nigerian actors and comedians. Ever since I watched my first Nigerian soap opera on a Virgin Airlines flight from London back to NYC I was hooked. The Nollywood effect has taken hold and I love it.

A few films were screened and one of the first shorts showed the creation of Arise magazine’s annual music and fashion event in Lagos, Nigeria. Musicians, celebrities and fashion designers converged for a night of sparkle and entertainment. (I had the chance to catch the Arise/This Day fashion show during NYC Fashion Week and was pleasantly surprised.) The event attracted the best of the best African fashionistas and stars.

Photo by Gina Jean

The highlight of the night was the cast of the off-Broadway production Fela! Sahr Ngaujah who played legendary Nigerian singer Fela Kuti discussed how he studied for his part by observing his father. Scenes in the play were screened and the colorful finale drew rousing applause. Let’s hope the off-Broadway production makes it to the Great White Way this fall!