ZUMA FILM FESTIVAL CALLS FOR ENTRIES

By Al-Amin Ciroma

Momentum is gathering for the Nigerian biennial international film festival Zuma with the organisers calling for entries. Organised by the Nigerian Film Corporation, Zuma it is poised to be an international film festival to be reckoned with.

According to a release by Brian Etuk, head, public affairs of the Nigerian Film Corporation, the call for entries marks another milestone in the journey to ensuring that next year's edition of Zuma film festival, with the pay-off' line, "Real Life: Real Fiction", meets the expectations and yearnings of motion picture practitioners in Nigeria and beyond.

The film festival, which is billed to take place from May 4 to 8 2008, Abuja, is also expected to boost the development, being the fourth in the series since 1992, (other editions held in 2003, and 2006): The film festival will also provide a platform for the development of a hybrid approach to tackling issues relating to the development of the motion picture industry in the country.

As with previous editions, the awards will be presented to distinguished and accomplished filmmakers who have done the nation proud through their works.

For the 2008 edition, the entries are for both competitive and non-competitive categories.

The competitive category includes features, documentary, children's programmes, television soaps, series and serial, animation/cartoon, shorts and student films. The non-competitive category includes works on Nigerian panorama, diaspora and African films, retrospectives and tributes. Similarly, the 2008 edition of the film festival will showcase other interesting events, like the grand opening, film exhibitions, workshop sessions, film screening, emerging talent film screenings and certificate/prize presentation to winners of the 2006/2007 NFC annual film essay competitions.

Interested film makers and members of the public are to forward their entries to the Nigerian Film Corporation's headquarters in Jos, along Liberty Dam Road.

It would be recalled that a new logo was recently invented for the film festival. The unveiling of the logo marked another milestone in preparations for the festival, which has as its theme: "Films Without Borders."