Film On Tafawa Balewa’s Book, ‘Shehu Umar’ To Premiere In Germany

Jos – A movie adaptation of the literary work of Nigeria’s
first elected Prime Minister, Sir Tafawa Balewa, known as “Shehu Umar”, is set to hit the cinema in Berlin, Germany.
Mr Brian Etuk, the Head of Public Affairs, Nigeria Film Corporation (NFC) disclosed this in a statement made available on Tuesday, in Jos. Etuk said the recently digitised film would be launched during the 68th Berlin International Film Festival to hold February 15th to 25th. He said the film to be viewed by film makers, distributors and marketers from Europe, Asia and Africa would attract international investment for film production in Nigeria. According to Etuk, Dr Chidia Maduekwe, the Managing Director of NFC, would lead the Nigeria delegation to the 10-day festival. “The film would be a major feat for the film industry and NFC towards creating an enabling environment to boost film production, through good policies and framework,’’ he said. He said, while in Berlin, the Nigerian delegation would initiate and participate in meetings to seek collaborations with the Film School of Berlin and other participating countries. NAN reports that the literary work ‘Shehu Usman ‘ was first published in 1955. It exposes the personal experiences of the Premier on the philosophy that led to the plight of slave trade in the 19th century. It was adapted in 1976 as a film by Mr Adamu Halilu, the Pioneer MD of NFC, who headed the organisation in 1982. The German Government has supported NFC in conducting training for its staff and has donated equipment of digital scanner to its Film School. (NAN)