The founder of the Nollywood Travel Film Festival (NTTF), Mr. Mykel Parish, has described the inclusion of Nigerians in the Oscars voting academy as a boost for Nollywood.
Some of the veterans in the Nigerian entertainment industry made the 2018 list.
Among them were veteran Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and longtime filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, Nigerian-British actress, Wunmi Mosaku, and producer Ngozi Onwurah.
Speaking with NAN in Abuja on Wednesday, Parish congratulated the members and described the feat as a laudable moment that would bring about inclusion for Nollywood projects.
He said: “The NTTF is very excited about the inclusion as this becomes a major gateway to project the bigger picture for Nollywood.
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“A couple of our colleagues across Africa have also been selected,” Parish said.
According to him, these achievements will come in handy to assist industry stakeholders, including the NTTF, in promoting the glories of Nollywood and African films on global stages.
He said: “I think it’s time Africa takes its place.”
He added that the movie, Black Panther, was a game changer for African stories and had brought the industry where it is currently.
NTTF which is Nigeria’s premier travel film festival, had awarded Omotola ‘Best Actress’ in 2017 for her role in ‘Alter Ego’ during the Toronto leg of the festival.
The festival recently concluded its German tour and is gearing up to tour other countries where Nollywood and African movies would be showcased.
