Like a woman who was experiencing the proverbial seventh heaven after being safely delivered of her baby, ace filmmaker and director, Lancelot Imasuen, was in palpable joy last Thursday at the media unveiling and first screening of his much-anticipated epic movie, Invasion 1897, at the cinema room of Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos.
At the well-attended event anchored by ex-Big Brother Africa winner, model and TV presenter, Uti Nwachukwu, there was both spoken and unspoken agreement among the audience comprising media professionals and Nollywood stars that the historical movie is the end result of a great artistic work which had put the cast and crew through their paces while the production lasted.
Although Imasuen had been on a number of international TV stations to promote the breath-taking feature movie, the event, no doubt, literally marked a milestone in the life of the movie, as some promotional materials like post cards, posters as well as its trailer were unveiled, amidst enthusiastic responses by the audience.
Imasuen, who profusely expressed his gratitude to the sponsors of the movie, first took the audience on a voyage around the making of the film. He likened it to a food that had taken some efforts to cook. But confident that it would leave a good after-taste, he didn’t have any reservation inviting the critical media professionals and colleagues to first gorge themselves on it. “The food is ready and the snippet of it is what we have invited you to come and see,” he said with glee.
Giving some background details about the movie, he further said: “The research and scripting took about 10 months to one year and the production took one year and 10 months. We shot in Benin from April 9, 2012 to May 10, 2012 for the bits in Nigeria. Then, we had a break. Later, we started the post-production…and the scenes to be shot in London, which took about one year and eight months before we were able to actualise that. Then, we started the post-production from Benin to Lagos and from Lagos to the United Kingdom and then Hollywood, U.S., where the actual film was finalised.”
Indeed, it was not an empty boast, as the over 10-minute preview of the movie further accentuated his artistic ingenuity as well as the thematic preoccupation of the film. From the clips, Invasion 1897 is gripping. It evokes, in an engaging way, the evil visited on the Benin Kingdom, while celebrating the heroic struggles of the lead character played by Mike Omoriegbe. The visual effects, which were done by Nigerians, bear testimony to what the future holds for Nigerian, nay African films. The court room scene in London is spellbinding. The costumes, props et al are awesome. Above all, the film has a great appeal.
Soon after the preview, Imasuen, who disclosed that four of the characters died within four years of the movie production, further said: “Change has never been easy anywhere in the world. For years, I have been telling people that they are making a mistake judging us from what they have seen of Nollywood. The capacity is here and that is the point I wanted to prove with this film to the glory of God. The Association of Movie Producers (AMP), for the first time, gave an endorsement to a film; the Directors Guild of Nigeria ( DGN), Centre for Black and Africa Arts and Civilization( CBAAC), Society for Theatre Artistes, Association of International Theatre Critics, among others, have all sent their endorsements for this film. In fact, the Abuja International Film Festival (AIFF) has fully taken over the film, saying the President must see it since this is the first government that is coming out boldly to support Nollywood. For the outlook, because of the international acceptance, I went to Film Look Studios in Hollywood. But we have bought the machine. Nollywood, this is your product.”
The national president of the Association of Movie Producers, Zik Zulu Okafor, didn’t agree less with Imasuen. According to him, it is time Nigerian filmmakers began to write a new chapter in the history of Nollywood. “We have been able to tell the African story and showcase the African costumes, norms, values and the totality of our ways of life; but now, we are moving to the next level to tell the world that we can compete internationally and meet international benchmarks. But beyond the artistic excellence, it is important for the media to begin to appreciate the scholarship that this film challenges us to see. This is not a Nigerian film; it is an African film. We need to understand that if the Benin massacre didn’t happen, the African story would be different. This movie doesn’t only challenge us to raise the bar professionally, but it is asking us to do some research about the African story and the massacre of the Benin Kingdom. We have celebrated the Wole Soyinkas and I bow to them for their achievements, but it is time to look into the artistic minds of some younger people like Imasuen. We need to know what is driving him, the workings of his mind and his psyche.
Also, Uzoma Eshikire, who stood in for Senator Daisy Danjuma, the executive producer of the movie, described it as an excellent work, adding that “It is interesting that it is coming out of Nigeria by one of our own; we didn’t leave it for the oyinbos to come and get us together to do this.”
Another Nollywood great and newly appointed Director-General of the Abuja International Film Festival, Fred Amata, who lauded Imasuen’s artistic gift, said: “Even before we saw the film, we had decided that we needed to do something different at this year’s Abuja International Film Festival. We needed to seek some of the things we can proudly say are coming out of Nigeria. We agreed that we have a guy who can deliver what we need as our premiere movie for the Festival for this year and we thought of Lancelot’s Invasion 1897.”
Quoting the lead actor’s line during a court trial in London, he said the capacity obtainable in Nigeria to dominate the world in films had been showcased in Invasion 1897. “This is the capacity we want to show the President at the festival. When the lead actor asks the question: ‘So, it (the artifacts) has been there (London) for 100 years, but does it belong to you? It belongs to me!’ So, filmmaking belongs to us, Africans,” he said.
The movie is based on the invasion of the great Benin Kingdom by the British in 1897, who then carted off Benin arts and artifacts which, till date, still adorn some museums around the world. It stars both Nigerian and British actors like Segun Arinze, Charles Inojie, Nosa Ehimwen, Paul Obazele, Leo Mezie, Mike Omoriegbe( Oba Ovonrawmen), Idiata Otiagbe, the late Justus Esiri( in a cameo) Rudolph Walker, Charles “Chucky” Venn, Annika Álofti, Garett Mort, Hannah Raehse-Felstead, Tim Robinson, Rob Spackman, Patrick Thompson and Keith Davinson.