BY KABIR ALABI GARBA
(As published in The Guardian, January 23)
APART from the rich intellectual menu offered by the African Film and Comparative Literature scholar at New York University, United States, Prof. Manthia Diawara, the organisers of the on-going iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival, laid a solid foundation for the project last Thursday in Lagos with the celebration of four pioneer documentary filmmakers. They are Brendan Shehu; Alhaji Adegboyega Arulogun; Tam Fiofori; and Chief Olu Holloway, who was honoured posthumously.
Their robust citations read during the awards presentation ceremony, which was part of the highlights of the opening ceremony of the film festival on Thursday affirmed that the organisers really made the right choice, with merit as basic criterion.
BRENDAN S. SHEHU (OON):
Filmmaker and TV producer, Brendan Shehu, was born in Minna on November 23, 1940. He had his primary education at St. James Anglican School – Gimi Dabosa near Zaria, from 1950 to 1953. Between 1954 and 1956, he was at St. Theresa’ s Catholic School Guni – Minna. He was also at St. John’s College, Kaduna between 1957–1961.
From 1964 to 1966, he studied film production, script writing, directing and editing at Overseas Film & Television Training Centre in London. At the same school, between 1977 and 1978, he obtained an Advanced Diploma in Film Production, specializing in film directing.
Brenda began his distinguished career in 1962 with the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria (BCNN) Kaduna, where he started to learn the ropes as a Studio Assistant. Through a dint of hard work, commitment and the love to serve, he rose to become the Acting Head Documentary Productive Unit (RKTV), a time during which he produced television documentaries on topical issues covering social, cultural, political and economic. Some of those productions include; Looking Around, Tit Bits, Know your State, Events of the year in focus, etc
In 1976, the Kaduna State Government invited him to set up a Film unit in the State and subsequently employed him as a Principal, Film Division. From 1976 to 1985, he produced and directed several educational and public enlightenment documentary films numbering over 30 titles namely: Kaduna State at a glance, Our Culture, Drug Addiction, Better safe than sorry, Festac Durbar, The Making of an Officer, The struggle for new social order and Kaduna State International Trade Fair series, etc – these films were exhibited on mobile cinema vans to the public throughout the Northern States. Cultural and publicity films produced by him were also shown abroad in the missions and local TV Stations.
In 1985, his rose to the pinnacle of the film industry bureaucracy when he was appointed General Manager/Chief Executive, Nigerian Film Corporation, a position that was later upgraded to Managing Director in 1992.
During his tenure, the Nigerian Film Industry witnessed rapid development namely:
• The setting up of the State of the Art facilities for colour Film Processing Laboratory/Sound Dubbing Studio in Jos – first of its kind in the West African Sub-Region;
• Setting up National Film Archive which constitutes the visual record of the country;
• In 1995, the National Film Institute was established (affiliated to the University of Ibadan and served as Chairman, Academic Board);
• Organised the first National Film Festival in Nigeria;
• Participated actively in the formulation of several policy documents as it relates to film such as the National Mass Communication Policy, National Cultural Policy and National Film Policy;
• Participated and presented several papers and speeches in local and international Film Festivals;
• He also authored and supported the publications of some books and magazines on film e.g, NO……NOT Hollywood (a collection of speeches and papers) towards a film policy for Nigeria, film and vide magazines, etc;
• In 1993, he produced and directed his first feature film in Hausa titled “Kulba Na Barna” (Blaming the Innocent) which won an International Award at the 3rd Milan African Film Festival in Italy;
• His Documentary film titled Drug Addiction won an award at the First National Film Festival in Lagos.
In addition, Brenda Shehu had also performed other national and state assignments including facilitator/committee member of Vision 2010; member of Presidential monitoring team 1999 January Elections; as well as member of Kaduna State Leaders of thought during the religious crisis in the year 2000.
In recognition of his service to his community of Nassarawan Doya in Makarfi Local Government of Kaduna State, he was conferred with a traditional title Dan Masani; and in 2005, he was conferred with a National Honour of the Order of the office of the Niger (OON).
On retirement in 1999, he established a consultancy outfit – Pan Afrique Motion Picture Production – sharing his experiences with young film makers and producing documentary films for Government establishments and NGOs.
ADEGBOYEGA ARULOGUN:
Born on October 1, 1934 in Ibadan, Adegboyega Arulogun is a Film and Television Producer with wide ranging experience in the industry in Nigeria. He is highly respected both locally and internationally. He is well connected with TV stations in Nigeria.
Educated at Baptist Boy’s High School, Oyo (1952 – 57), School of Agriculture, Moor Plantation, Ibadan (1958 – 59), Overseas Film and TV Center, London, (1968), Sender Freis Berlin (West Germany) 1976, and the University of Lagos (1976 – 77) session, Alhaji Arulogun acquired adequate professional and management training that has stood him in good stead in his public and professional career.
He attended the Management Appreciation Course of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) in 1978, Industrial Relations Course for Collective Bargaining (1971) at the University of Ibadan, the Advanced Management Course by the Royal Institute of Public Administrators (RIPA), London, in situ for NTA at Abeokuta in 1982 and the Advanced Management Course for Public Enterprise by the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Badagry, in 1983. He also attended a Special Management Course on Civil Service Reforms for Commissioners, Directors General in 1990; it was organized by the Federal Government and held at Gateway Hotel, Ota.
In his Television career, he managed the Production Services of the Nigerian Television Authority between 1977 and 1987 till he was appointed the General Manager of NTA Channels 5 and 10 in Lagos in 1987. Later that year, he moved to NTA Ikeja, Channel 7.
In 1988, (May 20), he was appointed Commissioner for Information and Culture of Oyo State. He Served there till January 1992, having headed the Ministries of Information, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Works and Transport. While in Oyo State as Commissioner, he was Chairman of the State Merit Award Committee for two years, Chairman of the Public Enlightenment Committee on the Transition to Civil Rule, the 1991 Population Census, The Infrastructural Appeal Fund and the Publicity and Speech Writing Committee of the Presidential and Vice President’s visits to Oyo State in 1991, 1990 respectively.
He returned to NTA, after his service with Oyo State, as an Assistant Director in the Marketing Department of the largest TV Network in Africa. He was the Chairman of the Advertising Award Committee of NTA for 1992 and 1993 and represented NTA on the APCON (Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria) Advertising Standards Panel between 1992 and 1994.
Professionally, as a Film and TV Producer, Alhaji Arulogun who grew up in the industry as a Film Editor, worked on many local and international productions, lectures and documentaries. Some of them won him awards.
His leadership qualities showed from school. He was a Prefect in the Boarding House of the Baptist Boys’ High School, Oyo and the School’s Librarian. He represented the school in athletics and football.
He was President of the Lagos Branch of the Nigeria Guild of TV Producers (1979-1981); member of the First Board of the Nigerian Film Corporation, National Secretary of the Nigerian Guild of TV Producer/Director and official of other social cultural organizations.
Alhaji Arulogun has contributed Film and TV articles and papers to many seminars, symposia and workshops. He has given many lectures on Film, TV and Current Affairs, He served on the Editorial Board of NTA’s TV Guide.
Alhaji Arulogun is widely traveled having visited Republic of Benin, Ghana, Egypt, Britain, Germany, United States of America, Sweden, Finland, Korea, Israel and Saudi Arabia, mostly in the course of his professional pursuits, Film and Television.
He is happily married with children, all sons. He retired from NTA in October 1994.
Awards
• First Prize at the Geneva International Prize for Television Award to Nigerian. Prize Awarded to him in his capacity as co. producer of, Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches, with Richard Taylor of the BBC;
• FAME Award for contributions to the Film Industry; and
• Veteran’s Award at the 2nd National Film Festival held in December 2003.
His works: Documentary
• The Open Door: Co-produced with Mains Television, Helsinki, Finland in 1975, it won a mention in the 1976 West Berlin Film Festival.
• Nigeria: A Squandering of Riches: Co Produced with Richard Taylon for the BBC Television won the First Place in documentary section of the 1985 Geneva Television Festival.
• He was the Production Co-ordinator on the BBC-WETA-NTA Production of Ali Mazrui’s The Africans and Basil Davidson’s Africa for Mitchel Beazley Television. He was co-editor on two feature Films: Wole Soyinka’s Kongi’s Harvest (1970) and Chinua Achebe’s Thing’s Fall Apart (1971) produced by Calpenny Nigeria Films Ltd.
Television: He has many successful productions on the Network of the NTA. Some of them are:
• Ogunde: Man of the Theatre with BBC TV
• 5 Days In Badagry: With German TV
• Dance for Harvest: A tourism and economic development documentary on Plateau State, Produced and Directed byArulogun.
• Festac 77: as Associate Producer on a UNESCO-NTA.
• Born to Live: Co Produced with MTV Finland, a documentary on primary healthcare programme of Prof. Olikoye Ransome – Kuti at Oguntolu Street, Somolu and Finland’s Primary Healthcare Programme by Nurses from Finland at Malumfashi.
• A Life of Service: Directed for LATOLA Films Ltd. A documentary on Prof. Ambrose Alli, Governor of Bendel State, 1980.
• Nation-Wide: Our Town, a TV Serial on Towns in Nigeria – to show that Lagos, as a cosmopolitan city houses people from all cities, nooks and crannies of Nigeria.
TAM FIOFORI
Filmmaker, Photographer, Writer, Media Consultant, Tam Fiofori is from Okrika, Rivers State.
A jazz music aficionado, Tam was the international manager of SUNRa, the American band, which he brought on a tour of Nigeria in the 70s.
He was Film Consultant to Rivers State Council for Arts and Culture and Director, Rivers State Culture Documentary Series. Odum and Water Masquerades, (1974) which were exhibited at FESTAC ’77 Tampere Film Festival, 10th FESPACO, Quagadougou, 1987.
Consultant/Scriptwriter, Nigerian Television Authority-NTA Network on Documentaries.
He wrote and directed Pope John Paul 11 Prays For Nigeria 1998. Foundation Executive, Photographers’ Association of Nigeria-PAN.
He was Participant/Exhibitor at the African Reprography Seminar/Workshop 1995;
the PAN National Creative Day Exhibition, Lagos, 1996, 1997,
Nigerian Art Exhibition, United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation- WIPO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland, 1996.
Ekasa Coronation Dance Parade 1979 on permanent display at WIPO headquarters, Switzerland.
And at the 4th African Photography Festival, Bamako, Mali, 2001. Been a photographer for four decades.
He was a National/Nigerian delegate, Constituent Congress, OAU-Pan African Writers’ Association-PAWA, Accra,1989.
Awards: PAWA Literary Award Winner,
Handball Association of Nigeria-HAN National Award Winner.
Publication: He is Co-Author Nigeria and the all Africa games (From Lagos ’73 to Abuja ’03)
Co-Editor Ijo Footprints. Text and Photograhps A Benin Coronation: Oba Erediauwa.
Tam is extensively travelled and published in Africa, U.S.A, Fance, Scandinavia, Japan, Germany.
Other services: He was Media Consultant, Nigerian Newsprint Manufacturing Company-NNMC.
Foundation Board Member, Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria-REPRONIG, Member ijaw History Project Committee, Coordinating Director Sun Arts: BEP.
Tam has since moved into full time Photography. His recent exhibitions include:
• ‘1979’ at the Oba’s Palace, Benin City;
• ‘1979’ at the Hexagon, Benin City, 2009;
• ‘1979’ at the DIDI Museum, Lagos;
• Recent works at Aresuva Abuja, Alliance Francaise @ 50, National Museum, Lagos;
• A perspective on Contemporary Nigerian Photography at Omenka Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos among others.
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