The 2024 edition will ‘shift’ its focus to the youths as emerging creatives of the future with emphasis on helping them cope with the challenges of the film industry by providing them with skills to enable them diversify into other avenues of making money while waiting for their big break in the movie business
Expectations at the RIFF 2024, according to Ms. Ezeigbo, would include enhanced creativity and innovation in film making, increased collaboration and networking opportunities, improved skills and knowledge for filmmakers,· greater cultural exchange and understanding and contribution to the growth of the Nigerian Film Industry
THE second edition of the annual Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF), holds October 24-27, exploring the theme, ‘The Shift.’ It will hold at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt.
At a press conference, recently, founder/director of the festival, Ms. Kate Ezeigbo, stated that 2,230 entries were submitted from 172 countries, with the highest entries coming from the United States and India. This is a significant leap from the 582 entries from 82 countries recorded for the maiden edition last year.
At the press conference held Thursday October 10, at the Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Ms Ezeigbo said that the massive interest shown by other countries of the world, “explains the possible socio-cultural relationship that can exist between Rivers State – by extension Nigeria – and all of these countries.”
The entries cut accross four major categories, viz: culture, including gender issues, security and racism, social justice, marginalization and human diversity, as well as stories that border on technology, psychology, medicine, human beliefs and practices.
“The Shift” as theme, explained Ms Ezeigbo reflects the festival’s intention to celebrate the shifting landscapes of filmmaking, foster creativity, diversity and collaboration among Nigerian and International filmmakers, showcase innovative and compelling films that reflect the shifting narratives in the film industry, facilitate knowledge sharing and skills development through workshops, master classes and panel sessions and give free medical attention to our members, among others
The 2024 edition, would thus shift its focus to the youths as emerging creatives of the future with emphasis on helping them cope with the challenges of the film industry by providing them with skills to enable them diversify into other avenues of making money while waiting for their big break in the movie business.
She continued, “because of the peculiarity of the Nollywood industry … where you have to become a celebrity before you are paid, there is a need to diversify into other career paths to avoid sex for roles or constitute nuisance in the industry.”
To this end, RIFF 2024 shall offer free training on cinematography, smartphone videography for content creation, production of hair care products, make up classes, balloon decoration classes and cake baking / production of 15 other pastries. We hope that through this initiative diversification will be taken seriously and more jobs will be created.”
Other highlights of RIFF 2024 shall include the RIFF Free Medicals, which Ms. Ezeigbo says “was created so that film practitioners, film lovers and film critics can access free minor surgeries, routine checks and free drugs for certain ailments.”
This, she said, was necessitated because their research showed that the sudden and alarming deaths of film practitioners in Nigeria can be traced to “the peculiarity of their job being very tedious and time consuming (hence) they barely have the time to do routine checks on their health.” She noted that her organization would make this free medical service a yearly exercise for Nollywood practitioners.
RIFF 2024 will also feature a Pitch Your Project Initiative, to tackle the problem of access to funds, “especially for those who have good content” by affording them the opportunity to interface directly with prospective financiers and investors.
There will also be the Rivers Film Project Initiative, which aims at promoting films that highlight the untapped culture of Rivers people, with the hope of turning Rivers State into a movie hub. She emphasized that the winner of this year’s edition of the Rivers Film Project Initiative stands to win a plot of land.
The event will also feature the Tour Rivers Initiative designed to showcase “the sights and sounds of Rivers State. Our guests from all over the world will have a first-hand experience of our culture and heritage and how beautiful and peaceful the Rivers people are.”
Expectations at the RIFF 2024, according to Ms. Ezeigbo, would include enhanced creativity and innovation in film making, increased collaboration and networking opportunities, improved skills and knowledge for filmmakers,· greater cultural exchange and understanding and contribution to the growth of the Nigerian Film Industry.
The festival director exoressed appreciation to all the sponsors and partners of RIFF 2024, praising in particular, Governor Sim Fubara, who she described as having “beamed his light on Nollywood”, while noting the remarkable accomplishment his adminiration has recored for “the creative sector in the last six months.”
The press conference also witnessed the formal endorsement of the festival by some Nollywood guilds, partners and sponsors, as well as a performance by the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Rivers State Chapter.
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Text of speech by the funder/Director of RIFF 2024
IT is with great pleasure I speak to you today about the milestone achieved and the second edition of the Rivers International Film Festival (RIFF) 2024. The Rivers International Film Festival was birthed in October 2023. It is the first indigenous film festival ever held in Rivers State, organized by Desgol Entertainment Worldwide. The Rivers International Film Festival is a humanity-based film festival with the vision to educate and empower the next generation of filmmakers. This event is scheduled to hold annually here in the garden city, Port Harcourt Rivers State.
In the maiden edition, five hundred and eighty-two (582) films were submitted from eighty-two countries. This year, two thousand two hundred and thirty (2,230) films were submitted from one hundred and seventy-two (172) countries, having the United States of America and India with the highest submissions respectively. This milestone explains the possible socio-cultural relationship that can exist between Rivers State by extension Nigeria and all of these countries. It was so difficult to select movies to contest in the forthcoming festival taking place from 24-th-27th of October 2024, because there were too many beautiful and competitive movies. Thank you to every creative who sent in their films.
The requirements for this year’s film submissions were as follows:
1. Cultural analysis addressing any gender inequality, sexuality, power dynamics, security and racism
2. Issues on social justice at the national or regional level.
3. Stories addressing indigenous and cultural or racial groups that are usually marginalized, disabled and a wide variety of other cultures and communities who make up the diversity of human life.
4. Stories that tell the realms of technology, and psychology. Medicine and spirituality as it
