Entertainment
Filmmaker, Eddie Ugbomah Died 48Hours before Surgery
Veteran filmmaker, Chief Eddie Ugbomah, died yesterday, 48 hours before a scheduled surgery.
The respected filmmaker died in a Lagos hospital following a protracted illness. He was 78.
Although details of his ailment were not disclosed, Ugbomah had said it had to do with the nerves, his ears and brain.
His death was announced by Shaibu Hussein, a member of a committee set up to raise funds for his treatment.
“I have the permission of the Chair of the Chief Eddie Ugbomah Medical Fund Committee Alhaji Adedayo Thomas (DG, NFVCB) to break the news of the passage into eternity of the Veteran Filmmaker Chief Eddie Ugbomah, OON,” Hussein wrote on his Facebook wall yesterday.
“The veteran filmmaker died an hour ago at the hospital where he was scheduled to undergo a surgery on Monday. Sad…but we totally submit to the Almighty.”
Several persons in the Nollywood community have expressed their condolences.
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe condoled with Hussein and Paul Obazele, former president of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP).
“May the CHI bless all of you who came to his aid at this time and May his family and friends find the fortitude to bear the loss,” she wrote.
Keith Shiri, a programmer at the London Film Festival and collaborator of the Tarifa-Tangier African Film Festival (FCAT) also expressed his condolence.
“Very sad to hear the Chief’s passing,” he wrote.
“I was honoured to have been introduced to him by the late South African filmmaker Lionel Ngakane in Fespaco in the late 80’s. He was of a generation of filmmakers that paved a way for African Cinema. Let’s celebrate his life and May his work be preserved for future generations. Go well Chief.”
Filmmaker and promoter Mykel Parish Ajaere wrote: “Sad news. Lord lead him through a smooth journey home.”
Ugbomah had told The Nation in 2018 that his illness has “something to do with my ears and my brain”.
Some of Ugbomah’s works include ‘Rise and Fall of Oyenusi,’ ‘Oil Doom,’ ‘The Boy is Good,’ ‘Death of the Black President’ and ‘Apalara’ lamented that government had not come to his aid in his trying time.
Nollywood actor, Saidi Balogun has reunited with his estranged wife, Faithia Williams at the graduation ceremony of their son, Khalid Ayomide Balogun.
The couple, both Nollywood actors, who called it quits with their marriage a few years ago, had cause to come together, to celebrate their son’s achievement as he graduates from the University of Lagos with a first-class honours.
Trending videos and photos captured the couple in jolly mood posing for photographs and exchanging pleasantries with well wishers and friends.
Saidi and Faithia had a bitter separation, which prompted Saidi to caution his ex-wife to desist from using his name, Balogun.
African Voices Changemakers, the popular CNN International magazine programme will this weekend host one of Hollywood’s most celebrated African actors, Djimon Gaston Hounsou. The programme is sponsored by digital solutions provider, Globacom.
The star actor who was born in Benin Republic in April 1960, will be chatting with programme anchor, Larry Madowo on his inspiring journey and how he links the Black diaspora with its roots through the Djimon Hounsou Foundation which he launched in New York in 2019.
Hounsou became a thespian when he acted in the 1990 film titled Without You, I’m Nothing from which he has gained recognition for his outstanding roles in several other films including Amistad (1997); Gladiator (2000) and a French film titled Forces speciales (2011) among other great works. His talents have earned him the Golden Globe Award as Best Actor in Drama and the NAACP Image Award both in 1998 and for his role in Amistad. He also got the Academy Awards as Best Supporting Actor in 2004 as well as an Outstanding Performance Award for Blood Diamond in 2007.
His foundation has been at the forefront of empowering Africans through his philanthropic initiatives like Run Richmond 16.19. He has successfully bridged history, culture, and community in a mission to unite the African diaspora and honour African heritage.
African Voices Changemakers will be broadcast on Saturday at 8.30a.m. and will be repeated same day at noon. Further repeats will be broadcast on Sunday at 4.30a.m. and 7p.m.; Monday 4a.m. Repeat editions will come up in the same broadcast schedule next week from Saturday.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has postponed the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations due to the wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area.
Originally scheduled for Friday, January 17, the nominations will now be revealed on January 19.
Voting for the nearly 10,000 Academy members, which began on January 8, has also been extended by two days, now closing on Tuesday, January 14.
Among the celebrities affected by the fires are former Oscars host Billy Crystal, Paris Hilton, James Woods, and Miles Teller, all of whom have lost their homes.
In a letter sent to members on Wednesday, Academy CEO Bill Kramer offered his condolences, saying, “We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California.
“So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you.”
Wildfires sweeping through communities across Los Angeles County, which began around 5:45 pm on Wednesday, have damaged or destroyed over 2,000 homes, businesses, and other buildings, with at least five confirmed dead.
