EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH IKECHUKWU ONYEKA-NOLLYWOOD'S HOTTEST DIRECTOR

He is one of the finest directors Nigeria has ever produced. In his filmography are movies like Cinema chart burster Mr & Mrs, Eagle's Bride, Corporate Maid, Unforeseen, Lovers Creek, Intimidation, Slave to Lust, Warriors Heart, Before the Light, and tear jerker, Reloaded.
Movie Director Ikechukwu who grew up in a Lagos slum, Amukoko, has clawed his way to the top and has every intention of staying there. Which was why he headed off to the prestigious Clorado Film School to acquire a degree in Cinematography. He is recently returned and has jumped right back into the fray. We caught up with him and decided to ask him a few questions Enjoy.

How did you get into the movie industry?

"I grew up in Lagos in a suburb called Amukoko (at the middle of Ajegunle and Ijora) I grew up among six siblings, being the second and first male. The only genuine education I had was at African School 1 at Ago-Hausa and Awodi-Ora Primary School then i later attended the Lagos State Government College Ojo and Orile Iganmu Grammar School Mile 2. I went on to do a lot of things to make ends meet and one of them was being a commercial motor bike rider (Okada) it was on one of my trips that I encountered a character called Charles Ugboma who invited me to the then Ekowas Hotel in Surulere and my story started from there.

So why did you decide on directing instead of another area of movie making?

"I never decided on directing I started from the scratch by playing extra roles in some movies then later delved into props through Kingsley Okereke I moved on at a point to become one of best Production Managers in the industry then again moved on into producing, became an assistant director to so many big names in the industry among whom are Andy Amenechi, Lancelot Imasuen, Chika Onu, Reginald Ebere, Kabat Egbon, late Kenneth Egbuna, Charles Inojie and some others, so I didn't just set out into directing I evolved into it."

You have directed some great stuff like Corporate Maid and Mr. and Mrs. which of your movies has given you the greatest challenge?

"Strange enough the movie that gave me the greatest challenge has always been Unforeseen, I worked on a tripartite character in the movie and my cast was Ini Edo. First it was my second movie as a director secondly I have not met anyone who shot such a movie where an individual will be in three, discuss and eventually hug each other, so what I did was try as much as I can then to get the best hands that we could afford at that time, so I brought in Daniel Ademinokan as an assistant director and Bode Alao-Festus for the effects and I think it paid off."

And why did you leave for the states to read directing and how has that impacted your work?

"At some point in my career I just knew that I have been static for too long and I craved for aggrandizement, so when I had the opportunity to travel to the states I sought and gained admission into the prestigious Colorado Film School to study cinematography, I know most people thought I went to study directing no. The truth is if you travel abroad and meet film makers, interact with them it will definitely impact on your work and judgement."

How fulfilling has your work been and what is in front of you?

"I give gratitude to Almighty God for His mercies and grace that abounds in all I have done. It has been very fulfilling in every area of my life and the future has never been this bright, we're looking forward to greater things."

What do you think Nigerian directors are doing wrong that they should do right?

"Nigerian directors are amazing if placed side by side with all they need to deal with to make a movie here. This is an aside, all the directors that could not make it here are big names in other parts of the world where they took their trades to, that tells you how hostile this front called Nigeria is.

What many Nigerian directors lack is the art of presentation, how you present your story goes a long way to determine how successful that project will be both technically and commercially. Don't rush to location without making sure you've got the best out of the story you have."

"Just make sure this is what you really want to do. Don't go into it because the other guy is succeeding in it, it might just not be your "calling""