ION Film Festival: Duncan Mighty, Timaya, Others Storm Garden City

In line with its objective of promoting global awareness and peace through arts, culture and films, IONIFF Port Harcourt 09 scheduled to hold between 9th and 12th December in the garden city of Port Harcourt Rivers State is set to celebrate peace.

The Rivers State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism Hon. Marcus Nle Ejii revealed that the state is ready to host the international communities, Nollywood and the entertainment industry based on the list of activities outlined for the first ever ION International Film Festival to be hosted in Africa.

According to him, the performances of sons of the soil as Duncan Mighty, Timaya, Nneka and international photographer George Oshodi with others such Wande Cole, Dbanj, Terry G and Seun kuti show the national and international communities the power of art as a vehicle to celebrate peace.

The Honorable commissioner is very pleased by the enthusiasm showed internationally, he added “award winners actors like Giancarlo Esposito, Adnan Siddiqui and beautiful bollywod actress Masumeh Makhija are set to be part of IONIFF Port Harcourt 09. To share our vision.”

Giancarlo has won two Obie Award’s for “Zooman and The Sign” at the Negro Ensemble Company and “Distant Fires” at “The Atlantic Theatre Company.

Giancarlo’s long list of Broadway credits include “Sacrilege”, “Seesaw”, “Merrily We Roll Along” and,” Lost In The Stars” to name a few.  Currently, he is co-starring on Broadway with James Earl Jones, Terrence Howard and Phylicia Rashad in Debbie Allen’s rendition of the great classic Tennessee Williams play, “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof”.

In 2008, Giancarlo Esposito makes his feature film directorial debut and is the producer and co-writer of “Gospel Hill” in which he co-stars with Danny Glover, Angela Bassett, Julia Stiles and Samuel L. Jackson. “Gospel Hills” will be shown in Port Harcourt as part of the final selection during 4 days festival.

Adnan Siddiqui has worked primarily in television; He was nominated for Pakistan’s Lux Style Award in 2002 in the Best Actor category for the dramatic serial Zaib-un-Nisa, and again in 2004 for the serial Mendhi. The third time was the charm for Siddiqui when, in 2005, he was named Best Actor for his work in the dramatic serial Amer Bail at the TV One Awards. In 2007 he costarred with Angelina Jolie in Almighty hear.t, big Hollywood production.

Model turned actress Masumi Makhija has had an interesting beginning to her career in Bollywood with films like Mahesh Manjrekar’s Padmashri Laloo Prasad Yadav, Vishal Bharadwaj’s Miya Maqbool and Shona Urvashi’s Chupke Se. She has also worked in two international films: Gate To Heaven (produced by the makers of Run Lola Run) and Madhu Ambat’s 1:1.6 Ode To Lost Love.

Few days to go…..we are ready!