Anchor Baby | |
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Directed by | Lonzo Nzekwe |
Written by | Lonzo Nzekwe |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Ricardo Diaz C.S.C. |
Edited by |
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Music by | Sean Baillie |
Production company | Alpha Galore Films |
Distributed by | Alpha Galore Inc. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
Countries | Nigeria Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | ₦30 million [1] |
Box office | ₦18,000,000 (domestic gross) [2] |
Anchor Baby is a Nigerian thriller drama film written, directed and produced by Lonzo Nzekwe and starring Omoni Oboli, Sam Sarpong and Terri Oliver. At the 2010 Harlem International Film Festival in New York, the film won the award for Best Film and Omoni Oboli, the protagonist of the film, was awarded the Best Actress award. [3] [4] The film received two nominations at the 7th Africa Movie Academy Awards. [5] [6] [7] [8]
A married Nigerian couple, Joyce and Paul Unanga, living illegally in the United States, has been ordered to leave the country by U.S. immigration. They decide that they will leave, but only after Joyce, who is five months pregnant, delivers her baby in the United States to guarantee automatic U.S. citizenship for their child. Thus, ignoring the deportation order, the couple goes into hiding. When Paul is caught and deported, leaving Joyce to fend for herself, she struggles on her own to survive. Bureaucracy keeps getting in the way of Joyce achieving her goal and just as she is about to give up hope, she meets Susan, a married freelance writer who offers to help in the form of safe, free accommodation until the baby is born. With the help of her newfound friend, Joyce sets out to make the 'American Dream' come true for her unborn child. [9] [10]
Olufunke Ayotunde Akindele popularly known as Funke Akindele or Jenifa, is a Nigerian filmmaker, actress, director, producer, politician and realtor. Akindele starred in the sitcom I Need to Know from 1998 to 2002 and in 2009, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, for her role in Jenifa, which brought her to fame. Akindele reprised the role in 2011 sequel The Return of Jenifa and 2015 soft reboot television series titled Jenifa's Diary, for which she was named the Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2016 and 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. Akindele won the same award in 2020 and 2022, making it her fifth win for the Best Actress in a Comedy category. Akindele is the most nominated actress/filmmaker at the AMVCA and holds the record for most wins for an actress with six. She is the second director to gross over a billion naira at box office and is currently the Highest-Grossing Director in Nigerian Box Office with a total gross of over ₦2.9 billion.
The Figurine: Araromire is a 2009 Nigerian supernatural suspense thriller film written by Kemi Adesoye, produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan, who also stars in the film as one of the main protagonists. It also stars Ramsey Nouah and Omoni Oboli.
Omoni Oboli is a Nigerian actress, scriptwriter, film director, producer and digital filmmaker. She studied at the New York Film Academy and has written several screenplays, including The Figurine (2009), Anchor Baby (2010), Fatal Imagination, Being Mrs Elliott, The First Lady and Wives on Strike (2016). In 2018, she starred and directed the comedy film, Moms at War.
Uche Jombo is a Nigerian actress, screenwriter, and film producer. She has appeared in over 250 Nollywood movies and has also written and produced. She is known for her roles in movies such as Visa to Hell, Girls Hostel, Fire Love, Endless Lies, Nollywood Hustlers and many more. She is also an ambassador for Globacom.
The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) is an annual five-day film festival in Harlem, New York. The first festival took place in 2005. Michael Franti's I Know I'm Not Alone was named Best International Documentary at the festival that year. The short film Eme Nakia was selected to be screened at the 2006 festival. Also that year, The Hip Hop Project produced by Queen Latifah and Bruce Willis was named Best Documentary Film. Nigerian film Anchor Baby was named Best Film at the 2010 festival and won another award there as well. Omoni Oboli was named Best Actress that year. Najat Jellab's short film The Projectionist premiered at the 2013 festival. The festival named Vanessa L. Williams Best Actress one year. Short film In The Field, directed by Matthew Hope, was screened at the festival one year.:)
Ngozi Sylvia Oluchi Ezeokafor is a Nigerian actress, writer, producer and filmmaker. She won the Most Promising Act of the Year award in the Best of Nollywood Awards. She won the Rising Star award in the Nollywood Movies Awards.
Render to Caesar is a 2014 Nigerian crime thriller film written and produced by Desmond Ovbiagele, directed by Desmond Ovbiagele and Onyekachi Ejim. It stars Wale Ojo, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Omoni Oboli and Bimbo Manuel with Special appearances from Kehinde Bankole and Femi Jacobs. The film was initially slated to be released in the second quarter of 2013 but was pushed back due to delayed post production; it was however released on 28 March 2014. The film which was supported by Microsoft, Trace and FCMB tells the story of two friends who return from abroad to join the Nigeria Police Force, only to be faced with an impossible mystery case involving a criminal, Caesar who has been terrorising the city of Lagos for quite sometime.
The 2011 Nigeria Entertainment Awards was the 6th edition of the ceremony to reward outstanding contribution to Nigerian entertainment industry. It was held at Sharp Theater, Symphony Space, New York City on September 5, 2011. It was hosted by Funke Akindele and Julius Agwu.
Feathered Dreams is a 2012 Nigerian-Ukrainian drama film, directed by Andrew Rozhen, who also stars in the film with Omoni Oboli. The film which is the first collaboration between Nigeria and Ukraine tells the story of a young Nigerian medical student in Ukraine, Sade who dreams of becoming a singer, but she's faced with several difficulties associated with being a foreigner. Feathered Dreams is also the first Ukrainian English-language feature film.
Being Mrs Elliot is a 2014 Nigerian romantic comedy film, co-produced and directed by Omoni Oboli. It stars Majid Michel, Omoni Oboli, Ayo Makun, Sylvia Oluchy and Seun Akindele. It premiered at Nollywood Film Festival in Paris on 5 June 2014. It received 6 nominations at the 2014 Best of Nollywood Awards and was also nominated in 9 categories at the 2014 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards taking place in October.
Toyin Abraham Ajeyemi is a Nigerian actress and filmmaker.
Lunch Time Heroes is a 2015 Nigerian family comedy film directed by Seyi Babatope, and starring: Dakore Akande, Omoni Oboli, Diana Yekinni, Tina Mba and Tope Tedela.
The Duplex is a 2015 Nigerian supernatural thriller film produced by Emma Isikaku and directed by Ikechukwu Onyeka. It stars Omoni Oboli, Mike Ezuruonye, Uru Eke and Anthony Monjaro.
Diana Yekinni is a British Nigerian actress.
Emem Isong is a Nigerian screenwriter, film producer, and film director. She has become known primarily for films in the English language, and is a dominant figure in the Nollywood industry. Her second directed feature, Code of Silence, which deals with rape in Nigeria, was released in 2015.
Code of Silence is a 2015 Nigerian drama film directed by Emem Isong and written by Bola Aduwo. The film was produced by the Royal Arts Academy in collaboration with Nollywood Workshop. It stars Makida Moka in the lead role of Adanma, Patience Ozokwor, Ini Edo and Omoni Oboli. It is notable for its powerful stance against rape in Nigeria and addresses issues facing rape victims in the country.
Okafor's Law is a 2016 Nigerian romantic comedy drama film written, directed and produced by Omoni Oboli. The film stars Blossom Chukwujekwu, Omoni Oboli, Toyin Aimakhu, Gabriel Afolayan, Ufuoma McDermott, Richard Mofe Damijo, Tina Mba, Kemi Lala Akindoju and Ken Erics.
Lonzo Nzekwe is a Nigerian-Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. He creates transnational Nigerian content, including Anchor Baby, his 2010 debut film which premiered at the 2010 Harlem International Film Festival and won the Best Film award. Anchor Baby was released on Netflix on May 20, 2020. His second film, Meet The Parents won the award for "Best Short Film" at the 2016 Africa Movies Academy Awards (AMAA).
Moms at War is a 2018 Nigerian comedy drama movie directed by Omoni Oboli. It stars Funke Akindele as well as Michelle Dede, the former of whom won an award for her role as Best Actress in a Comedy at the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards.
The Uprising: Wives on Strike 3 is a 2024 Nigerian film which forms a sequel to Wives on Strike: The Revolution and Wives on Strike, directed and co-produced by Omoni Oboli. The film stars Omoni Oboli, Chioma Chukwuka, Uche Jombo, Ufuoma McDermott, Hilda Dokubo in lead characters.
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