The Executive Producer of the popular Igbo movie, “Ikenga: The Last Festival”, Anita Odiakaose says the film has grossed more than N100 million in cinema revenue less than one month after its release.
Odiakose disclosed this on Tuesday at a news conference in Enugu, organised to celebrate the movie’s performance and promote Igbo culture and heritage.
She said the movie started showing in cinemas nationwide on Aug. 21 and had surpassed the N100 million mark while still showing in cinemas.
She added that Ikenga was, as of Saturday, recognised the highest-grossing Igbo film in West Africa, describing it as a milestone to celebrate.
The film producer said Ikenga was a culture-oriented movie produced to promote Igbo culture, language and heritage through entertainment.
She explained that the filmmaker combined fiction and non-fiction elements with a cultural festival and a love story to make the movie appealing to audiences.
The producer said 90 per cent of the movie’s language was Igbo, with subtitles, while about 90 per cent of its cast and crew were Igbo, featuring notable actors, including Pete Edochie, Patience Ozokwor, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Zubby Michael, Jidekene, Beverly Osu and others.
She said the success of the movie showed that audiences were interested in films that promoted their culture and heritage.
Odiakose expressed concern over the declining use of Igbo language, noting that she could not speak Igbo fluently in spite of being an Igbo woman.
She urged filmmakers to produce more films that would expose audiences, including people in the diaspora, to Igbo language, traditions and cultural practices.
The producer admitted that Igbo filmmakers, including herself, had not done enough to promote Igbo identity through their productions, saying filmmakers should be more deliberate about using Igbo names, language and cultural elements in their works.
Odiakose said Ikenga was not her first movie, explaining that she had produced about 70 films for YouTube and other platforms, but that it was her first cinema production.
She disclosed that plans were underway for international screening of the film in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.
According to her, the U.S. premiere is scheduled for Oct. 30, while screening in the United Kingdom and Canada are planned for November and December respectively.
She said the success of Ikenga had demonstrated the potential for culturally focused films to attract audiences and generate significant cinema revenue.
