Only a few individuals in the Diaspora can we point to as proudly flying the flag for Nigeria. Apart from artists, not many Nigerian-born talents have been able to gain spotlight abroad. Welcome Chuks Nwanesi. Our own born, bred and partly Nigerian-educated son of the soil making waves on the American movie scene.

His film – A Man, A Woman, A Genie, A Gun has just earned him a spot on Cannes Film Festival – the Short Film Corner – a prestigious avenue for aspiring actors, directors and producers to make their mark. Watching the preview, I couldn’t help but feel I was viewing and subconsciously scrutinizing the work of a young Spike Lee, an up-and-coming Quentin Tarantino and the best part being he’s a Nigerian. The pride I felt at that fact could make my heart burst.

Chuks focused on the job at hand, “A Man, A Woman, A Genie, A Gun,” which premieres on August 14th 2010 in New York

Click here for more info about “A Man, A Woman, A Genie, A Gun,”

Nascence of a star

He attributes his heightened sense of directing to his upbringing and childhood. Born and bred in the vicinity of Badiko in Kaduna, he was always locked indoors because they were the only ones who spoke English and were the only Christians for miles around. There were no toys and internet was non-existent in what I’d rightly call the pre-modern era, so he’d stay home with his siblings all day watching movies. According to him, as a kid, although he wasn’t an expert in Nigerian current affairs, he could tell you the director of any American movie off the top of his head. An alumni of Model Secondary School, Kaduna, he was then ‘thrown’ (his word, not mine) into Imo State by his father to be an Igbo man which is where he gained his bachelors degree. After serving in Akwa Ibom for NYSC and working in Abuja for a year, he landed in The States where he earned a scholarship in a grad school in New Jersey, NJIT, to study architecture.

While his mates obsessed over scantily-clad leading females in films, he was more interested in the director’s aim. “I’m more interested in film makers and directors than the actors. I’ve never been interested in who the leading actor is, I was more into the direction and the story. The story is king. That was what did it for me, and still does.”  His passion led him to critique films, write and blog about them and also took up screen-writing with a view to challenge Hollywood. He was encouraged by his professors, friends and family members who secretly submitted his scripts into various competitions which eventually all got into the finals. “Their efforts prompted me to do something about it. I sent my script to Godfrey from Soul-Plane who told me he liked it very much and so I decided to turn it into a film, and here we are!”

“The Inspiration of your film sir….really, sir?”

The idea of the short film, he maintains, was borne out of an idea inspired by the failed attempt of the Nigerian suicide bomber, Farouk Al-Muttalab. It was in a bid to change people’s perception of Nigeria as it had just become an additional stigma for Nigerians especially the ones in the Diaspora, an extra blemish on the green and white flag, right next to the fraud tag.

The movie is a comedy. A brief synopsis of it is a white couple driving through a bad neighbourhood – see Nigerians – freak out – whip out gun – gun goes off – hits a black genie’s window carving a clean hole in it- intro the genie – comedy ensues. For that part, Nwanesi relied on a really ancient genie joke to maintain the idea while adding the terrorist twist to it. I put my hands up, my synopsis has not done this movie the justice it deserves and that’s because you need to see it to believe it. Just the direction alone will leave you marvelling at the genius that is Nwanesi, the professionalism of the cast is an additional testament to the budding director’s capabilities and the picture quality of the film is certainly one for the books. The last mentioned element can be attributed to his other passion, architecture which is a very hands-on and heavily graphics-based course. It helped him with structuring while directing and gave him an insight into how a particular scene would look from a certain angle while filming.

Chuks on the set of his short film “A Man, A Woman, A Genie, A Gun,” which premieres on August 14th 2010 in New York, at the Helen Mills Theater

And He Toiled…But he made it!

However, it’s not been an easy ride for our beloved Chuks. He’s had to follow his dreams and made sure it achieved its fruition while on the other hand holding down a 9-5 job. As well as having to carry out the administrative duties himself and organising a production crew, he’s had the unenviable task of doing both director’s job and producer as well, also acquiring props, going over scripts and storyboarding. “I was doing so much I eventually broke down one day and was hospitalised for a whole week. The things you have to do to achieve your dream, right?” he says. While I wouldn’t wish the pressure he was under on any living thing or the hassle he underwent, I for one definitely admire his tenacity and unrelenting determination. Fortunately for him, his toiling has paid of. Not only did he attain a spot on the Cannes Film Festival – Short Film Corner, he’s also in the running for the LAshortsFest Awards, the 5^th most prestigious short film festival in the world which gives way to six Oscar qualifying spots!

Limor Hakim, Godfrey, and Lou Martini, Jr.

Asked how he’d feel should he come up short at LAshortsFest and in a relaxed and humble tone said: “I’m just so honoured to be in it. Plus I get a free pass so I get to watch all the movies for free. Besides, that night is mostly about networking. I plan to bump into some famous names directors, script ‘accidentally’ falls into their laps, who knows?” he said amidst a mischievous laugh. “But honestly”, he continued “I’m mainly going to network and meet people and plan the next movie. It’s all about the exposure.” He hopes to get people asking him what he’s got brewing next as he’s quite confident about his next project – a feature film which is an independent movie which script he’s currently working on.

Seeing what’s on the proverbial table, what other enviable evidence is needed? Nwanesi is about to blow. A star in the making. Our very own Chuks Nwanesi turning the world to his oyster, where the sky is only the beginning, not the limit. You can also count on yours truly for an ‘I told you so’ episode which involves a special dance, for when he eventually blows. As if all this is not enough ladies, this 30 year old is unmarried – a confident, talented, smart and alluring catch waiting to be reeled in, so cast your net and send your applications to LadyBee c/oamebor.com. I’m off to learn my ‘I-told-you-so’ dance in the mean time.

Photos by Chris Blair

Tagged as: Chuks Nwanesi, Film, New York