AIRTIME PLUS By Onoshe Nwabuikwu airtimeplus98@gmail.com
The 69th edition of the Cannes Film Festival (or Festival de Cannes) came to an end last Sunday May 22, 2016. As is the practice, after the glamour, partying and networking in the course of the eleven day festival, expectations shift to the films in competition. Everyone wants to know who or which film will clinch the top prize in the different categories.
Well, if you haven’t heard, the grand prize this year, the biggest of them all in the Feature Films category, the Palme d’or, went to I, Daniel Blake a film directed by Ken Loach. The film was also screened at the end of the Awards Ceremony to close the 2016 edition of the Festival.
‘I, Daniel Blake’ is the story of Daniel Blake, a 59-year-old “joiner in the North-East of England who falls ill with heart disease and so applies for the out-of-work sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance. While he endeavours to overcome the red tape involved in getting this assistance, he meets single mother Katie and her two children, Dylan and Daisy, who, in order to escape a homeless persons’ hostel in London, must take up residence in a flat 300 miles (480 km) away.”
There were also other winners. Below is a list of the main awards:
FEATURE FILMS
-Palme d’or
I, DANIEL BLAKE directed by Ken LOACH
Grand Prix
JUSTE LA FIN DU MONDE (It’s Only the End of the World) directed by Xavier DOLAN
-Best Director ex æquo
Cristian MUNGIU for BACALAUREAT (Graduation)
Olivier ASSAYAS for PERSONAL SHOPPER
-Best Screenplay
Asghar FARHADI for FORUSHANDE (The Salesman)
-Jury Prize
AMERICAN HONEY directed by Andrea ARNOLD
-Best Performance by an Actress
Jaclyn JOSE in MA’ ROSA directed by Brillante MENDOZA
– Best Performance by an Actor
Shahab HOSSEINI in FORUSHANDE (The Salesman) directed by Asghar FARHADI
SHORT FILMS
-Palme d’or
Timecode directed by Juanjo GIMENEZ
-Special Mention from the Jury
‘A Moça Que Dançou Com O Diabo’ (The Girl Who Danced With the Devil) directed by João Paulo MIRANDA MARIA
-Caméra D’or
‘Divines’ directed by Houda BENYAMINA
REEL REVIEW
The Perfect Match
Director: Billie Woodruff
Starring: Terence Jenkins, Cassie Ventura, Donald Faison, Dascha Polanco, Lauren London, Paula Patton.
A romantic comedy, The Perfect Match tells the story of Charlie (Terence J), a successful entertainment agent among other things. He doesn’t believe in relationships and can’t have more than a casual encounter with the opposite sex. He is the quintessential ‘drive through’ guy. Understandably, marriage is therefore not an option.
In spite of the fact that best friends Rick (Donald Faison) is married and Victor (Robert Christopher Riley) is about to get married to a girl he’s had his heart set on since elementary school. There’s a bet from his friends daring him to date same girl long enough to make it to friend Victor’s wedding to Ginger (Lauren London).
Then he meets the mysterious Eva (Cassie Ventura) who is also interested, in a casual no strings attached ‘relationship’; even more than Charlie. So, what’s going to give?
The Perfect Match makes for good viewing. But parents should beware there are a few x-rated scenes which seem to be a staple of Black American films. Which is the reason I was a little hesitant in watching The Perfect Match. However The Perfect Match is not as raunchy as many a Black American film.
And its message is not bad.Who can quarrel with men being encouraged to find love and settle down? Yes, there are still a few of the stereotypical woman who wants she wants and hubby, in tghis hubby-to-be must pick the bills however he achieves that. Victor and Ginger’s story is enough to put some off marriage for good. And a many single Nigerian men will feel vindicated because once again they can claim that it’s because ‘women are just too expensive’ that they’ve chosen to remain eternal bachelors.
The Voice Nigeria: Let the Battle Begin
Actually the battle has begun. Last Sunday. After about seven episodes sweating the blind auditions, The Voice Nigeria moved to the next stage. That next stage as regulars would know is the Battle Round.
In this (Battle) round, each coach will pair one act against another in his/her group to do a duet. At the end of which the coach must pick the winner of that particular battle. The loser’ is then available for a steal by the other coaches.. Each coach is entitled to two steals in the course of the Battle Round .
There were two ‘new’ faces by way of South African songstress Lira and Nigeria’s own Darey acting as co-coaches. There was a clear division of labour-while Darey handled the singing ‘lessons’, Lira took care of coaching the contestants going to battle on their stage craft/performance.
At the start of the Battle, each of the four coaches had around 12 contestants. That number will keep changing till the end of the Battle Round. Last Sunday saw some winners and some ‘losers’. From Team Waje, there were two ‘battles’. Battle One was Dawn against Uche Michael. The very confident Dawn was the winner of that round. But Pato Ranking made a steal of Uche. Must say Uche is one lucky guy as there were other contestants on the night that sounded better but were unlucky no one made a steal. Battle Two was between Emem and Shammah. Shammah not surprisingly was the winner. As Waje has said a couple of times, Shammah reminds her of herself at a younger age. But again, there was another steal. Tubaba snatched up Emem.
The other battles were the ones in Team Tubaba between David Operah and Obed Ogbonna. David was the winner. From Team Timi were Joe Blue and Daivy Jones performing D’banj’s Oliver Twist. Joe Blue was winner. And for Team Pato Ranking there was the battle between Sylvia Charles and Elizabeth. That was won by Sylvia.
Later tonight, the Battle continues on The Voice Nigeria, Africa magic Showcase, dstv channel 151.
COME AGAIN?
“IPMAN crashes petrol price to N128.”
-AIT news headlines, Thursday May 26, 1.27 am-ish.
It’s not the violence with which news is now often reported that bothers me. I mean, if anything must crash, why not the price of petrol, right? But can anyone really call the increase in the price of petrol from N87 to N128 a crash? That’s still a N41 increase per litre. Still, this rumoured ‘crash’ may not leave AIT’ very soon.
IN THE NEWS
‘Missing’ N30 trillion: Okonjo-Iweala Takes Legal Action
This headline is taken from Channels TV news headlines of Tuesday May 24, 2016 minus the quotes on “missing” which are mine. A day earlier, AIT had scrolled news about court ordering Okonjo-Iweala to account for the ‘missing’ N30 Trillion. I’m not quite sure, but AIT unlike Channels TV may have put the “missing” in quotes. Still.
The tragedy that has become journalism as practiced in Nigeria is that journalists have become megaphones, glorified public address systems for any ogogoro-drinking charlatan. As concerns the “missing” N30 trillion, there are simple questions that should have been asked chief among which is: Who declared this N30 trillion missing? The Central Bank of Nigeria? NEITI? NBS? Who exactly?
If this that’s too simple, there’s the common sense layman logic which appears too expensive for certain editors. N30 trillion is the total of Nigeria’s combined budget for at least 6 years. Imagine for instance that even in the ‘padded-ness’ of Buhari’s 2016 ‘budgets’, total is still around N6 trillion. And this year’s is one of our highest budgets yet. So how is it possible for N30 trillion to be missing in one year?
Also very difficult to understand why journalists announce every ridiculous claim that’s made. Before the discerning discovered Oshiomhole’s seeming proclivity towards for verbal diarhoea, the media was happy everyday, evey single day, to regale viewers almost daily new figures of money purportedly stolen or missing. Each new day brought a bigger amount. And time after time, each time it’s proven that he was either lying or playing mischief.telling the truth. Yet the next claim is announced with glee. Who’s supposed to provide the viewer with a back story, a background and a proper perspective when people are falling over themselves to become first to publish latest figures of ‘stolen’ or ‘missing’ money?
It’s okay for journalists to fight for their freedom. And the government of the day appears to be having fun with the media trials. Today it’s Dr Okonjo-Iweala, tomorrow it could be me or you. Or politicians in government. In fact, all this will come back to bite those whose mantra is “all fair in love and war.” Or it’s politics na.’
Don’t tell me about any journalistic or artistic licence. TV stations know the right thing to do. After all when Chief Aleogho Raymond Dokpesi was ‘dragged’ by the federal government into ‘Dasukigate’, one didn’t see screaming headlines like: “High chief gave me N50m”-witness. “Dokpesi ordered to return misappropriated N500m”-by court.
And what is chasing media houses that they are no longer asking to hear the other side? You can publish giant headlines but cannot even place a phone call to get the other side?
