For the ‘Bling Lagosians’ Premiere, Dress for the Cash

Vanessa Obioha

As far as movie premieres go, Filmhouse Cinemas in Lekki Phase 1, has become the luxury venue for filmmakers. Not necessarily because of the IMAX Cinemas, but the panache and glamour that accompany any movie premiere held at that venue. Whether the concept of the premiere is a product of the filmmakers or the cinema owners as a market strategy, one thing is certain, it pulls in the crowd and good figures. Take for instance the crowd it pooled at the King of Boys premiere, which the film production arm of the cinema was a partner.

Thus, for the much anticipated Bolanle Austen-Peters film ‘Bling Lagosians’ premiering this Sunday, June 16, the cinema house is encouraging guests to fabulously dress the part to win cash prizes worth N1m.

This hat-trick by the cinema is one that will not only draw a mammoth crowd but also increase publicity for both the film and the cinema house. With a theme like ‘Eko for Show’, guests are expected to arrive at the venue dripping in all shades of glitz and glamour. There is no limit to the extremity of their fashion statements as long as it reflects the theme of the premiere. Perhaps, this may be the Nollywood version of camp, a word that gained notoriety this year at the annual Hollywood’s Met Gala event.

The organisers may in a way be setting another trend in movie premieres. In recent times, movie premieres have become a fertile ground for publicity. Fashion designers hop on it to showcase their creativity, celebrities leverage on the red carpet to attract media attention, brands throw in sponsorships for good positioning. Indeed, movie premieres in Nigeria is becoming a burgeoning business on its own.

No doubt, ‘Bling Lagosians’ will attract great audience being that Austen-Peters is a name revered in the creative industry, particularly the art space. She is renowned for critically acclaimed musicians such as ‘Wakaa’ and ‘Fela and Kalakuta Queens’.

With ‘Bling Lagosians’, Austen-Peters is paying homage to the flamboyant lifestyle of Lagosians. The story centres on the lifestyle of a Lagos family that is presently living in their past glory. Although, they are not as wealthy as they once were, they still want to live that lifestyle they once used to live. They want to host the talk of the town kind of party, they want to wear the best designers and ride the fastest of cars even if they are wallowing in debt. This movie is intended to show how people go the extreme to keep up appearances in public.

The movie will have its theatrical release on June 28. The film also marks her feature film directorial debut and stars Jide Kosoko, Elvina Ibru, Denola Grey, Monalisa Chinda, Helen Paul among others.

However, the organisers didn’t say how they will arrive at the best dressed for the premiere, or who will be the judges. What they have revealed so far is that the most dressed will smile home with N500, 000, the first and second runners-up will be rewarded with N350,000 and N150,000 respectively.

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