As Nollywood eagerly awaits ‘Tribe’, the film that led to the confinement of filmmaker, Ifeanyi Onyeabo by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in 2011, his partner in the project, Steve James has attributed the skirmishes to breakdown of communication between him and the director as recording was going on.
Satisfied that they have put the matter behind them, he cautioned investors and players in the industry to open channels of proper communication to forestall such ugly incidents.
“I blame the problem on breakdown of communication between us. I was new in the industry and naturally reacted the way someone would react when third parties come to tell him that he is about to lose his investment. Luckily after everything, I discovered that Ifeanyi, actually meant well, and his lawyer and my lawyer sat down and agreed to withdraw the matter from the EFCC, though EFCC tried to pursue the matter out of mischief,” said James.
He continued; “Ifeanyi is not a fraudster. Everything is over now and we are back again as partners, looking forward to more projects that will shape the landscape of African entertainment. The second edition of our cultural reality TV show, ‘Heroes: Back to the Roots’ will soon kick off. Other initiatives will be unveiled soon to the entertainment community.”
Appreciating the film ‘Tribe’, James, said, “I am not surprised that ‘Tribe’ is getting a lot of attention at the international level. It is because of the technical details of the film as well as the story and plot. It is a must-watch-for-all but not a free-watch-for-all”.
‘Tribe’, which commenced recording in 2010 in Ghana, employed the services of actors and crew members from eight African countries and Jamaica after a 3-nation tour for auditions.
Last year during the Extra-Ordinary People’s Awards, in Texas, USA, ‘Tribe’, clinched four categories, including the ‘Outstanding Film Producer of the Year’, which Onyeabor (fondly called John Woo Africa) promptly dedicated to Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, the Governor of Enugu State.