WORDS ON MARBLE: Kene Mkparu, GM, Odeon Cinemas, UK, 'take' on Atlantic Overseas

What was it like in September 2007, when two Nollywood blockbusters Mission
to Nowhere and Mirror of Beauty stormed Odeon and Cineworld cinemas in the
UK?

“WHAO! IT WAS MASSIVE, HUGE AND MEMORABLE. IT WAS FUN MEETING TECO BENSON,
THE DIRECTOR OF ONE OF THE FILMS, SOME CAST MEMBERS AND THE FINANCIER OF THE
FILMS, ANDRIEN GBINIGIE, WHO IS ALSO THE CHAIRMAN OF ATLANTIC OVERSEAS. I
TAKE OFF MY HAT FOR HIM, BECAUSE HE INVESTED A LOT OF MONEY AND TIME INTO
THESE LAUDABLE PROJECTS AND ALSO DROVE NOLLYWOOD TO A GLOBAL HEIGHT, WHICH
IS WHAT WE NEED. FOR TWO WEEKS, NOLLYWOOD SPARKLED IN THE UK. NOLLYWOOD
NEEDS THE RIGHT FORMAT AND BACKING. FOR GBINIGIE, IT WAS NOT ABOUT` MOVIE ,
BUT LEAVING A MARK FOR NOLLYWOOD AND HE HAS LEFT A MARK FOR NOLLYWOOD. I
HAVE A PASSION FOR NOLLYWOOD AND WHEN I SEE SOMEBODY WITH SAME PASSION AND
DRIVE, I GO ALL OUT TO ASSIST. WE EVEN ADDED IRELAND AND SCOTLAND.

GBINIGIE HAS DONE WHAT NOBODY ELSE HAS EVER DONE, IN TERMS OF SUPPORTING
NOLLYWOOD ON THE GLOBAL SCENE, EVEN IN THE UK HERE.”
- KENE MKPARU

Culled from Saturday, August 8, 2008, edition of THE SUN NEWSPAPER - interview with
KENE MKPARU, GM Odeon Cinemas, UK.