I first created this list about 2 years ago, but lately i have been getting questions via email where i am being asked who do i consider "Great" Actor or "Great Actress" - besides in the past 2 years i have had some additions and subtractions. Granted there are many I deem as GOOD in my books, there a handful i consider GREAT and they are as follows (african actors, actress and producers) - I am only focusing on GHANA and NIGERIA;
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All in purple are Ghanaian Actors and Actresses and all others are Nigerian Actors/tresses.
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My Personal Top GREATEST and Favourite Actresses (Nigeria and Ghana)
Genevieve Nnaji (though this list is in no particular order Genny is my #1)
Funke Akindele
Akorfa Asiedu
Joke Silva
Funlola Aofiyebi
Rita Dominic
Patience Ozorkor
Chinny Ahaneku
Geraldine Okeocha
Camilla Mberekpe
Ebere Okaro
Ngozi Ezeonu
Liz Benson (one of the 1st pioneers)
Kate Henshaw
Bimbo Akintola
Jennifer Eliogwu
Rama Brew
Uche Owusotole
Stella Damasus Aboderin
Stephanie Okereke (when she doesnt fake her accent and she is herself- same advice to Nadia - buts thats few times and far between)
Omotola Ekeinde (aka OmoT)
Mercy Johnson (depends on script and the director - breakthru movie THE MAID)
Ini Edo (depends on the script and the director - breakthrough movie WORLD APART)
Nse Ikpe Etim
Uche Jumbo
You need one breakthrough movie to make you shine for me to consider you great. Thats why you have to be extremely selective on the script and most importantly check the resume/cv of the director directing you. SInce their breakthrough movies Ini and Mercy havent necessarily done great in all other subsequent movies - they have accumulated "SOME" not so great movies on their cv . I guess u have to be in a great financial space to be able to confidently say NO attimes and not say yes to every script which will sometimes tarnish your greatness.
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For the up and comers who have not entered the industry yet and want to - get some of the movies by my listed greats and study these actors and actresses VERY VERY VERY - study them like science and detect what exactly about their acting make them raise that much eyebrows - take a lil cue from them add your own and the sky is the limit for you. I wont tell you - u study their every act and ask yourself why. And please look beyond the physique or their looks. There is more to it than just the looks.
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Next Best Thing - Actresses with the Greatest Potential and to keep a keen eye on
- Omoni Oboli (movie: Entanglement)
- Uru Eke (movie: Widows of Men)
Yvonne Okoro - (movie: Beyonce: The Presidents Daughter, 4Play)
Luckie Lawson (movie:
Martha Ankomah (movie: Kiss me if you can) - she has one of the best potential as a ghanaian actress but thus far based on poor choices she has garnered a reputation (at least in Ghana) - people are now overlooking how great she could be focusing on the overly sex scenes she has played - This is what i am referring to as being selective so much, it doesnt come to bite you and overshadow your greatness. You can not erase what you have done. But i still give her the benefit of doubt bcos i still think with the right script and direction she will outshine many.
Lydia Forson (movie: Scorned)
Ufeoma Ejornorbor (movie: "Saving Sarah")
Nadia Buari (movie: "Beyonce") - Be ya self and loose that fake accent and you will be greater
Tontoh Dikeh - she'd be greater if she calms down notch with all that gra-gra-becoming too predictable
Susan Peters
Comfort Ugheoke (Faithful Betrayal) - played Genevieve Nnajis younger sister
Nuella Njubigbor
Uche Ogbodo (with the right script and a great director to make her shine she could possibly be the next Omotola -she reminds me of when OmoT started acting - i have hope for her to grow - only if she doesnt allow herself to be pidgeon into campus/aristos type movies)
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My Personal Top Greatest & Favourite Actors (in no particular order)
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Majid Michel (dude i cant say this enough "be selective on ya choice of scripts" u are saying "YES" to too many lately - NOT A GOOD LOOK)
Richard Mofe Damijo (aka. RMD)
Zach Orji
Ramsey Nouah
Jim Iyke
Nana Kwame Sarpong
Adjetey Anang
Brew Riverson
Olu Jacobs
Kofi Adjorlolo
Pete Eneh
Chiwetalu Agu
Nkem Owoh
Sam Loco
Sam Dede
Charles Okafor
Kanayo Kanayo
Desmond Elliot
Muna Obiekwe
Yemi Blaque
Yul Edochie
Mike Ezerounye
Kalu Ikeagwu
??? (i have been racking my brain bout this actor who played the pastor in "Saving Sarah" - one of the best but i cant remember his name)
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The Next Best Thing - Actors with the Greatest Potential and Ones to Keep an Eye On
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My Favourite Movie Producers/Directors
Shirley Frimpong Manso (wrote/directed/produced movie: Perfect Picture)
Emem Isong (produced movie: Guilty Pleasures)
Lancelot Imaseum (directed movie: Behind Closed Doors and many more)
Adim Williams (directed movie: Sharon Stone)
Steve Gukas (directed movie: Keeping Faith)
Jeta Amata (directed: "Amazing Grace", upcoming "Inhale" and "Black Gold")
Teco Benson (prodcued movie: Silent of the Gods)
Izu Ojukwu (directed movie: Distance Between)
Tchidi Chikere (e.g movie: Blood Sisters)
Chinny Ahaneku (wrote/direct/produced movie: Alice My First Lady)
Lancelot Imasuen (directed movie: Behind Closed Doors)
Vivien Ejike (produced movie: Silent Scandal)
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My favourite African movie themes are the village set movies. These are my favourite because i think its the realest, they are no pretences or no faking of accents like the usual ones. This is why Tchidi Chikere remains one of favourite directors (I love his old movies).
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So to the ones who emailed me i hope i answered your questions. This is my own personal favourites and i am sure you and everybody else may have your own personal favourites too. To each his own. If i didnt mention someone - nothing personal, they may be good but not great in my books. Again I repeat its nothing personal. To each his own and we can agreet o disagree. My opinion doesnt have to count at all (am ok with that).
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I had to come back and edit this post by adding my two cents here based on a comment an anonymous person made which was so right and I have also mentioned before in many of my old post.
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The fact that, I think many of the problems we are having in the industry is not necessarily the actors or actresses lacking in skills but the growing evidence that sometimes, as our BEST of the best actors/tresses grows (such as Majid Michel, John Dumelo, Mercy Johnson etc etc) their range and depth over exceeds the range available to them and evidently SOME OF the directors they work with, are not growing at the same pace to challenge them enough movie after movie. Yes, we have improved on sound and picture quality, but when it comes to scripts and direction sometimes i prefer the old storylines.
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Yes i said it, Many of our directors are not growing the same pace as the Actors(tresses) and so if you live in a country like africa where your main source of income is acting - sometimes you have no choice but to say YES to any script even though it may not be challenging enough - it sure pays the bills. When u ask some of our stars where do you see your self in future many are quick to say - HOLLYWOOD, well good, i wish you well, but at this pace where u are not being challenged with time, you have a lot to compete with in Hollywood. Its like sometimes the actors take 10 step forward with acting and being directed in the great script and then the next thing you see 10 steps backwards.
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The industry is quick to complain about lack of funding for creating good movies, which i agree (somewhat), but in restrospect when you think about it, much of what they are complaining about, with me looking from the outside in (and correct me if am wrong Mr Producer/Director if you are reading this) has nothing to do with funding. The actor or actress needs to be challenged one movie after the other - not float on the same level for years on end. Challenge them scripts with different depth and make them go higher. If you search this thread you will find directors I have called out in the past for somehow getting to work with the best talent we got, yet NEVER able to challenge them enough, either based on the poor script of the movie or simple poor direction.
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This is why as of 2008 I decided not to let the Producers and Directors go scot free - if you did not do a good job - I will call you out. Who am I to judge who is doing a good job and who is not considering i have never directed in my life, I am one of the bajillion audience out there who spend my hard earn money to buy the movie only to be DUPED with crap. All we simply ask is for quality movies, NOT QUANTITY. I mean do you really think just cos you are producer or director, i should simply shut up and take whatever you put on the market. Assuming none of us buy your movies, how do u think the indutry will be. Put your self in our shoes, yes we are paying $5 or $10 odd dollars a pop, may seem lil, but money is money even if I am spending $1.
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-Take Actor Leonardo DiCaprio foreinstance see how he has grown and in every new movie he does with , he is challenged more and more. See his depth of growth since "EATING GILBERT GRAPE" or even "TITANIC" - he is one actor i admire because he is not an overnight success and has grown over time thanks to Producers Martin Scorcese
-Actor Derek Luke had never acted 'much" before but see how Denzel Washington challenged him in all the ranges with his first movie debut "ANTWONE FISHER" - and since then he has grown so much in depth. This is what I seek for in African movies, how you the director can make one shine in their role by challenging them.
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And to the anonymous person who commented - you are right yet wrong on the subject of Shirley not having much ranges. "YES, Checkmate was poor (at least compared to all the previous) but if you compare all the current Ghanaian producers or lets say Producers in Ghana (cos not all are ghanaian) to me, she is the only one holding up and so we can agree to disagree where i say NO when you state she doesnt have ranges. To me Life and Living it vs Scorned vs Sting in a Tale is a good range enough (even if average) as compared to the other rubbish being put out there on the ghanaian market. For a young LADY who writes, produce and direct, I will continue to give her all the encouragement she needs but at the same time I will not sugarcoat when something crap is puttin out there, as was with CHECKMATE. I will tell it like it is. Checkmate may not have lived up to par but I cannot overlook the other good ones she has done. You cannot say that about Shirley and turn a blindseye to ppl like Abdul Mumuni or Frank Arase or whatever and tell me THEY are doing a better job - yes I have seen 4play, The Game, blah blah blah and still not impressed with the scripts, the profanity, the foreign names and all that nonsense - but thats just me - to each his own. Ghana has GREAT directors - folks i personally know who graduated from prestigious NAFTI school, but unfortunately, many left the country after much frustruation when it comes to funding and I wish they will come back to show ppl how its really done.
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I for one love Ghanaian prime time tv shows like "Things You Do for Love", "Taxi Driver", "Sun City" and the likes and I always wonder if these prime time tv shows are so well produced and directed how come they cannot transition this into movies. Abdul Mumuni and Frank ARase are not the only ghanaian movie director/producers out there, but yes they are the ones with the most funding to do whatever they like and no one questions them - but hopefully not for long with them feeling they are untouchable. So i do understand what you are saying when you state "There is a paucity of active filmdirectors in Ghana now which sometimes leave the actors/tresses no choice".
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My wish is all the great directors and producers who have been sitting on their great talent and on the back bench (both in Ghana and in Nigeria) get all the funding they need to save the industry from the bombardment of crap being putting out there. Where is Kwaw Ansah of "Loved Brewed in African Pot" - its people like that i want to see back in the industry.
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For one thing i do notice a trend of many producers/directors making great movies worthy enough to go straight to the cinemas (Figurine, Home in Exile etc) and I am very proud of them and can not advocate for them enough. Its a huge step for africa. I pray the other producers still pushing out QUANTITY and not QUALITY will have the sense enough to join this bandwagon, sitting behind the drawing board to come up with creative enough scripts to go straight to Cinemas world wide and be recognised in ALL THE FILM FESTIVALS (sundance etc)
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This opens a discussion which hasnt been talked about much and as part of an audience who watch african movies, I would love to hear your point of view - constructive comments will be posted.
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xoxo
