NEFTi X AFRIFF 2023

Lagos, November 4, 2023

NEFT Vodka In Collaboration With LG Electronics And AFRIFF To Spotlight Nigerian Film Talent With Its N.E.F.T.I. Nigeria Competition

 

• Three Top Films To Be Screened At AFRIFF

• Competition Winner Receives $5000

• LG OLED NEFTI Audience Choice Award Winner Receives $2000

• The Three Finalists Are Cheyi Okoaye; Temidayo Johnson; Hassan the Kreator and Joanna Okey Ogunjiofor

 

NEFT Vodka and LG ELECTRONICS along with AFRIFF, have forged a collaboration to highlight and promote young African talent. Currently in its fourth year, the N.E.F.T.I. (NEFT Emerging Film Talent International) competition – originally developed by NEFTI Founder, PAUL ROBINSON with NEFT VODKA - aims to challenge aspiring filmmakers across NIGERIA to showcase their innovative and creative skills while embracing their uniqueness.

 

Contestants are selected to participate in the Competition by NEFTI and AFRIFF's network of filmmakers, as well as TikTok and other social media outlets. 

 

Of those applicants, 10 were selected to present a zoom pitch of the concept for their film to a panel of judges consisting of 3 leading film industry professionals - Acclaimed Actress Vivica A Fox, Academy and Tony Award winning producer Bruce Cohen, and President of Post-Production 21st Century Fox/Disney Ted Gagliano - and Moreetsi Gabang, 2023 NEFTI Africa winner. And from those 10, 3 finalists - Cheyi Okoaye; Temidayo Johnson; Hassan the Kreator and Joanna Okey Ogunjiofor - were selected and had 30 days to complete and submit their film. The three finalists are also required to send clips documenting their journey. The filmmakers will be mentored by NEFTI founder, Paul Robinson, who will guide them through the filmmaking process – these interactions will be recorded and edited into the content.

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Prior to the 3 finalists’ showdown, Paul Robinson will hold a panel discussion with NEFTI participants during AFRIFF Industry program, on Tuesday, 7 November, 2023 at the FilmHouse Landmark Centre from 3.00 PM to 4.20 PM. The 3 final films will be screened at AFRIFF, Thursday, 9 November 2023, from 6.00 PM to 7.30 PM. The event will take place at the FilmHouse Twin Waters, Screen 7, where, following a live viewing of the judges’ deliberation, a winner will be crowned in front of a packed audience, which together with an international online viewership will present an Audience Award with a $2,000 prize. The winning filmmaker will get $5,000 for their creativity.    

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“One of the highlights of this NEFTI Africa competition is getting to work with so many talented filmmakers,” states Paul Robinson, NEFTI Founder, Chief Creative Officer of NEFT Vodka. “There is such a diverse group of largely underrepresented talent on the African continent and bringing an opportunity to showcase their stories is what the NEFTI Competition is all about.”

 

Invaluable supporters of the NEFTI Competition are LG Electronics, The International Emerging Film Talent Association (IEFTA), Adobe, AFRIFF and TikTok.

 

The N.E.F.T.I. competition was created to find and inspire talented emerging filmmakers internationally and give them an opportunity to spotlight their visions and creativity, expand the filmmaker's reach into regions that may otherwise not have been available to them and to showcase the diverse creative process of filmmakers from a variety of backgrounds and environments.

 

For more information about NEFTI Africa please visit www.nefticompetition.com. Information can also be found on the NEFTI Instagram page @nefticompetition.

 

ABOUT NEFT VODKA

Crafted in the Rhaetian Alps of Austria for its oxygen-rich spring water, NEFT combines four different types of non-GMO ancient rye grains, and uses a triple, copper-pot distillation process with carbon-layer filtering to produce a vodka with a refined flavor profile. Since debuting in the U.S., NEFT has received multiple accolades and awards, including a 98-point rating from The Tasting Panel magazine; won Double Gold medals at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, becoming one of only two vodkas to win that recognition consecutively for two years and significantly, in the same competition, won “Best Vodka”.

 

NEFT Vodka is an ultra-premium Austrian vodka brand that embraces art, creativity, and the belief that life is a story worth telling. We believe that every story is a learning experience and enhances us in some way, especially ones that are foreign to our everyday life. We created this competition to give filmmakers in emerging economies an opportunity to create stories and spotlight them on an international platform.

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ABOUT AFRICA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (AFRIFF)

 The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), conceived by Ms. Chioma Ude, is a world-class showcase that celebrates Cinema and filmmaking talent from Africa and the diaspora. It consistently delivers a rich program to foster invaluable exchanges of ideas, production connections, and business relationships. It creates an energetic and exciting hub for entertainment industry professionals to make rewarding connections and has gradually gained a reputation for delivering Africa’s most vibrant film festival experience. Its objectives are to develop the film industry to a level where the products compete favorably with their contemporaries all over the world; provide a growth opportunity for these film industry professionals to eventually export their products to the world; facilitate access to investors, equipment, technical and skill acquisition through Festival organized fora and several capacity development workshops. www.afriff.com