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African short wins UK award

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 11:55

MARTIN CHEMHERE writes… Twenty-six-year-old Anthony Abuah (Nigeria / Rwanda) is the Senior Silver Winner of the Royal Commonwealth Society‘s Vision Awards 2011 with his short film, The Unlucky Mother.

Said Keshini Navaratnam, chair of the 2011 judging panel: "This was an emotive film which skillfully highlighted the plight of a single mother in the Niger Delta, whose husband's death has been caused by political corruption."

The film was shot in West London with a Canon 5D Mark II. Abuah wrote, directed and produced the film under his company Tales From The Motherland Productions.
Says Abuah: “I feel very proud to have won the award, especially as the film was shot in one day. The script means a lot to me as it is taken from a book I have written called Another Biafra.”

He adds that the world hasn't heard much about the countless widowed women of the Niger-Delta who carry the torch long after their husbands die. “They educate the children and provide for them. They are the forgotten soldiers; forgotten because of their gender. I wanted to celebrate them and send the message that we know they exist and appreciate them.”
Abuah believes his short reflects on a politically corrupt nation which wantonly causes the death of many of its men.



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