•As organisers unveil nominees at Lagos Meet & Greet party

The maiden edition of Nollywood Travel Film Festival is scheduled to take place from September 12 to 16 in Toronto, during the annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) holding in Canada from September 7 to 17, 2017.

The need to situate works of Nigerian motion picture practitioners within the prestigious TIFF was conceived last year, when eight Nollywood films were showcased in the city-to-city focus section of the North American film festival.

Founder of Nollywood Travel Film Festival, Mykel Parish said the unprecedented acceptance of Nigerian films by non-Africans at the 2016 edition of TIFF, was an evidence of breath of fresh air for the movie lovers, hence the need to feed the thirst of other continents with Nollywood contents.

According to Parish who is also President of African Film Consortium (AFC), since TIFF’s city-to-city programme has been rested after Nollywood’s outing in Toronto last year, the initiative paves the way for a suitable alternative.

As part of the build-up to the TIFF sub-festival this September, organisers of ‘Nollywood Travel Festival’ held a Meet & Greet event on June 23, 2017 at The Waterside, Ikoyi, Lagos, where nominees where officially unveiled and celebrated with pomp.

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Hosted by veteran Nollywood actor Richard Mofe-Damijo, celebrities at the event include Osas Ighodaro Ajibade, IK Ogbonna, Alexx Ekubo, Tope Oshin, Mykel Parish, Zakky Adze, Pretty Okafor, Andy Boyo, Sound Sultan, Oghenekaro Itene and Kingsley Omoefe among others.

Nominated short films to be screened at the film festival include The Encounter by Tolulope Ajayi; Ireti by Tope Oshin;Meet My Parents by Lonzo Nzekwe; Silence by Tolulope Ajayi and No Good Turn by Udoka Oyeka.

The feature length films are Kada River, 10 Days in Sun City, Catch.er, Lotanna, Lost in London, Excess Luggage,Esohe, Mansoor, Oloibi ri, Unveil, Slow Country, and Alter Ego.

Unveiling the nominees at the glamorous event, Parish said he and his team are excited and proud to showcase Nollywood films to the world.

He said although the festival is making debut in Toronto, other host cities include New York, London, Helsinki, Dubai, Tokyo, and Dublin.

“The Nollywood Travel Film Festival celebrates the best of Nigerian cinema and will be hosted in major cities around the world. It will be a weekend of special indoor and outdoor screenings, inspiring discussions, meeting, parties and awards,” said Parish, adding that “the initiative seeks to promote films by Nigerians living all over the world to new and existing global audiences with the aim of creating new market places for Nigerian cinema.”