Genevieve takes Nollywood to Netflix

With ‘Lionheart’ as her directorial debut, Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji, premiered her movie at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF, in Canada.

The movie which stars Genevieve herself, Peter Okoye, NkemOwoh, Pete Edochie, Onyeka Onwenu and others, was reportedly acquired by Netflix hours before its TIFF  premiere, making history as the first Netflix original film from Nigeria.

The movie, which had the chance to be screened and accepted internationally, before coming home, was rated top, coming from an actress who is known to be selective in scripts acceptance from the beginning of her career, which has made her one of the top rated actresses.

Some reviews have tongue-lashed Genevieve for not adhering to the processes involved in getting movies to the Nigerian cinemas. However, following a private screening on December 21, Genevieve announced that the film would finally be screened at selected cinemas.

Nnaji started her acting career as a child actress in the then popular television soap opera ‘Ripples’ at the age of 8. In 1998 at the age of 19, she was introduced into the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie ‘Most Wanted’. Her subsequent movies include: ‘Last Party’, ‘Mark of the Beast’ and ‘Ijele’.

In 2010 she starred in the award-winning film’ Ijé: The Journey’.

As at 2009, Nnaji was one of the best paid actresses in Nollywood.

Due to her contributions to the Nigeria movie industry, she became the first actress to be awarded Best Actress at the 2001 City Peoples Awards, the award ceremony that previously had only recognized politicians and business conglomerates. She was also the first actress to be awarded as Best Actress by the Censors Board of Nigeria in 2003.