FEBRUARY 2021 NEWS HIGHLIGHT

imageSALONE monthly news highlight entails key activities that took place in a specific month. This news article covers activities captured in February 2021. imageSALONE monthly news highlight entails key activities that took place in a specific month. This news article covers activities captured in February 2021.

HEAD LINES

1. Image SALONE set up an editorial committee
2. The short movie ‘’ INDEPENDENCE’’ is to be Officially Premiered on the 8th of March 2021
3. A Sierra Leone US based filmmaker, unveils her Shoe brand,  ‘’Real Boss’’
4. The Official Poster for the Movie ‘’Soul Mates’’ Unveiled
5. Sierra Leone Film Guild Met with Filmmakers across the country
6. Actors’ Guild Sierra Leone Host their first national congress
7. 2FACE, Got Awarded as the Best African Film 

IMAGE SALONE set up an Editorial Committee

imageSALONE, the first ever online magazine and platform that writes the stories and biographies of Sierra Leone’s creative industry professionals has formed an editorial committee. The committee comprises of six professionals with different background of knowledge and experience.

According to the founder, they are very conscious about their brand and they are therefore putting everything in place in order to meet to the desired standards. He further clarified that the editorial committee is a booster to the IMAGE SALONE. The team of editors will be helping in the editing area of their blogs, serving as analyst and critics to whatever drive they take before ever going public. They team has been looking forward to having such a goodhearted people of high respect, value and experience in society to offer their time and effort to support their mission.

However, he did not reveal the names of the editorial committee members.He also said they are working on setting a network of bloggers right across but did not go into the details.  Meanwhile, if it for content creation, imageSALONE is a force to recon with.

The Official Premier of the short movie ‘’ INDEPENDENCE’’

Independence is a short drama that tells tale of a teenage girl whose parents feel they should make fortune from her beauty. They see her beauty as a means of success. Therefore her mother and aunt try hard at every length to make her have an affair with an old man, Mr. Anderson.The teen girl stands her ground with a strong believe that she can make it if she works harder. The movie features actors like Mariama Bangura who appears as Liz, Mariama Bangura – as Liz, Hafizatu Massa Coker – as Mama, Umu Thoronka – as Auntie, Ishmael Kamara – as Mr. Anderson, Khadija Adama Sankoh & Aisha Kallay – as the victims.

This movie was written and directed by Hassan Foreh Kamara, a well experienced correspondent and news editor for the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation – Makeni Branch.The themes of the story are, gender-based violence, child abuse and conflict of interest.

The movie is set to be premiered on the 8th of March 2021, on the SLBC Television in Makeni and online via imageSALONE platform.

The Sierra Leone Film Guild Held A Meeting With Filmmakers Across The Country

On the 28th of March 2021, the Sierra Leone Film Industry and Marketing Guild held a meeting with filmmakers from across various ends of Sierra Leone at the Siaka Steven’s Stadium Swimming Pool in Freetown, and it was chaired by Brima Abdulai Sheriff – former Commissioner of Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone. Representative of all the sub-sets of the film guild who were present made statement and commitments to support the S.L. FILM Guild while they all anticipated to know the purpose of the meeting.

According to the incumbent chairperson of the Sierra Leone Film Industry Labour and Marketing Guild –

Daramy Kabba, the purpose of the meeting was to let filmmakers know what the film guild has done, their plans, and as well get suggestions of ideas from those in attendance. He explained that the responsibility of the body is to develop commercial benefits and professional integrity of every filmmakers across the country.  That’s to say Sierra Leone filmmakers need to benefit from their, and the mission is to have a viable and sustainable industry.  ‘’The purpose of the meeting was for the guild to open the eyes of filmmakers to what the body stands for, what they have done, the challenges they have faced and the plans ahead’’, Daramy said.

He went on to say filmmaking is a profession and it is not everybody that should be called a filmmaker. The art should be respected and there should be criteria to become a recognized member of it just like lawyers are invited to the BAR or accountants apply to gain membership.  He urged all those present to join their respective guilds, and re-iterated that the SLFILM Guild is the only recognized trade union body for all filmmakers in Sierra Leone.

Daramy Kabba announced that they have pushed very far for the Sierra Leone Film Policy and they are having engagement on issues relatingto piracy. He further told all and sundry present that the SLFG shall be having a dinner for filmmakers on the 2nd April 2021 for which tickets will be available soon, the focus of the dinner is to bring together every filmmaker to  celebrate individuals who have contributed greatly to the development of the film industry.

He also announced that there shall be a conference —-on the 20th March 2021 for every filmmaker and the purpose is:

• For their industry professionals and policy makers within the industry sector to deliberate on key resolutions as guiding efforts towards the development of the Film Industry.
• To evaluate the film industry and put together action points to follow
• To unveil the various sub-bodies of the film guild
• To devise a way that will ensure a sustainable and diversified industry
• To create path ways for capacity building for filmmakers
• To set a stage in providing adequate technical and professional training for film industry professionals.

He said that it is sad for someone to take up to ten years in the industry, but has nothing to show, and the only way the Sierra Leone FILM Guild will achieve all their plans is for everybody to put hands on deck and support the mission.

Daramy further said they are working on a service chater, film industry code of conduct, and also a workable marketing association.  He clearly stated that the guild does not exist to seize the responsibilities of any other body neither would it exist to have a stand-off with any entity, but to enhance a good play ground for the filmmakers especially the registered members.

Various filmmakers were given the podium to suggest ideas that might contribute to the growth and development of the guild. The meeting ended with a closing prayer.

The Official Poster of ”Soul Mates” Unveiled

The official poster of Soul Mate was released on the 14th of February, 2021 by Sibbie Alpha Sibbie who happens to be a blogger and the writer and director of the movie. ‘’Soul Mates is a beautiful romantic drama that tells the story of an intimate couple (Tamba Kongormanyi & Patricia Rose Tucker) who lived and shared a happy love life but died on independence day, the 27th of April 1961’’, he wrote on social media.Engulfed in the ups and downs struggles of life, the couple resurfaced after living   with different identities for many years, but haunted by the memories of their past.Their romantic dive covers a journey of decades flashing back  the past into the present with a thin line between them.

The story is full of love, romance, drama, suspense, betrayal, e.t.c and it was written and directed by Sibbie Alpha Sibbie, and produced by Patricia Rose Tucker;

starring:Tamba Kongormanyi, Patricia Rose Tucker, Mohamed Tatah Kuyateh, Zainab Saccoh, Mariama Yealie Jalloh e.t.c, and the movie is expected to be released this May 2021.

Sierra Leone US based filmmaker, Rosaline Sesay unveils her Shoe brand,  ‘’Real Boss’’

The Sierra Leone US-based film actress and producer, Rosaline Sesay unveils her production’s shoe brand – ”Real Boss”. Rose is the ex-wife to the popular Sierra Leone entertainment TV presenter, Alhaji K. Tarawalie alias Laj K. and Co-owner of the Lake Production and the National Entertainment Awards. She is a medical practitioner by profession, based in the United States of America. According to some facts imageSALONE is gathering, she is one of the richest Sierra Leonean filmmakers by net worth and she may definitely make the A-list of the richest Sierra Leonean entertainers. She is a massive and aggressive investor. In her country Sierra Leone, she has been making very secretive investments, and that makes her owns a lot of tricycles (Kekes) and other investments across the Freetown municipality.

Being an international actor who has starred in several big Nollywood Movies, she founded the Real Boss Production in 2020 with the aim of adding value to the Sierra Leone movie industry. However, she became very frustrated with the way some very close friends of hers madly treated her on the short COVID-19 awareness raising video she produced under the Real Boss Production. That made her kept quiet, and the swiftest turn- around she made was a very brilliant investment into a very beautiful customized shoe brand carrying the name of her production. The shoes brand is a completely custom and top-quality, handmade Italian construction with a solid magnetic clip. The brand adds value to an already exclusive pair of custom-made brand shoes.

Actors Guild Sierra Leone Held Their First Annual National Congress

The Sierra Leone Actors Guild held their first annual national congress on the 27th of February 2021 at the Ministry of Tourism Conference Hall – Off Kinyama Road, Freetown. The conference was only meant for their membership, and this year’s conference was held to:

• let their members know what the body stands for,
• the benefit anybody gets as a member,
• give a full report of all the financial transactions made so far,
• the progress the tentative executive has made so far

• to let the membership know the projects they have planned to undertake
• and why it is necessary for actors across Sierra Leone to register and belong

In terms of the progress made so far, the current Actors’ Guild Executive managed to secure one acre of land from the Government of Sierra Leone, which was given to them by the Ministry of Lands. According to them, land shall be used to build an auditorium, office and a training centre for film actors.

The guild shall also be undertaking a national film project, and the project shall only be meant for their members. Nobody outside of the guild shall take part in the project. After that, the similar film project shall be cascaded into every region, and those projects shall be championed by the various regional chapters for their membership.

In terms of the financial report, the Actors’ Guild Sierra Leone made approximately Le 14,000,000 from the membership registrations, but they used about Le 13,000,000 of the money to run their errands, especially to organize the 2021 national congress. However, this amount is yet to be audited by an external auditor before they can get the final income and expenditure statement out to the public.

The congress was held for a whole working day, from 10 o’clock Sierra Leone time in the morning to five o’clock prime meridian in the evening, Sierra Leone local time.

2FACE, Gets Awarded as The Best African Film 

The Sierra Leone US Based actor, Adeyemi Lardner gets another award to his belt. On Saturday February 27th 2021, at the World Music and Independent Film Festival (WMIFF)  which was held at the Hilton Crystal City Hotel, he received the Best African Film Award for his film, 2FACE. Watch the clip below!

OTHER HEADLINES

1. The Sierra Leone Film Council and the S.L. Film Guild finally sit on the same table to push the national film policy. More to come in time
2. ‘’QUENCH’’ VIP  premiere is on the 5^th of May 2021 at Hotel 5-10, strictly by invitation
3. imageSALONE is establishing a network of bloggers across Sierra Leone
4. Voting for Faces of the Northern Awards (online credit card, voucher & sms)
5. ”DARK SECRET” was officially premiered on the 5th of March 2021 at Conteh Hotel, Makeni.
6. ‘’TANGLED WITH THE BOSS’’ official premiere has been set for the 26th of May 2021 – at the Sierra Bay Hotel

1. The Sierra Leone Film Guild in collaboration with N’jala University to host a film summit, March 20th, 2021 at the university campus – Freetown.
2. The Sierra Leone Film Guild shall host a dinner part on the 2nd of April 2021 at the AYV Hall.
3. Ministry of Communications in collaboration with Film Council host a consultative meeting for the draft of the national film policy, 3rd of March 2021.

GOSSIP

1. Martha Millicent Macaulay sets up her office
2. The Actors S.L. is an unregistered production group, but members keep bragging that it’s a company. They are preparing to go on set with a very brilliant cast line for the pending project but the terms and conditions for collaboration with other production companies are unclear to the membership. What is going on?

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