BEFORE his latest work, Tango With Me, veteran Nigerian filmmaker, Mahmoud Ali Balogun, kept low profile in terms of film production. Except for his participation at film events and workshops, where his wealth of experience is usually appreciated, nothing was heard from the bearded producer/director.As at that time, critics, especially the younger Nollywood producers and directors, who churned out movies after movies, were beginning to question Ali Balogun's strength as a filmmaker.However, when you listen to Ali Balogun's arguments, comments and criticisms at film forums, it was obvious that this is a thorough filmmaker, who would rather stay for years without a film than churn out home movies with flaws. So, by the time he unveiled plans to work on Tango with me, critics waited patiently to see if creativity has actually failed the veteran filmmaker, who played vital role in the growth of the country's motion picture industry, even before the coming of Nollywood.As if aware of the high expectations from both movie enthusiasts and colleagues, Ali Balogun resolved to shoot on 35mm celluloid, a project that lasted for over five months with some of the best hands around. Mere looking at the quality of his cast, it was certain that the former President of National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), was out to prove a point.Done with shooting, Ali Balogun was in Bulgaria, where he closed in on a deal for the final processing of the film; that was after an earlier visit to Dubai, where he discovered that a little technical issue needed to be sorted out in his grand cinematic project.'There's nothing wrong in that, you have to get your onions right. If you don't do that, you will run into trouble. I rushed to come back from Bulgaria to Nigeria, look at what I'm doing now. You have to get it right. Filmmaking, notwithstanding the format you're shooting, is a painstaking process. There are no short cuts about it,' the director of M-Net's A Place Called Home, had said.By the time Tango With Me was premiered at the Silverbird Galleria, Lagos, it wasn't hard to notice the high stake the film had unleashed on the industry. The star-studded premiere, which attracted stakeholders in the motion picture industry, was full of testimonies of the level of professionalism exhibited by the director.Just recently, Tango With Me won six awards at the Nollywood Movies Award 2012 in Lagos. The internationally acclaimed movie beat Mirror Boy, Anchor Baby, Private Storm, Memories of The Heart and Kiss and Tell to clinch the Best Movie award. Also, Joseph Benjamin, who starred in Tango With Me, also won the Best Actor InA Leading Role category. Expectedly, Mahmoud Ali Balogun effortlessly bagged the Best Director's award. The efforts put in by the film crew paid off as it also won the Best Cinematography and Best Sound and Editing/Design awards. It wrapped up its award haul with Genevieve Nnaji bagging the Best Viewers' Choice Award.Dedicating the awards to the glory of God, Ali Balogun reiterated that, 'hardwork pays in any endeavour. But since this is just the beginning of a long journey, I will just say, let's keep our fingers crossed,' the director said on his facebook page.Meanwhile, Talking Drum Entertainment, a UK-based distribution company that specialises in black films, have set an August 2012 release date for the award winning romantic drama, Tango with Me. According to the schedule, the film will open across all the major UK and Ireland cinema chains in the first phase, before proceeding on to other European countries.Tango with Me, one of the highest grossing films in Nigeria in 2011, stars Genevieve Nnaji and Joseph Benjamin as a couple facing a complex concoction of moral issues as they battle with trials and tribulations within their young wedlock.Mahmood Ali-Balogun, who produced and directed the film under his Brickwall Communications production company noted that, 'this is a positive development for African film in general and Nollywood in particular because a wider audience will experience our films and returns on film investments will improve greatly for the benefit of all stakeholders in our bid to take the industry to greater heights.
Click here to read full news..
