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UYAI IKPE
HF: Would you say the support shown to
you financially added a certain value to
the movie?
UIE: Oh yes, it really did. I am not big on
technicalities but I know we got cameras
that have never been used in Nollywood.
We got amazing directors of photography,
people who have worked with the best in
Hollywood.
ETIM
GENERATION NEXT
HF: Hollywood? Wow
UIE: Yes, we brought someone who has
worked with AL PACINO, and worked in
series like LOST. We were able to achieve
all that because we had good funding.
Not many know Uyai Ikpe Etim, but if you have watched Guilty Pleasures
or Queen Amina, then you will know the stuff she is made of. Meeting her for
the first time, what generally comes to mind is, calm, shy and introverted. But
Uyai is all of this and more. The very creative lady has made a name for herself
by writing great stories and screen plays. She also blogs and easily describes
herself as ‘very loud’. The best of the best, she is a younger sister to Nse Ikpe
Etim and is currently working on a wonderful movie project which she cowrote with her sister and Katung Aduwak. Meet Uyai, as she talks excitedly
about writing and ‘Heaven’s Hell’…
HF: When is the movie showing in
cinemas?
UIE: The movie is supposed to be out
towards the end of the year.
HF: With such a big picture, do you have
promotional plans?
UIE: Yes we have promotional plans,
we also have plans to make our sound
tracks into a DVD and sell that separately
because we have great sound tracks if I
must say so myself. (Laughs)
HF: Take us down memory lane, how did writing start for you?
UIE: Writing was pretty much part of growing up in my family, we were made to read a
lot and thus most of us discovered writing. I also blog. My blog is just about me, playful,
random stuff. Until recently when I started writing for an online magazine. Before then,
I wrote GUILTY PLEASURES, which was nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2011 AMAA
awards. I also worked on a mini- series QUEEN AMINA with JETA AMATA. My latest story
has been turned to a movie called ‘Heaven’s Hell’ which is in post production now.
HF: What should movie lovers look
forward to in this movie?
UIE: Look forward to a story that is been
told in a way it has never been told before,
look forward to loads of entertainment.
Look forward to great acting and very
great directing. Yes, look forward to an
amazing movie.
HF: What gave you the inspiration for such a catchy title?
UIE: (Laughs), We wanted to do a movie that every African woman could relate to,
bearing in mind that there’s a lot of abuse movies in Nigeria. We decided to tell our
story from an original point, we wanted to tell a story that is true to art and entertaining.
In doing that, we wanted a name that will be punchy and attention-grabbing. A name
that would make you ask why Heaven’s Hell, because there’s a hell in everybody’s little
heaven, no matter what amazing life you may think the person has.
HF: The first impression one gets when they meet you is that you’re an introvert.Yet
you are very eloquent. How do you separate these two personalities?
UIE: I think it’s a misconception when people meet me and assume I’m an introvert,
but I am very noisy and playful and sharp, ask my sisters (laughs). However, in the
entertainment industry, I work mostly behind the cameras, which is great for me,
because I can shout and play anyhow I want to.
HF: So you are content to be just a writer?
UIE: Oh yes! Writing is something I love so I don’t see it as work.
HF: We were told Heaven’s Hell is a true story. Did you get to meet the real people in
the story?
UIE: Yes, we met the person.The story is based loosely on actual events surrounding one
person’s story, though there are loads of characters in Heaven’s Hell. So yes we met the
person, and we were able to feel this woman’s pain. You may not be able to get a clear
picture of how deep someone is hurting, but we could connect with her pain and we
added a bit of fiction to make it more entertaining.
HF: How long did it take you to write the script?
UIE: Hmm, I started writing Heaven’s Hell five years ago. It was rewritten and edited
which took another one year. So yeah, it took us approximately six years to say ‘ok this
script is ready to work’. We just had to draw a line at some point and move to the next
stage.
HF: One of the major attractions about this movie is the screenplay, who did the
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screenplay?
UIE: I did the screenplay with my sis ter TENYIN IKPE ETIM and our
friend and co-worker KATUNG ADUWAK. But Katung directed it.
HF: When was your first experiment with script writing?
UIE: (Laughs) My first script writing experience started as a joke. My
sister Nse was writing and she got stuck along the line. She sought my
opinion and I said ‘why not make it happen like this and like that’ she
playful tossed the script to me and told me to write it. That was how I
wrote the entire thing, but yeah it turned out good. Jetta Amata was
impressed with the script that was how I got to work with him on
Queen Amina.
HF: A movie like ‘Heaven’s Hell’ with such a cast is definitely big
budget. How did you get funding for such a movie?
UIE: We found an institution that was interested in entertainment.
Katung Aduwak found that company and they were captivated by the
story. They saw our vision and saw what the movie could become.
And they gave us what we wanted.
HF: Where do you see Nollywood in five
years with the influx of young creative
minds like you and the interest of
American movie makers?
UIE: (Laughs) Well we are getting there,
but I don’t know if you can compare
Hollywood to Nollywood, it has never
really made sense to me, it is like
comparing America to Nigeria, but we
are really looking at a new Nollywood.
Besides‘Heaven’s Hell’, there are other
great movies coming from Nollywood.
I think in five years, we will be doing
something amazing.
HF: Finally, what other projects are you
working on now?
UIE:We have a great story we are working
on currently, but I will keep it in the wraps
for now. If ‘Heaven’s Hell’ took us five
years, we have no plans to rush this one,
it will probably take us way longer. We
aim to please.
After hearing the way this movie is been
talked about, HF Magazine marks this one
as a must watch.
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