Making Nollywood’s Legacy Project
He is not Stephen Spielberg. His name is not the buzzword in Hollywood. With confident steps, he steps out in confidence. His countenance signposts an intellectual mind, a creative heart and a dramatic personality. He understands the film industry like the back of his hand. Unassuming, he appears in a simple attire. You cannot miss the slight grey hair on his chin. He is a Nollywood giant who comes across like a dwarf. Meet filmmaker and film director, Steve Gukas. In his recent award-winning flicks – 93 Days, A Place in the Stars – Gukas demonstrates a talent not common in the industry. There is more about him as he attempts to tell the Nollywood story, writes Vanessa Obioha
Steve Gukas was not part of the original plan. For all creative entrepreneur, Charles Okpaleke, and actor Ramsey Nouah knew, they were in control of everything. Their plan to do a sequel to the critically acclaimed 1992 film ‘Living in Bondage’ that
birthed Nollywood was moving in the right direction. They had acquired the rights of the film from its creator Kenneth Nnebue; Nouah will sample his directing skills, while Okpaleke will serve as executive producer. All seemed to go as planned except the script.
Nouah didn’t like the direction of the script. Okpaleke had no reservations. It was a tough call. Notes were made, handed over, deliberated on, and yet, there seemed not to be a meeting point for the two men.
Being his first directorial debut, Nouah had no intention to leave any stone unturned. His flinty determination to make the project a top-notch was evident in his argument that the script should reflect the current trend. When it seemed no solution was forthcoming, it was evident that an expert was needed. Okpaleke suggested that Gukas be brought in.
“We had problem with the script which resulted in fallout,” narrated Nouah, “Charles hasn’t seen any of my works, and because of the magnitude of the film, he felt he needed a stronger hand so he brought in Steve who has a reputation of doing big projects.”
All it took was a lengthy meeting with Nouah for Gukas to step aside and decide to be a producer instead. It was his first time working with Nouah.
“I think we do need to allow for fresh talent to direct as well,” explained Gukas. “Sometimes if you have the opportunity to guide, it is helpful. Ramsey as an actor brings the wealth of experience and stature to the role he is playing and I think very few actors possess that. As a director, his years of experience serve him in good stead as it is showing how he is working with other actors and how he is telling the story. It is showing how he is prepared for the role of directing. So I think his role as an actor served him quite well.”
Nonetheless, the two had developed such an amicable relationship. Nouah who is also starring in the movie found a helping hand in Gukas. When he is in front of the camera, Gukas gladly goes behind the camera. Take, for instance, this Sunday afternoon in Lekki, Gukas was shooting a scene that featured Nouah. The set was a bar. There was no interference of any sort as they focused on achieving the best. It was like an unspoken trust. Even while behind the camera, Gukas exhibited such admirable shrewdness. He is conscious of the angles shot, the lines read, the emotions displayed. His eyes hardly missed a thing.
The 1992 ‘Living in Bondage’ film follows the story of an ambitious young man Andy Okeke (played by Kenneth Okonkwo) who sacrificed his wife to become wealthy. The consequences of his actions would later haunt him as the spirit of his dead wife sought justice. The film delved into burning issues such as ‘blood money’.
In the upcoming sequel, the focus shifted to Andy’s son, Nnamdi, who like his father is toeing the path of greed and flamboyance.
The producers aim to create a balance with the sequel that will evoke nostalgia for the older generation while gripping the attention of the younger generation. The movie will see the return of some of its original cast including Kenneth Okonkwo, Kanayo O. Kanayo and Bob-Manuel Udokwu and new stars such as Enyinna Nwigwe and Kalu Ikeagwu.
A typical Gukas film is advocative in nature.
For instance, his 2014 film, ‘A Place in the Stars’, highlighted the dangers of trafficking adulterated drugs while paying tribute to the late Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC), Dora Akunyili.
In the 2016 ‘93 Days’, Gukas led a stellar cast to celebrate the life of the heroic Dr. Ameyo Adadevoh and her colleagues who contained the spread of the deadly Ebola disease outbreak in Nigeria five years ago.