Mr. Giovanni Dolci, the Vice President, Theatre Development at IMAX Corporation is coming to Lagos, Nigeria on Monday July 15, 2013 for an important meeting with Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Founder/CEO Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema and the Bank of Industry on the establishment of IMAX in Nigeria.to boost the appreciation of the Nigerian film industry in view of the emergence of Nollywood as the biggest and largest film industry in Africa.
Giovanni Dolci, is responsible for IMAX's growth and expansion plans across Europe and Africa.

The establishment of IMAX in Nigeria, which will be the first in West Africa is the business initiative of Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, who recently launched the Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project which will be the biggest and largest cinema chain in Africa ahead of South Africa's Ster Kinekor which has 600 screens in less than 55 sites, while Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema will be located in over 775 sites with over 775 screens in all the local government areas (LGAs) of Nigeria and creating over 4, 000 jobs within two years.

Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema will also be available indoors and introducing the outdoor cinema technology that is first of its kind in Nigeria with partners Open Air Cinema USA.

Dolci has been in charge of IMAX sales and business development, responsible for negotiations with exhibitors and distributors throughout EMEA to support the market’s transition to digital projection technology.
He joined IMAX after 10 years at London-based Arts Alliance Media, which specializes in digital cinema technology and was also.film finance executive and executive producer with Beach Front Films, a New Zealand-based film production company, where he oversaw financing international co-production projects.

About IMAX

The IMAX Corporation is a Canadian theatre company which designs and manufactures IMAX cameras and projection systems as well as performing film development, production, post production and distribution to IMAX affiliated theatres worldwide.
The success of IMAX has made it possible for IMAX Corporation to sign deals with countries around the world. In 2009 IMAX Corporation signed a deal with China building the first ever IMAX theatre in Tianjin, China. The theatre was set to open in 2012. In March 2011 IMAX noted that China’s Wanda Cinema Line announced a 75-theatre deal with IMAX Corporation. This was one of the largest international deals to the date of 2011 for IMAX and one of the second largest in Company History. While IMAX Corporation has expanded profoundly throughout the decades, it still sees itself as a leader in:

Entertainment -Hollywood insiders that partner with movie makers
Technology – innovative patented technology
Distribution – global with 689 theaters in 52 countries as of 30/09/12,

The Company mantra is “IMAX IS BELIEVING”, highlighting the original founder’s philosophies of creating a real life like experience for the audience.

Website: http://www.imax.com

SOURCE: Nigerians Report Online
http://www.nigeriansreport.com/

First IMAX Theater in Nigeria Coming Soon

Mr. Giovani Dolci, IMAX’s Vice President for Theater Development in Europe, Middle East and Africa visited Nigeria for the first time from July 14-16, 2013, to meet with Mr. Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, a major stakeholder in the Nigerian film industry who is poised to have the first IMAX Theater in Nigeria as soon as possible.
Mr. Giovanni Dolci has been in charge of IMAX sales and business development, responsible for negotiations with exhibitors and distributors throughout EMEA to support the market’s transition to digital projection technology.
He joined IMAX after 10 years at London-based Arts Alliance Media, which specializes in digital cinema technology and was also film finance executive, and executive producer with Beach Front Films, a New Zealand-based film production company, where he oversaw financing international co-production projects.

Giovanni Dolci and Michael Chima who was accompanied by his legal adviser Mr. Biola Ladipo, COO of Screen Outdoor Open Air Cinema (SOOAC) and associate Mr. Hope Obioma Opara, President of the annual Eko International Film Festival met with the Nigerian Bank of Industry on Monday July 15, 2013, at the Lagos office where they were welcomed by Mrs. Cynthia Uche Nwuka, Mr. Okechukwu Madu and Mr. Lawrence A. Ewah. The Bank of Industry is investing millions of dollars in the sustainable development of the Nigerian film industry with the co-funding of the film adaptation of the award winning novel “Half of A Yellow Sun” of famous Nigerian female novelist Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie to be released before Christmas; financing the building of new movie theaters (called cinemas in these parts) and launching the largest distribution network for Nollywood with over 10, 000 sales outlets for Nigerian movies on DVD. The bank also co-sponsored the launching of Michael Chima’s nationwide Screen Naija One Village, One Cinema Project taking cinemas to communities in both the urban and rural areas in all the local government areas of Africa’s most populous nation with over 160 million people and famous for Nollywood, the continent’s largest film industry producing thousands of low budget movies (mostly in videos) and creating thousands of jobs for one of the fastest growing populations of youths in the world.

Mr. Dolci also met with other stakeholders in the Nigerian film industry, including Mr. Femi Odugbemi, CEO of Dvworx and Co-founder/Festival Director of the annual iRepresent International Documentary Forum and Patrick Lee, the General Manager of Ozone Cinemas in Lagos. Then he visited Ozone, Silverbird and Genesis Deluxe cinemas all located in Lagos and scheduled to also visit the Silverbird Cinemas in Accra, Ghana before returning to London.

“The first IMAX Cinema in Nigeria and likely also the first in West Africa will be built in Festac, one of the most urbanized towns in the Amuwo Odofin local government area of Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria and the most densely populated state in the country. Lagos has the biggest economy in West Africa and is the hub of the booming entertainment industry,” said Michael Chima at the preliminary meeting of Giovanni Dolci with Comrade Ayodele Adewale, the Executive Chairman of the Amuwo Odofin Local Government at the secretariat in Festac on Tuesday July 16, 2013. They were welcomed by Mr. Segun Ajayi, BL, the Council Manager and other officials of the local government who showed Mr. Dolci the enormous potentials of having an IMAX Theater in Festac with a population of over 1 million people who are a successful blend of both lower middle class and upper middle class Nigerians and foreigners. The booming modern town was built over 36 years ago to accommodate thousands of participants and guests at the Second World African Festival of Arts and Culture in 1977, but without a single cinema. At the meeting were Mr. Hope Obioma Opara, Mr. Biola Ladipo, Mr. Shaibu Husseini, Nigeria’s leading film critic of The Guardian newspapers, who is also Chairman of the College of Screeners of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Mr. Victor Akande of The Nation newspapers and news reporters of the Amuwo Odofin Local Government’s Media Center.

The first IMAX Theater in Nigeria is going to be ready before next Valentine and projected to attract over 500, 000 people weekly from all the communities in the Amuwo Odofin local government area and nearby towns.
“There is no cinema experience like the IMAX Experience and until you see it, you have not seen the best in motion picture,” said Michael Chima who has attracted major investors and stakeholders to increase the number of IMAX theatres after the successful take off of the first one.

Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, Giovanni Dolci, Mr. Segun Ajayi, BL, the Council Manager, Mr. Hope Obioma Opara, Mr. Biola Ladipo, Mr. Shaibu Husseini, Nigeria’s leading film critic of The Guardian newspapers, who is also Chairman of the College of Screeners of Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Mr. Victor Akande of The Nation newspapers and news reporters of the Amuwo Odofin Local Government’s Media Center.

So you can write something like this? I'm surprised . I'm sure this will make frontpage.

speedyboi: So you can write something like this? I'm surprised . I'm sure this will make frontpage.

If it makes front page, to God be all the glory for great things He has done.
My success stories unsettle many people of little faith.

This kind of news is front page news in every civilized nation.
It is unprecedented in the history of Nigeria and will definitely redefine the status of Nollywood with IMAX theaters, IMAX studios and IMAX movies.

The news will be in The Guardian, The Nation, Entertainment Express this weekend.

The photo report was in The Guardian on Sunday and the full report will be in The Guardian tomorrow and following days in The Nation and Entertainment Express.
To God and God alone be all the glory.

Plans underway to bring IMAX to Nigeria
http://thenationonlineng.net/new/plans-underway-to-bring-imax-to-nigeria/
In The Nation of Saturday July 27, 2013, page 25.