Francis Onwochei (FTA) has been named the new head of the jury by the Best Of Nollywood (BON) Awards, the organization behind the annual, pan-Nigeria traveling film industry awards.
Before being hired, Onwochei offered specialized consulting services as a consultant on motion picture projects to Nigerian television and film production companies.
He began his acting career in the creative sector in 1984 at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos, where he developed his talent and experience while performing in a number of plays with independent companies such as the PEC Repertory Theatre, then run by Prof. JP Clark, and later the National Troupe of Nigeria, directed by Prof. Bayo Oduneye (FTA)
Onwochei studied Surveying in Nigeria with Post Graduate certifications in Film Aesthetics at London International Film School, DW Television Training College, Berlin and New York Film School.
He is an alumnus of Harvard Law School where he focused on International Copyright Administration.
In the course of his career, he has acted, produced and directed several films in Nigeria, prominent amongst which are ‘Raging Storm’ (1997), ‘Final Onslaught’ (1998), ‘Father Tansi’ (1999), ‘Saving Alero’ (2000), which won Best Actress and Best Film at the National Film Festival.
He also has in his repertoire, ‘Claws Of The Lion’ (2004), which won Best Short Film at the Zuma International Film Festival, and Abuja International Film Festival in 2005 and 2006 respectively.
He produced ‘Gliteratti’ (2017), ‘Drop Zone’ (2018), ‘Isoroti’ and ‘Madanwo’ (2021).
BON Awards 2018 holds December 9
On the professional association front, Onwochei is a member of the National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) and Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) where at various times he has served as chairman, professional ethics and discipline committee.
He is a recipient of Nollywood Distinguished Veterans Award and was also awarded Fellow of The Arts in 2018.
Fluent in Igbo, Yoruba and English, the widely travelled thespian of Deltan descent is joining the BON team as head of jury for the 14th edition of the awards billed to take place in Owerri, Imo State come December 3. He is taking over from Niran Adedokun who has held the position for the past 13 years meritoriously.
Speaking on the announcement, Onwochei expressed his delight at the trust placed on him to pilot the affairs of the jury.
On his part, Seun Oloketuyi, founder BON Awards revealed that the choice of Francis Onwochei was coming as a need to switch things up. “In the 13 years that Mr Adedokun has been head of jury, BON Awards has remained a credible reward system for Nollywood and we know that with Mr Onwonchei as the new head, the next decade would be another record and testament to that credibility,” he said.
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