'Run Baby Run' and 'Kwame' win at Pan-African Film Festival (PAFF)

Before I fell in love with 'Life and Living It', there was 'Run Baby Run'. The folks from Revele Films, who produce the local television series 'Home Sweet Home', hit a home run with their first feature film, 'Run Baby Run' on the Ghanaian market. 'Run Baby Run' just won the best narrative film at the 17th PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL (Programmer's award). This follows its success at the Africa Movie Academy Awards 2008 (held in Nigeria) where it picked up the Best Director (Emmanuel Apea Jnr), Best Screenplay (Emmanuel Apea Jnr and John Apea), Best Child Actor (Evelyn Addo - 'Nina') and Best Film. Edward Osei-Gyimah's Kwame won the Best Narrative Short at the PAFF as well. Congratulations to Emmanuel Apea (and the Revele Films Crew) as well Edward Osei-Gyimah for making Ghana proud.

'Run Baby Run' as a movie scores on many levels. It addresses the drug trade that is throwing dust on the goodwill Ghana is building, and it combines scenes shot abroad (London) and at home (Accra, Kumasi, Tamale) really well. One thing I love about the movie is the way it includes English and Twi lines. Think of it combining the best of both worlds (The Van Vicker-Nadia Buari movies and the Agya Koo movies). The movie is definitely more hilarious than Scorned and Life n Living it as well.

The acting is great as well, Evelyn Addo especially shined in her role and the others gave a great account of themselves. I really loved the Cephas character as well. "Mountanious climate"? "Geographical ambiance"? Reminds me of the Pappington Papa Nii Papafio character in Village Productions' Taxi Driver. Jackie Appiah, one of Ghallywood (Gollywood's) major stars appears in this movie, though she has a relatively small role. Other actors in the movie are Kofi Bucknor, Rama Brew, Emmanuel Apea, Kojo Dadson, Collins Agyeman Sarpong, Fred Johnson, Monica Effah, Vivienne Acho, etc.

'Run Baby Run' does have its own soundtrack, though I am not feeling the song so much. It had some great quotes too. "Lean mean killing machine?" Lol

You can also watch 'Run Baby Run' on various websites like onlinenigeria.com and ghananation.com
Watch the trailer for the movie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3dcjJPVThk


Watch the trailer for the 'Kwame' short film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzwfm3LbEHo


I really want to watch South Africa's Jerusalema after hearing some rave reviews. Apparently, it's even better than Tsotsi. Now if you remember, Tsotsi won the best foreign language film at the Oscars. I've watched Tsotsi a couple of times and it's one of my favorite movies ever. Jerusalema was nominated at the PAFF but it didn't win anything. It features Rapulana Seiphemo, Jeffrey Sekele, Ronnie Nykale, amongst others. See the website here.

We at GhanaThink have been asking for epic movies about Ghanaian legends and it seems someone finally made one about Yaa Asantewaa. But I never heard of it till today. Why? Warrior Queen was nominated at the PAFF too. Check out the movie's website here. There are many stories to be told out of Ghana, I hope our movie producers would attempt putting some of them on the big screen. We shouldn't have to wait for Hollywood.

Other notable African movies nominated were Bongoland II: There’s No Place Like Home (Tanzania), Grey Focus (Nigeria), Moroko (Nigeria), African Underground: Democracy in Dakar (Senegal), etc. See the full list of nominees by country here.

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