LANCELOT IMASUEN: LIFE BEGINS AT FORTY

Ace director Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen turned 40 on Wednesday, June 22, 2011. The event was marked by a series of activities, which included a couples night, which he held for close friends at the presidential suite of Hawthorne Suites in Abuja.

The talk of the town has been of a Dodge Ram pickup truck, which was given to the director as a birthday gift by an admirer of his work. He disclosed that the vehicle was given to him by a Benin elder, who has supported his work over the years, although he declined to give the name of the person.

"Adesuwa"

He revealed that he has completed work on his historical movie, titled Adesuwa. The movie, which was produced by an all Nigerian team parades the likes of Olu Jacobs, Bob Manuel-Udokwu, Ngozi Ezeonu, and Cliff Igbinovia. According to the director, the actors in the movie all gave the performance of their lives, and audiences will be thrilled by what they will see when the movie is eventually released. He said that for some time now, core Nollywood practitioners who started the industry have gone to slumber, but Adesuwa will mark a return to form for the veterans of the industry.

"Nogbaisi Ovonramwen"

The highly respected director has revealed that his next project is a big-budget epic titled Nogbaisi Ovonramwen, which is expected to gulp a whopping $2 million. Work on the movie is expected to start  January 2012. The director revealed that attempts are being made to enlist the services of Hollywood actor Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, Predators) for the movie. He confidently predicted that when completed, Nogbaisi Ovonramwen will eclipse his achievements with Adesuwa. He revealed that the movie is being backed by Senator  Daisy Danjuma. During a recent visit by the director to Senator Daisy Danjuma, she said that Nigeria needs to invest in people who have capacity in their chosen field such as Lancelot Imasuen. The director said he was very humbled to have received this accolade from Senator Danjuma.

At forty, Lancelot Imasuen has a long string of achievements and awards to his name, the admiration of friends and colleagues, and recognition by his community and the nation at large. What more can a man ask for at forty? Surely, for Lancelot Imasuen, life does begin at forty.

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