Film

'Renegade' - Igbo Language Action Film

• Funny
• Adventure
• Jaw-Dropping

The idea

‘Renegade’ (Working Title) is an action comedy film currently in preproduction. Think Bad Boys, think Rush Hour, think the Other Guys – with those images in your mind, think Nollywood. Renegade is the story of two police officers. Okonkwo is a trigger happy ‘cowboy cop’ with a penchant for shootouts, explosions and all things epic. He generally ignores the few rules that he is actually aware of, scoffs in the face of authority and makes it his personal mission to humiliate any and every criminal that he comes across. Akwaeze, his partner, is a well intentioned, ambitious officer, who wants to change the world, but in practice Okonkwo’s recklessness wins out and the two of them together are the bane of their police chief’s existence. When the chief suddenly suffers a heart attack, Akwaeze is suspiciously promoted to acting chief and he immediately gives Okonkwo freedom to catch the bad guys by any means necessary. Weeks later, with half of the city destroyed and the other half under the throes of a new criminal alliance, the former partners’ relationship is strained as their different agendas come to a head. This is a story of friendship and betrayal; of duty and responsibility. It’s a story of heroes and villains and the thin line that separates them. Renegade is an action packed film that climaxes in an epic showdown between the police and the criminals, as the heroes rush to save their city from complete and utter annihilation.

The man behind the idea

Kc Okolo, (also known as Kenechi Okolo) who is the writer, director and executive producer for this project, is a London based filmmaker and author best known for the critically acclaimed short film ‘Busking for a Beatdown’ (. Shot an a miniscule budget, the film is an allegory that investigates love, hate and everything in between as city workers go about their day to day lives. He is the founder of London Reign Media, a film production company that is well known for its comedy sketches (‘Dennis’ Yard’, ‘Banana Warfare’ & ‘My Name is Abs’), its coverage of the 2011 London riots, and its yearly coverage of Ghana Party in the Park. Kenechi Okolo is also a music video director who has been working in the industry since 2007.

Showreel link - http://vimeo.com/29750355
Busking for a Beatdown link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCRsa2Y2RdU

The dilemma

“I want to make the film in Igbo. Because of this, I have not been able to secure enough funding. For some reason, the producers and filmmakers of Nollywood don’t want to make Igbo language films. There are numerous films in other Nigerian languages but when it comes to Igbo films there is a distinct lack of them, which is particularly troubling because many of the filmmakers active in Nollywood are actually Igbo themselves. I can only assume that either these filmmakers think that Igbo language films will make no money or that for some other reason unknown to me, that films should not be made in the Igbo language. Frankly, I think that they are wrong, and I need your help to prove to them and to the world that they are wrong. Reasons for shooting the film in Igbo:

• Actors give better performances in their indigenous language than in English
• It gives the film more authenticity
• It raises awareness of not just the Igbo language but of Igbo culture worldwide
• Igbo is a beautiful language
• This film is likely to be a Nollywood blockbuster and shooting it in Igbo will set a precedent for other Igbo filmmakers to follow.
• More Igbo language films of high quality will encourage more people to learn or want to learn Igbo. That includes not just Igbos in the Diaspora but also those who just happen to be fans of the films. As you may be aware, Nollywood has fans in every region of the world.

If you want to see this film shot in Igbo, if you agree with any of the reasons above or if you are just a fan of some of my previous work, please pledge to this project. Every penny helps and brings us one step closer to our goal. Even if you are only pledging $1, which may not seem like much, it means a lot, because it sends a message that one extra person wants to see more films in the Igbo language. This will encourage other Igbo filmmakers in Nollywood to start making their own films in Igbo.”

Kc Okolo

The money

Films in general are expensive to make, but action films in particular are more costly. This is because all the shootouts, chases and fights cost much more than just having two people talking in a room. As far as global standards go, Nollywood films are made on shoestring budgets; the more expensive ones cost just tens of thousands of dollars. To put this in proper perspective – the catering budgets for many Hollywood films, and even some television shows usually cost more than this. $6000 is a small amount in filmmaking by any standards but this money will be combined with funds already raised from other sources to complete the budget for the film. Nonetheless, ‘Football, Sudden Death’ (http://youtu.be/ohoJVP7WtBs) was made for no money whatsoever, so rest assured that this small proposed budget will suffice. All money raised will go towards the costs of the film. If more than $6000 is raised, it just means that the film may have an extra action scene or two.

If you can't contribute financially, you can still show your support as well as keep up to date with the progress of the film by liking the Facebook Fanpage:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Renegade-2012-Igbo-language-action-film/181838905226624

If you have any questions about the project you can contact Kc Okolo directly via the contact form on this page - http://kcokolo.com/contact-2/