To commemorate the 2015 World Sickle Cell Day, the Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria, in collaboration with Channels TV, the Silverbird Group and Mainframe Productions are organising a free screening of Tunde Kelani’s new film, Dazzling Mirage.
According to Kelani, it is a different, more creative means of raising awareness and educating people about sickle cell disorder.
“There is no better way to educate people than through story telling,” Kelani says. Dazzling Mirage is an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Olayinka Egbokhare.
It weaves the story of a young lady with sickle cell disorder around the various medical, social and emotional challenges that she faces, anchored on a message of hope.
Kelani says Nigerians need to know more about sickle cell because Nigeria is the country with the highest number of people with the condition in the world.
“Persons with sickle cell disorder, experts and dignitaries will be present at the screening and there will be an opportunity for discussion on it before and after the movie,” he says.
The movie will be screened at the Silverbird Cinemas, Victoria Island, Lagos on on June 25; the National Sickle Cell Centre, Idi Araba, Lagos, on June 28; and at Silverbird Cinemas, Abuja, on July 28.
Dazzling Mirage emerged the best film of the just-held Nollywood Week Film Festival in Paris, France.
It was awarded the Audience Choice Award, which is decided by the audience attracted to the four day long festival, which opened on June 4 and ran till June 7.
According to a report, the audience choice award is the biggest and only award of the festival.
It is awarded to a film that is adjudged best by the audience out of the films in official selection.
About 10 films were screened but eight of the films were in competition to win the Audience Award.
They included A Mile From Home, directed by Eric Aghimien; The Last Three Digits, directed by Moses Iwang; and Dazzling Mirage and Gone Too Far, directed by Destiny Ekaragha.
Others are Love or Something like that, directed by Shirley Frimpong; Ojuju, by C.J. Obasi; October 1, by Kunle Afolayan; and Thy will be Done, by Obi Emelonye.
Kelani received a plaque and a set of lenses donated by Angeneiux for use for a period of three months for his next film project.
He thanked the audience for the choice of the movie.
The producer of popular films such as Saworoide, Agogo Eewo and Maami dedicated the award to people living with sickle cell disorder.
He said all the films in competition were “winners as well”.
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