ANA signs contract with Box Office Company to produce documentary

The Association of Nigerian Authors on Friday in Abuja signed a contract with Box Office Nigeria Limited to produce a documentary about the activities of the association.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Box Office Nigeria Limited is a movie production company in Abuja.
Malam Abduallahi Denja, the President of ANA, made this known in his welcome address during the signing of the contract.
Denja said the project would be an official documentary of ANA.
He said: “It is a project that is dear to our hearts in the sense that it is an idea that has been on the mind of the association in the past 38 years.
“Since the establishment of the association, there has been a lot of achievements; some have been documented like in newspapers and other media while others are not documented.
“The reason for this project is to document activities, history, prospect and impact of the association in the society in a format that can be used to educate the general public.
“Undocumented contributions, sacrifices and achievements by members of ANA to the societies could easily be dismissed; so we want to have something to remind the society.”
The ANA president said the association was an umbrella body of all writers in Nigeria, adding that the documentary was for people to be abreast with its activities.
Denja said: “We are able to contract Box Office Nigeria Limited; they are group of young people ready to do the work; we feel they have the capability to do the job.
“I call on ANA members across the country to accord the producer and his technical crew the maximum cooperation to achieve an excellent production.”
Denja said that Pan Africa Writers Association made available the funds for the project.
Also speaking, Tukura Daniel, the Creative Director of Box Office Limited, said he was excited at the contract, adding that he had capable hands that could do a good job.
Daniel said: “We have started gathering materials for the project; we have got some from the president of ANA; we shall deliver a good job.”
Joy Ikoroje, the PAWA representative at the event, said the documentary was Denja’s idea to show the importance of ANA to the world.
Ikoroje said: “People don’t want to contribute to ANA because it is not well known; but with this documentary, people will be aware of the association and it will grow from strength to strength.”
NAN reports that the high point of the occasion was the presentation of N3.9 million cheque by Denja to Daniel.
Denja, who did not disclose the cost of the project, however, said that N3.9 million represents 65 per cent of the total amount required for the project.
The legal adviser to ANA, Isaac Ogezie; the producer of the documentary, Bem Pever; and Mark Auta, the cinema photographer, attended the occasion.
Others were Malam Dauda Abubakar, the Chairman of Book Sellers’ Bookshop; and three ANA members: Malam Bayero Allahnana, Salamatu Ibrahim and Ify Chimeziem.