By KALU MUSA

Jerry Amilo, a foremost Nollywood actor, filmmaker, and producer, has begun auditions to discover and offer casting opportunities in an upcoming movie for talented actors in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that established and emerging actors gathered in their numbers for the audition held on Tuesday at the Nippon Grand Hotel, Abuja.

Speaking with NAN on the sideline, Amilo, said the initiative was to discover Abuja-based talents to feature in the movie he described as a major Netflix project.

Amilo, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of New Movies Entertainment Studios, said the audition was aimed at discovering fresh talents and as well showcase Abuja’s huge potential as Nollywood’s new filmmaking hub.

“My reason for coming to Abuja is to prove a point that we have people here and to show filmmakers that Abuja has talents,” he said.

Amilo said Abuja had been overlooked in Nollywood filmmaking despite its diverse population, adding that the city offered unique locations for film production.

“Abuja has almost all the languages that we have in Nigeria, and I don’t see why they cannot produce the set of people that I’m looking for,” he said.

He said Abuja’s landscape and atmosphere also made it suitable for filmmaking, particularly when compared with other congested cities.

“Lagos is so choked up. We film in Lagos, but you can’t find the kind of landscape and atmosphere that you have in Abuja,” Amilo said.

He said not fewer than 47 actors were to be cast during the audition, with 85 per cent of the new movie’s cast coming from Abuja.

“Eighty-five per cent of the cast is coming from Abuja. The other cast members are known faces that will come from different parts of the country and, of course, the world,” he said.

Amilo said the movie’s title had not been disclosed, but its working title was “Not My Destiny”.

He said he was impressed by the talents who had turned up for the audition, adding that he had expected a larger turnout.

“From what I’m seeing here today, I am happy and impressed. More people are still coming, and they are doing well,” he said.

He said he had expected at least 500 people to attend the Abuja audition, recalling that more than 3,000 people attended an audition he held in Warri.

“I thought Abuja would produce at least 500 people, but I am glad that the people they have been able to produce are not lacking. They are doing well,” he said.

Amilo, acclaimed as one of the earliest members of ‘Nollywood’s bad boys,’ urged stakeholders to give Abuja-based actors more opportunities, saying the city had significant untapped potential.

“If Abuja is well harnessed and their actors given the opportunity, I believe that they will make the industry proud,” he said.

Also speaking, Salma Aminu, Mayor of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Abuja chapter, said Amilo’s decision to hold the audition in the territory reflected his confidence in the city’s talents.

“He knows that Abuja has prospects and he wants also to farm in a green land,” she said.

Aminu described the audition as a major opportunity for actors seeking to build their careers and urged them to take it seriously.

“Every opportunity counts. There is no such thing as little opportunities, and this opportunity should be embraced by every actor,” she said.

She urged aspiring actors to use auditions to demonstrate their abilities and create lasting impressions.

“Nothing is more important than building your career. When you get an opportunity of this magnitude, make sure that you make an impression that will last,” Aminu said.

In an interview with NAN, some actors who came for the audition expressed gratitude for the opportunity by New Movies Entertainment Studios.

Queen Elizabeth Abdullahi, a 10-year-old actress, said she attended the audition because she wanted to become a well-known star.

“I have acted before in many films. I started acting at seven, and now I’m 10. If I’m picked, I’ll feel happy and excited,” she said.

Chioma Nwigbo, another aspiring actress, said she attended the audition after developing an interest in acting.

“I decided to come for the audition because I found interest in becoming an actress,” she said.

Nwigbo said she would give her best if selected and appreciated the organisers for creating an opportunity for aspiring actors.

“I feel excited that they are now doing the audition in Abuja. My plan is just to become the best actress and give my best,” she said.

Dansey Mbah, an actor who attended the audition, said Abuja had many talented actors and unique locations capable of supporting film production.

“Abuja has a lot of potential based on location and unique actors,” Mbah said.

He urged filmmakers and other stakeholders s to make auditions more frequent in Abuja and ensure that opportunities were accessible to both established and up-and-coming actors.

“They should give everybody a chance to see express themselves, because sometimes is not everybody that has such opportunities,” he said.(NAN)