Black Gold – Struggle for the Niger Delta will compete for the Grand Jury Prize at the 15th Annual American Black Film Festival, July 6-9, 2011 in Miami, Florida. The movie is nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Screen Play in the Narratives Film Competition. Director, Jeta Amata brings to the screen, a powerful story of greed, murder and corruption in the volatile oil rich Niger Delta region.
The scope and significance of the story has attracted a noteworthy cast, including several from Hollywood: Billy Zane (Titanic), Mbong Amata (The Amazing Grace), Vivica A. Fox (Kill Bill), Hakeem Kae-Kazim (Hotel Rwanda), Sarah Wayne Callies (Prison Break), Eric Roberts (Dark Knight) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs). Based on true events, Black Gold is already following in the footsteps of Hotel Rwanda for its social and environmental statement on corruption and the violation of human rights in the Niger Delta, as current headlines on the international news carriers: CNN, BBC and Al Jezeera reveal.
“It is a region where good and evil have been blurred by shady government officials, greedy oil companies and violent rebels fighting over the control of the scarce oil resources that run the world. Now the people are seeking peaceful resolutions to their grievances”, states director Amata.
Black Gold is Jeta Amata’s long awaited follow up to his award winning feature, The Amazing Grace. Black Gold was shot in his native Nigeria and the US to tell the story of an unlikely hero, a Nigerian woman who courageously stands up to unite the warring factions and rallies the world to take notice, putting her life on the line.
Producers and production companies for the movie includes: Jeta Amata and Hosa Okumbo (Wells and Jeta Entertainment; The Amazing Grace), Wilson Ebiye (Rock City Entertainment; Barack Obama: The Power of Change), Dede Mabiaku and Ori Ayonmike (Starkid Inc.).
“We believe that Black Gold will shed light on the degradation of the environment caused by oil exploration in the Niger Delta and hope that the multi-national oil corporations and the government will clean up their act.”, states producer, Wilson Ebiye.
According to Hosa Okunbo, Executive producer, “Black Gold is a powerful and timely story which will compel the stakeholders to build infrastructures that will improve the living conditions of the indigenous people.”
The movie will screen Thursday, July 7th at 3pm (with a talk-back) and Friday, July 8th at 10:30 am at the Colony Theatre on Miami Beach (1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Fl). Tickets can be purchased at the box office or by calling (305) 674-1040 starting July 6, 2011.
