By Benjamin Njoku

Owerri, the capital city of Imo State is bound to come alive from from Thursday, July 25 to Monday, 29, as notable film makers and stars across the world gather there for the maiden edition of the prestigious Imo International Film Festival, IIFF.

The festival will witness potpourri of activities including screenings of movies, workshops, training, master classes and conference billed to hold at Imo State University,

It will climax with an award/dinner night slated to hold at Havana Cinemas, located in the heartbeat of the new Owerri area.

The founder of the festival, who’s also Nollywood producer, Don Nkems Chikezie, said his passion was to use the platform to tell the Imo story.

According to him, “Nobody will tell our story in Imo apart from us. This will be the mirror with which our people are seen.

“I know that a film is an embodiment of culture, ranging from fashion, to food to music, so the Imo International Film Festival is a platform to draw attention to what we, Imo people have to offer, not only Nigerians but the world in general.

“My passion in the creative industry is number one, secondly, we don’t have any International Film Festival that can stand the test of time in Eastern Nigeria, so Imo International Film Festival has come to fill the gap.

“Our guests will also have the opportunity to see our heritage and landmark efforts of the government in place. We will cap it with a loud dinner and award event. So, you can see it is a huge event”, he remarked.

Themed: ‘Film: A Veritable Tool for Economic Empowerment,’ the festival is expected to be attended by filmmakers from across the world.