In preparation for the theatrical release of Marvel Studio’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, filmmakers, celebrities, movie lovers, media practitioners, among others gathered for the African Premiere of the blockbuster on the opening night of the African International Film Festival (AFRIFF).

The event which held at Filmhouse Cinemas IMAX, Lekki in Lagos State was supported by the foremost ICT firm, MTN Nigeria.

In the opening night hosted by IK Osakioduwa and South African Media personality, Anele Mdoda, dignitaries and guests showed up in exciting fashion pieces that teased at Afrocentricity with a heavy dose of ingenuity to celebrate African excellence.

The cast and crew of the blockbuster including Lupita Nyong’o, Ryan Coogler, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Tenoch Huerta Mejia, Winston Duke and Michaela Coel were present at the premiere.

Heavyweights in the Nigerian entertainment industry like Richard Mofe-Damijo, Segun Arinze, Kunle Afolayan, Chigul, Darey Art Alade, Kunre Remi, Enioluwa Adeoluwa, Bovi, Osas Ighodaro, Ini Edo, Adunni Ade, Daniel K. Daniel, Priscilla Ojo and Ayo Makun were also in attendance.

Speaking on its association with AFRIFF, the Chief Operating Officer, MTN Nigeria, Hassan Jabber noted that the theme for AFRIFF this year, “Indigenous for Global” is something that resonates strongly with MTN Nigeria as a brand.

“We are a wholly Nigerian company making our mark on the global scene. We recently launched 5G technology in Nigeria which we believe will lead us into a revolution across different sectors, including our film industry. We also recognise the importance of storytelling and art to the development and growth of Africa and our support for AFRIFF is part of our strategy to empower and support the growth of local digital content creation and distribution,” Jabber said.

The ICT giant’s involvement in AFRIFF continues into the week and will see MTN Nigeria’s Chief Digital Services Officer, A’isha Umar Mumuni and the Chief Marketing Officer, Adia Sowho join the panel discussion on Storytelling and Content Distribution in a Digital Economy.

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