Stephanie Linus, award winning actress, Nollywood director, and model, said filmmakers have a duty to tell our stories and promote our culture. She was a guest speaker at the Arterial Network Cultural Management Programme, tagged Project Management Review, which was held at the British Council Lagos, on the 3rd of August 2016.
Stephanie Linus’s speech was centered on the power of art in advancing social causes. Linus shared her experience, and the strategies she adopted which has made her successful and helped to complete several film projects. In 2009, her film Through the Glass, received an African Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Screenplay; her 2014 film, Dry, won awards at the 12th African Movie Academy Awards and the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
The film Dry was lauded for the social causes it tackled. The film, emotional and thought provoking, sought to raise awareness around the world about the plight of VVF (Vesico Vaginal Fistula) patients in northern Nigeria.
During her presentation, Stephanie Linus stressed the importance of storytelling and its relationship to our culture, heritage, and arts in general. She said:
“We are not only film makers for the sake of producing movies, but custodians our culture and heritage. We must use our art as film makers to promote our culture. We need to tell our stories.”
The participants at the workshop were shown the trailer of the film Dry, and its effect on them was palpable.
Her Presentation ended with a networking and ‘selfie’ session. The actress, who was very warm and welcoming, expressed her joy at the workshop organisers, Arterial Network Nigeria, for organising the workshop aimed at enriching professionals in Nigeria’s creative arts industry.
