Exposure of "Naked Beauty" of the Niger Delta in Motion Picture

"Naked Beauty" is an unusual screenplay for a #Nollywood movie written by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, one of the most notable writers on Nollywood and Dr. Christian Chika Onu, the multiple awards winning Nollywood producer and director famous as the director of part two of "Living in Bondage" in 1993 and "Karishika"of 1996 and many other critically acclaimed movies that are now Nollywood classics.
It is the first Nigerian screenplay published for commercial distribution.
It was printed in Raleigh, North Carolina and available in hardcover and paperback versions.

One of the most captivating scenes in "Naked Beauty" is the exploration of Nsibidi in Uli using calabash chalk of Nzu for an unforgettable cinematic experience in motion.
The music is produced by a mixture of classical music instruments and Igbo music instruments like the Ubo akwara (pluriarc) Chordophone-Musical Bow and others.
I have to be involved in the production design and cinematography.
For a detailed description, see the screenplay.

Image from photograph by Jacob Lund and colour grading by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima.

From the Synopsis:

Tonye a young artist who loves to paint impressionist studies of natural subjects from the views of his camera leaves the coastal city of Port Harcourt and crosses the sea to Bonny Island. And on the Bonny Island he builds a make shift studio with the help of a local boy Odion in the fishing port of Agaja village. And Odion has a very attractive nubile sister Oma. And Oma is fascinated by the unique character of Tonye who is always wearing a loose tunic, knee length baggy pants and leather sandals with his camera hanging from a string around his neck and his sketchpad in his hands. His pencils and colour pens are in the pockets of his baggy pants. He is tall and slim and seems to be fond of her only brother Odion. But, Tonye seems to be more interested in his nature studies than any romantic attractions.

Tonye wants to capture the sunrise from the horizon as the subject of his next oil painting on canvas and wakes up early enough before the dawn so that he will not miss the first glimpse of the sunrise at dawn. And as he walks out of his make shift studio in the darkness of the wee hours of the morning, he sees a nude female figure bathing in the shallow waters of the lagoon. And from a distance he watches her until the first rays of the sunrise reveal the voluptuous features of Oma before his very eyes. And he is compelled by his instincts to capture her nudity in his camera. To capture the naked beauty in the sunrise before she realizes that someone is watching her or leaves. And after taking some shots of her, he shifts his focus on the sunrise at dawn. He dashes back to his studio and Oma never knows that her naked body has been seen and captured in camera by the eagle eyes and sharp lenses of Tonye.

Some days later as Tonye is looking at the prints of his shots of naked Oma and the sunrise, he makes up his mind to paint her. And as he begins to paint her with the sunrise behind her, Odion comes in with Oma and Tonye quickly uses a cloth to cover up the painting on the easel to prevent them from seeing it to avoid any embarrassment. He tries to distract their attention and says he is very busy now. But Odion pulls him away that he has to show him something that he must see. Reluctantly, Tonye goes with Odion and Oma. And they lead him to a ruptured oil pipeline in the nearby grove. Tonye warns them to keep off, because of the dangers of oil pipeline explosions. He says he must report to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Nigerian police. He calls the office of the NNPC and the police on his cell phone. Then, he says they should cover up the exposed ruptured oil pipeline with plants. Tonye and Odion are busy doing so when Oma says she has to return home before their parents become worried over their whereabouts.

As Oma is hurrying home, three village youths confront her and want to harass her. One of them wants to take advantage of her weakness. But she escapes from his grip. Oma runs to Tonye’s studio and bolts the door from within.

Oma is still panting and out of curiosity, she decides to

Hardcover version is US$100 a copy, including shipping fees.
Paperback version is US$70, including shipping fees.