The Igbo Movie Producers Association of Nigeria (IMPAN) on Sunday, re-elected Mr JohnPaul Nwanganga as President to lead the association for another two-year term.
Other executives elected included Mrs Ngozi Okeke as Vice President, Mr Paul Ibeh, Secretary; Mrs Joyce Ikem, Assistant Secretary and Mrs Ifemamma Rita, Financial Secretary.
They also include Mr Izuchukwu Orjioke as Provost, and Mr Uchenna Okoro as Director of Socials.
Announcing the results at the election held in Enugu, the Chairman of the IMPAN National Electoral Committee, Mr Okey Zinja, commended members for their commitment to the electoral process.
Zinja thanked members who travelled from different parts of the country to participate in the election in spite of various challenges.
He congratulated Nwanganga on his re-election and urged him to take the association to greater heights.
“You are our president before and you emerged again. We believe in your leadership to take the association to the next kevel, ” he said.
Speaking after the election, renowned actress, Nkiru Sylvanus described the exercise as a significant step in strengthening the leadership of the association.
“Elections are very necessary when it comes to the leadership of an organisation.
“It is impressive that we are electing new executives, and I believe everything went well,” she said.
Sylvanus stressed the need for Igbo filmmakers to tell more authentic stories about Igbo history, culture and heritage.
According to her, many aspects of Igbo history remained untold, adding that the association was committed to promoting stories that reflected the resilience, culture and identity of the Igbo people.
She also noted that producing quality historical films would require collaboration and investment from stakeholders rather than relying solely on individual filmmakers.
Also speaking, veteran actor, Chief Ferdinand Ohanekwu, described the election as the right step for the association.
“I am happy because the election has produced the legitimate leadership of IMPAN.
“My expectation is that the new executives will perform even better than before and reposition Igbo movies to compete favourably with other Nigerian film sectors.” he said.
In his acceptance speech, Nwanganga expressed gratitude to members for re-electing him, describing the confidence reposed in him as a great honour.
“I feel highly honoured. Considering my age, I see this as a privilege to lead Igbo filmmakers in the country once again,” he said.
The president recalled the historic role played by Igbo filmmakers in the development of Nollywood, noting that the success of the landmark film Living in Bondage brought Nigerian cinema to global attention.
Nwanganga pledged to promote the Igbo language and culture through filmmaking, saying the association would intensify efforts to preserve the language against fears of extinction.
“I am open to collaborations that will help promote Igbo language, culture and heritage,” he said.
He also promised that the new administration would execute proper research into Igbo history with a view to producing detailed cinematic works that authentically portrayed the history, traditions and cultural identity of the Igbo people.
