Charles Okpaleke (born 14 March 1983) is a Nigerian film producer. His debut film, '' Living In Bondage: Breaking Free'' won seven awards at the

Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards ''Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards'' (AMVCA) is an annual accolade presented by MultiChoice recognizing outstanding achievement in television and film. The inaugural Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards ceremony was held in Lagos, Lagos State ...

2020, including the Best Movie (West Africa) and Best Overall Movie categories. He has also acquired the rights to remake Nollywood classics including ''Rattle Snake'', '' Nneka the Pretty Serpent'' and '' Glamour Girls''.

Early life

Okpaleke was born to Julian Chukwuemeka Okpaleke, an Assistant Inspector General of the Nigerian Police and Florence Ngozi Okpaleke, an attorney. Okpaleke attended

Kings College Lagos King's College, Lagos (KCL) is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits only male students ...

and the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in 2005. He obtained a master's degree in Health Economics and Health Policy from the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

in 2007.

Career

In 2015, Charles Okpaleke acquired the rights to ''

Living in Bondage ''Living in Bondage'' is a 1992/93 Nigerian two-part drama thriller film directed by Chris Obi Rapu, written by Kenneth Nnebue and Okechukwu Ogunjiofor, produced by Ogunjiofor, and sponsored by Jafac Wine. The film was shot straight-to-video, and ...

'' from Kenneth Nnebue for a remake. In 2018, it was made public that the film will be a sequel instead of a remake and titled '' Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.'' Principal photography of ''Living in Bondage: Breaking Free'' took place on location in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

Owerri Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...

and

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

. As the effects of corona virus pandemic bit harder in Nollywood, Charles Okpaleke introduced drive-in cinemas in

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

and Lagos, Nigeria. He did this in collaboration with

Silverbird Group The Silverbird Group is a diversified multi-media company with holdings in Radio, Television, Real Estate, and Cinemas headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. The company was established in 1980 by Ben Murray-Bruce and counts Silverbird Cinemas and the M ...

and Genesis Cinemas. Okpaleke has also acquired the rights to remake three other Nollywood classics, '' Rattle Snake, Nneka the Pretty Serpent'' and '' Glamour Girls'' through his Play Network Africa company.

References

Nigerian film directors People from Onitsha {{DEFAULTSORT:Okpaleke, Charles 1983 births Living people Nigerian film producers Alumni of the University of Birmingham Nigerian businesspeople Igbo people University of Nigeria alumni People from Anambra State Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards winners