Frank Rajah Arase (born Frank Rajah Efosa Arase) is a Nigerian film director. Arase is a native of Edo State, Nigeria. He was nominated for '' Best Director'' at the 4th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

Early life

Arase was born in Benin City, Edo, Nigeria. He grew up in Lagos where he started his film career.

Career

Arase ventured into the show business at a very young age. He started out as a theatre practitioner in Nigeria; he was a dancer for National Theatre troupe and also acted in stage plays. He met Nollywood actor and director Paul Obazele, who groomed him in the film industry. He initially was an actor, featuring in films such as ''Scores To Settle'', ''After School Hours''. His love for being behind the scenes drew him into directing his own films. After directing a few films in Nigeria, he agreed to direct a film for Ghana's production company, Venus Films, after turning down previous attempts made by the Company. He directed the film titled ''Official Prostitute'' in Ghana and continued to make films in Nigeria after that. Eventually, Abdul Salam Mumuni of Venus Films proposed a two-year contract to Arase, which involved introducing Ghanaian actors into the mainstream Nollywood film industry and making them have a star power comparable to Nigerian actors. Ghanaian actors that became famous through this collaboration include:

Jackie Appiah Jackie Appiah (born 5 December 1983) is a Canadian-born Ghanaian actress. For her work as an actress, she has received several awards and nominations, including the awards for ''Best Actress in a Leading Role'' at the 2010 Africa Movie Academy Aw ...

, Van Vicker,

Majid Michel Majid Michel (born 22 September 1980) is a Ghanaian actor, model, television personality, evangelist and a humanitarian. He received nominations for '' Best Actor in a Leading Role'' at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, 201 ...

Nadia Buari Nadia Buari (born November 21, 1982) is a Ghanaian actress. She received two nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009. Early life Buari was born in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, to a Lebanese father ...

John Dumelo John Dumelo (born 3 February 1984) is a Ghanaian actor, farmer and politician. On 1 April 2014 he emerged as the first Ghanaian to hit a million likes on Facebook. His parents are Mr. John Dumelo who was a Civil Engineer and Mrs. Antoinette Dumel ...

Kalsoume Sinare Kalsoume Sinare is a Ghanaian actress and former model. She has appeared in over fifty films, including '' Babina'', ''Trinity'', and ''Sala'', for which she received a Golden Actress award in the Drama category. Biography Sinare was the fir ...

and Kofi Adjorolo amongst others. The contract was extended for another two years which led to the introduction of more actors like

Yvonne Nelson Yvonne Nelson (born November 12, 1985) is a Ghanaian actress, model, film producer and entrepreneur.Juliet Ibrahim Juliet Ibrahim is a Ghanaian actress, film producer and singer of Lebanese, Ghanaian and Liberian descent. She won the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2010 Ghana Movie Awards for her role in '' 4 Play''. She has been referred to as ...

Frank Artus Gregory Artus Frank (born May 4, 1979), also known as Frank Artus, is a Liberian actor, director, and producer in the West African film industries. Early life and education Frank was born in Montserrado County, Liberia. His nationality is Libe ...

and Martha Ankomah. Films produced during this period include: ''Mummy’s Daughter'', ''Beyonce'', ''

Heart of Men ''Heart of Men'' (Reissued in Nollywood as ''Forbidden Fruit'' by Henrikesim Multimedia Concept for International distribution) is a 2009 Ghanaian Nigerian thriller film produced & directed by Frank Rajah Arase, and starring Majid Michel, John Du ...

'', '' The Game'', ''Who Loves Me?'', ''Princess Tyra'', ''The King is Mine'', '' Agony of Christ'', ''Crime to Christ'' and many others. The films are co-produced with Arase's production company, Raj and Heroes Films. After his contract with Venus Film expired, he continued with his own productions through his outfit, which has since released notable films such as ''

Somewhere in Africa ''Somewhere in Africa: The Cries of humanity'' is a 2011 Ghanaian Nigerian drama film directed by Frank Rajah Arase, starring Majid Michel, Martha Ankomah and Kofi Adjorlolo. It received 7 nominations at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards incl ...

'' and the film ''

Iyore ''Iyore'' (English: ''The Return: A Life after Life'') is a 2014 Nigerian drama film set in the Benin Kingdom, directed by Frank Rajah Arase. It stars Rita Dominic, Joseph Benjamin, Okawa Shaznay, Paul Obazele, Bukky Wright and Yemi Blaq. B ...

''.

Personal life

Arase is the second child of the family. He is married to a Sierra Leonean lady and his family is based in Nigeria. Arase is currently based in Accra, Ghana and

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

Lagos State Lagos State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Èkó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. Of the 36 states, it is both the most populous and smallest in area. Bounded to the south by the Bight of Benin and to the west by the international border with Ben ...

Filmography

* ''The Price'' * ''Groom's Bride'' * ''Somewhere in Africa'' * ''4 Play'' * ''Princess Tyra'' * ''Temptation'' * ''Crime to Christ'' * ''Return of Beyonce'' * ''Heart of Men'' * ''Delilah (TV series)'' * ''

'' * '' The Legend of Inikpi'' * ''Bound'' (2018)

References

External links

* Nigerian film directors Living people People from Benin City People from Lagos Year of birth missing (living people) {{Nigeria-film-director-stub