Steve Gukas is a

Nollywood Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and producer who believes that films should be used to address the ills of the society.

Education

Gukas studied

Television Production A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

at NTA TV College in Jos,

Theatre Arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

at the

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a Federal University in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. ...

and

Film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

at the

London Film School London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London and is situated in a converted brewery in Covent Garden, London, neighbouring Soho, a hub of the UK film industry. It is the oldest film school in the UK.

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Career

He is a former managing director of a Nigerian radio station, WE FM. In 2002, he directed the movie "''Keeping Faith''". In 2007, he produced the iconic movie, "'' Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation''", featuring the American actor,

Danny Glover Danny Lebern Glover (; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the ''Lethal Weapon'' film series. He also had leading roles in his films include ...

; it was his first project. In 2014, the film he directed and produced, "''

A Place in the Stars ''A Place in the Stars'' is a 2014 Nigerian Crime film, crime thriller film written by Ita Hozaife and J. K. Amalou, co-produced and directed by Steve Gukas. It stars Gideon Okeke, Segun Arinze, Matilda Obaseki, Yemi Blaq, Femi Branch and Dejumo ...

''" was released. The film was produced in honour of

Dora Akunyili Dora Nkem Akunyili (14 July 1954 – 7 June 2014) was the Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of Nigeria from 2001 to 2008. Early life and education Dora Edemobi was born in Makurdi, B ...

, the late Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), who fought against the production, sales and usage of adulterated drugs in Nigeria. The movie starred

Segun Arinze Segun Arinze (born Segun Padonou Aina in 1965) is a Nigerian actor and singer. Early life and education He is the eldest of seven children born to Lydia Padonu. He is descent of Badagry, Lagos State. He attended Victory College of Commerce in I ...

Dejumo Lewis Dejumo Lewis (, 1943 – 23 December 2023) was a Nigerian film and television actor, famous for the Kabiyesi role in '' The Village Headmaster'', Nigeria’s longest-running television soap opera shown on NTA from 1968 to 1988 that starred Just ...

Matilda Obaseki Matilda Obaseki is a Nigerian film actress and scriptwriter. She is the lead actress in the award-winning TV series, ''Tinsel''. Early life Obaseki was born on 19 March 1986 in Benin City, Oredo Local Government Area, Edo State where she gr ...

Gideon Okeke Gideon Okeke is a Nigerian actor, model, and TV Presenter. He came to the public eye in 2006 when he appeared as a contestant on the first edition of '' Big Brother Nigeria''. In 2008, Gideon joined the cast of the M-NET TV series ''Tinsel'' on wh ...

Yemi Blaq Yemi Blaq born Folayemi Olatunji is a Nigerian film actor, songwriter and model. Early life and education Yemi was born to Mr Olatunji Blaq in Ondo State, Nigeria. Yemi Blaq was raised in Lagos where he attended and completed his primary a ...

and

Femi Branch Femi Branch (born May 14, 1970) is a Nigerians, Nigerian actor, Film director, director and Film producer, producer. Early life Branch was born on May 14, 1970. His parents were teachers in Sagamu, Nigeria. He attended Satellite Town Primary Sch ...

. Later on, at the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA), the movie won the ''Best Movie (Drama)'' award. In 2016, he directed the movie, "''

93 Days ''93 Days'' is a 2016 Nigerian drama thriller film directed and co-produced by Steve Gukas. The film recounts the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Nigeria and its successful containment by health workers from a Lagos hospital. It stars Bimbo Akintola, D ...

''", a movie created in memory of Dr. Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, a late Nigerian physician who alongside other health workers 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 ...

, helped stop the spread of the

Ebola virus ''Zaire ebolavirus'', more commonly known as Ebola virus (; EBOV), is one of six known species within the genus ''Ebolavirus''. Four of the six known ebolaviruses, including EBOV, cause a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and ot ...

in Nigeria by sacrificing herself to the task in 2014. The movie featured

actors and

Bimbo Akintola Bimbo Akintola (born 5 May 1970) is a Nigerian actress. Early life and education Akintola was born on 5 May 1970 to a father from Oyo State and a mother from Edo State. She studied at Maryland Convent Private School in Lagos State. She proc ...

, Seun Ajayi, Keppy Ekpeyong and

Bimbo Manuel Bimbo Manuel (born 30 October 1958) is a Nigerian actor. He was nominated for Best actor in a supporting role at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards. Career Bimbo hails from Lagos State. After graduating from the University of Port Harcourt with ...

. The film streams on

NETFLIX Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. The movie, alongside two others ("''

Isoken ''Isoken'' is a 2017 romantic comedy film written and directed by Jadesola Osiberu (in her directorial debut). The film stars Dakore Akande, Joseph Benjamin, and Marc Rhys. The film was produced by Tribe85 productions and distributed by Silve ...

''" and "''

The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

''") were the first movies to be screened in the "''Nollywood in Hollywood''" initiative's first edition. The movie premiered in early September 2016 at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

and at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

. He also produced, "''Keeping The Faith''" and "''Mr. Johnson''". He, as well desires to make a film on the Nigeria's

Plateau State Plateau State is the twelfth-largest Nigerian state. It is in the centre of the country includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau, its capital, and the entire plateau itself. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and To ...

capital, Jos. He was part of the discussants at the 2017 Rapid Lion South African International Film Festival in which participants discussed the present and future of the African Cinema. He was a co-producer of a sequel to the movie which gave birth to Nigeria's

, titled "''

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 ...

''", originally produced in 1992, who according to

Ramsey Nouah Ramsey Nouah (born Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah Jr.; 19 December 1970) is a Nigerian actor and director. He won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2010 for his performance in the movie ''The Figurine''. He made his director ...

, the film's director as well as an actor in reference to Gukas, had "a reputation of doing big projects". The film featured actors like

Kenneth Okonkwo Kenneth Okonkwo (born November 6, 1968) is a Nigerian actor, lawyer and politician, known for his role in the movie ''Living in Bondage'' as Andy Okeke. Career In 2013 he won the African Movie Academy Award on a Special Recognition of Pillars ...

, Kanayo O. Kanayo and

Bob-Manuel Udokwu Bob-Manuel Obidimma Udokwu (born 18 April 1968) is a Nigerian actor, director, producer and politician. In 2014, he received the ''Lifetime Achievement'' award at the 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards. He was nominated for Best Actor in a suppo ...

Enyinna Nwigwe Chief Enyinna Nwigwe (born September 18, 1982) is a Nigerian actor, producer, and entrepreneur. He is best known for playing Nonso in '' The Wedding Party 2'', and playing Tamuno in ''Black November''. Early life and education Nwigwe was b ...

and

Kalu Ikeagwu Kalu Egbui Ikeagwu is a British-Nigerian actor and writer. As an actor, he has received several awards and nominations for his performances on screen. Early life Kalu was born in England but was relocated to Nigeria by his dad at the age of 9 ...

. In the

AMVCA ''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 ...

awards 2020, for the 2019 movie, "''

''", he won the "Best Movie West Africa" award, with a cash prize of N1,000,000, courtesy of

Clorets Clorets is a line of chewing gum and mints made by Cadbury Adams. It was introduced in 1951. Clorets gum and candy contain Actizol, a proprietary ingredient that contains chlorophyll, which purportedly acts as an active ingredient to eliminate m ...

, in support to the Nigerian Movie Industry.

Quotes

Filmography

References

External links

Steve Gukas
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...