Steve Gukas is a

Nollywood Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...

filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

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 * ''D ...

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

Education

Gukas studied

Television Production A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

at NTA TV College in

Jos Jos is a city in the North-Central region of Nigeria. The city has a population of about 900,000 residents based on the 2006 census. Popularly called "J-Town", it is the administrative capital and largest city of Plateau State. The city is situ ...

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

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. T ...

and

Film production Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

at the

London Film School London Film School (LFS) is a film school in London, United Kingdom, and is situated 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

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 Glover ( ; born July 22, 1946) is an American actor, producer, and political activist. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Danny Glover, numerous accolades including the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian A ...

; 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, ...

, 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 Segun was born on 24 September 1965 to Lydia Padonou in Onitsha, Anambra State. He is the eldest of seven children. He hails from Badagry, ...

, Dejumo Lewis, Matilda Obaseki,

Gideon Okeke Gideon Okeke is a Nigerians, 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, M-NET TV series ...

Yemi Blaq Yemi Blaq (; born 1978; né Folayemi Olatunji, ) is a Nigerian film actor, songwriter, and model. Early life and education Yemi was born to Olatunji Blaq in Ondo State, Nigeria. Yemi Blaq was raised in Lagos where he attended and completed ...

and

Femi Branch Femi Branch (born May 14, 1970) is a Nigerian actor, director, producer and politician who contested for deputy governor during the 2023 general election in Ogun state. Early life Branch was born on May 14, 1970. His parents were teachers in Sa ...

. 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 at a Lagos Hospital. It stars Bimbo Akintola, Da ...

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

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, helped stop the spread of the

Ebola virus ''Orthoebolavirus zairense'' or 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 vira ...

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, Nigeria. She studied at Maryland Convent Private School in Lagos State. ...

Seun Ajayi Seun Ajayi is a Nigerian actor. He is a native of Ijebu Ibefun, Ogun State, Nigeria. He is known for his role in the television series '' Hustle.'' Ajayi was born on 31 March in Kaduna, the Northern part of Nigeria and is the last child among f ...

, 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 is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. The movie, alongside two others ("''

Isoken ''Isoken'' is a 2017 Nigerian romantic comedy-drama 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 distrib ...

''" 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 most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

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 is a northern states of Nigeria, Nigerian state. It is located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Th ...

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 directed by Chris Obi Rapu, written by Kenneth Nnebue and Okechukwu Ogunjiofor, produced by Ogunjiofor, and sponsored by Jafac Wine. The film starred Kenneth Okonkwo and Nnenna ...

''", 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 direc ...

, 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 6 November 1968) is a Nigerian actor, lawyer and politician, known for his role in the movie '' Living in Bondage'' as Andy Okeke. He was born in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria, to Ozioko Francis Okonkwo and Beatrice Okonkwo. ...

, Kanayo O. Kanayo and

Bob-Manuel Udokwu Bob-Manuel Obidimma Udokwu (born 18 April 1967) is a Nigerian actor, movie director, producer and politician. Udokwu was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 2013 Nollywood Movies Awards for his role in the film '' Adesuwa'' (20 ...

, Enyinna Nwigwe 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 The ''Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards'' (AMVCA) are a set of accolades presented by MultiChoice recognizing outstanding achievement in television and film across Africa,, through an annual ceremony hosted in the Exhibition Center of the Eko ...

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 Mint (candy), mints made by Cadbury, 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 in ...

, in support to the Nigerian Movie Industry.

Quotes

Filmography

References

External links

Steve Gukas
on

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...