Ini Edo who is presently the Special Assistant on Culture & Tourism to Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, spoke recently on her latest movie production, Heaven on My Mind, in partnership with fellow actress, Uche Jombo and the upcoming elections.
Asked why she chose to go into production, the beautiful actress said, “I think I’m one of the first actors who started movie production. I also think I’m one of the first actors who took their films to cinema. I don’t know if you remember when I did I Will Take My Chances with Emem Isong. And that’s also what gave birth to a new actor, Bryan Okwara. That’s the way I give back to the industry. When you’ve been in an industry for a long time and all you did were things that were handed over to you by others, and you think things should be done in a certain way, you would want to be part of that change you want to see. Now, there’s a journey that’s already on and that’s the cinema culture. When I did I Will Take My Chances, we did not have a lot of cinematographers in Nigeria, so we brought in cinematographers from Hollywood and that was because we wanted to do something different and meet up with international standards. But today, we have so many cinematographers in Nigeria. It cost us so much but it was the beginning of something and now everybody is on it. You just don’t sit down and expect things to be done magically; be part of the change you want to see and you’ll get there somehow. See what’s going on today in the industry.
I am proud and grateful to God that I was able to play a role. When we did Knocking On Heaven’s Door, what a lot of people don’t know was that the story just fell on my laps. The owners of that project wanted me to produce it and I brought Emem Isong in and they wanted me to play the lead character and we were going to do the entire song miming thing. For sure I can’t sing so I insisted on using a new actor; they actually wanted me and another guy with a known face but I insisted on bringing in a totally new person on board and that’s what gave rise to Adesua Etomi and Blossom Chukwujekwu. That was their first jobs but today see who they are. I just feel very privileged to make such impact even though it may not be so celebrated but it just feels good to know that I’ve been able to do this. The latest one with Uche Jombo, Heaven On My Mindis mind-blowing.”
Speaking on the 2019 general elections set to hold in February, she continued, “Stay safe and if you must go out to vote, vote right and vote wise. Stay out of trouble. Don’t allow yourself to be used by any politician and avoid anything that can bring you pain and discomfort.”
Ini Edo was born 23 April 1982 in Akwa Ibom. She is a Nigerian actress. She began her film career in 2000, and has featured in more than 100 movies since that time. In 2013, she was a judge for the Miss Black Africa Uk Pageant. The United Nations appointed her as the United Nations Habitat Youth Envoy in 2011.
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