Ali Nuhu announces NFC partnership with Cinematheque Suisse and Arsenal Berlin to digitise Shaihu Umar and Kulba Na Barna for future generations

Ali Nuhu, Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), has announced a new international partnership aimed at preserving key works from Nigeria’s cinematic history.

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The collaboration involves Cinematheque Suisse and the Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Art in Berlin, Germany.

The initiative will focus on digitising two classic Nigerian films to ensure their preservation for future generations.

In a post shared on Instagram on Thursday, Nuhu expressed pride in the partnership, describing it as a significant step toward safeguarding Nigeria’s audiovisual heritage.

The films selected for digitisation are Shaihu Umar and Kulba Na Barna.

Shaihu Umar, adapted from a Hausa novel, tells the story of a young boy taken into slavery who later reunites with his family.

According to Nuhu, the film imparts lessons about patience, faith, and justice.

Kulba Na Barna, a 1992 northern Nigerian classic, carries a strong moral narrative about how individual choices impact lives and communities.

Nuhu noted that digitising these films will strengthen the National Film, Video and Sound Archive the repository of Nigeria’s audiovisual records and make the classics more accessible to younger audiences.

He also acknowledged the support of the Nigerian Embassy in Germany in facilitating cultural exchange.

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Established in 1979, the Nigerian Film Corporation is mandated to support film production, training, archiving, and international partnerships, while preserving thousands of films and recordings that document Nigeria’s cultural and social history.