Interview With Film Producer Samuel Nkwume
When Samuel Nkwume was 11 years old in Nigeria, he watched Kubrick’s The Shining for the first time. He was mesmerized. From then on, Samuel he wanted to be a filmmaker, but there weren’t many opportunities in Nigeria. After college, Samuel worked as an accountant by day and wrote reviews of Nigeria’s Nollywood films at night. After one year, he applied to film school, flew to Burbank, and never worked as an accountant again. Samuel may be the only one who actually likes L.A. traffic – at least it moves, he says, as opposed to traffic back home. Samuel has won “Best Director” and “Best Thriller” awards on the festival circuit and is bringing Game of Fear, his newest thriller, to a wider audience. If you liked Run with Sara Paulson, or Disturbia with Viola Davis, keep an eye out for Game of Fear.
Continue reading for an exclusive interview.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got started working in the film industry?
I started my journey in Nigeria as an accountant. In the day, I worked as an auditor and at night I wrote movie reviews for a blog. After about a year of working after college, I realized I had to take the brave step of going into the film industry to do what I wanted. I quit my job, moved to Los Angeles for film school and that was how my career started
What initially inspired you to become a producer?
I’ve always wanted to tell stories and be creative. Growing up, I would spend a lot of time watching behind the scenes for movies. I found it so intriguing. I knew I wanted to be part of the creative process of making a film. I wasn’t exactly sure what part of production I wanted to be involved in at the time. This will all become clear eventually.
Can you tell us about some of the projects you've worked on?
I majorly work on thrillers. From psychological thrillers to action thrillers. Just wrapped up principal photography for an action thriller feature titled “The Sweepers”, scheduled for a September 10th, 2022 release. It is a movie following a matriarch mother of a family of assassins falling ill, her three children and boyfriend fight among themselves to take over the empire.
Where are you hoping to take your career next?
With exciting projects going into production in 2022, I hope to reach a larger audience so people can see, connect and learn from my stories.
Do you have any advice for people wanting to get into producing themselves?
Networking is a key component in the business. A referral goes a long way. Keep up a good ethic, be nice to everyone, and NETWORK. You can’t just sit in your house regardless of how good your work is, because no one will see it or notice you.
Do you have any current projects we can look out for?
Presently in the development stage, is a project I’ve been working on for about a year. A psychological thriller titled “Game Of Fear” Game of Fear is about a haunted, agoraphobic teen, who must confront his fear of the outside world, in order to reveal the truth behind the mysterious death of a family member.
Not only does this movie shed light on Agoraphobia, but it is guaranteed to take the viewer on a roller-coaster swing of emotions.
Where can we learn more about you and your work?
You can learn more about me and my work through my website www.samuelnkwume.com
Imdb - imdb.me/samuelnkwume
Instagram - @samuel_nk