November 12, (THEWILL) – Socialite turned preacher, Anuli Ajagu, has returned to Nollywood, 30 years after she left the industry to join her husband’s business concern while also strutting the Lagos social scene.
Now based in Canada, she is returning, through Brampton Productions and RevAnuli Inc, with a movie titled, ‘Praise Party,’ an exciting family-friendly Nollywood film, billed to hit the cinemas this weekend.
The star-studded movie boasts an exceptional cast, including Kunle Remi, Keppy Ekpenyong, Eberechukwu Bayray Nwizu, Tina Mba, Sola Fosudu, Chioma Nwosu, Arinze Okonkwo, among others.
Written and produced by Ajagu herself and directed by Obi Martins, a US-based thespian, ‘Praise Party’ illustrates the dynamics of mental and emotional trauma. Set in Nigeria, it also highlights the importance of community, seeking professional help and how taking responsibility, counselling, faith, courage and forgiveness can be therapeutic; bringing healing and restoration to hurting souls. The movie, which began garnering international accolades way ahead of its cinematic release on July 8th won the coveted ‘Best International Film,’ at the prestigious Charlotte Black Film Festival, North Carolina.
The film was also an official selection and screened at the Canada China International Film Festival (CCIFF) opening weekend, on July 15, 2023, in Montreal Canada.
On August 31, at the CCIFF closing gala awards in Montreal, Ajagu was awarded ‘Best Producer,’ for ‘Praise Party.’ Fresh out of the university, she wrote and produced a stage production called ‘Painful Silhouette,’ directed by a friend and co-thespian, Victor Dugga. It was a contemporary play, a ticketed event and people showed up, including the General Manager of Plateau Radio Television at the time, Leo Keyen. The performance received a standing ovation and spontaneous recognition from Keyen. He offered her an opportunity to collaborate with the Plateau Radio Television Corporation (PRTC) as a scriptwriter, and to come up with 13 episodes of scripts with exciting moral messages like she had done with ‘Painful Silhouette.’
That stint was, however, short-lived, having been interrupted by political instability in Nigeria, forcing her and her family to relocate to Lagos from Jos, North-Central Nigeria, in 1993. While working behind the scenes as a props personnel at the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Lagos, fate landed her a role in the then newly launched soap opera, ‘Fortunes.’ Ajagu’s portrayal of Gloria alongside Ramsey Nouah’s character made her a household name.
Following this, in 1995, Ajagu took a break from the entertainment industry to start a family and focus on other things. Alongside her husband, Rev Ausbeth Ajagu, they both became a recurring decimal on the social circuit and graced frequent covers of magazines until they both disappeared from the scene. Now in her 50s, she picked up her dream of over three decades and fanned its spark into a flame.
A prolific writer, she has over 300 published articles in various media including columns that she wrote for National Dailies and Magazines in Nigeria.
In addition to making inroads into Nollywood, Anuli is a minister of the gospel and is the President of Divine Heritage Gospel Ministry. Her husband, Ausbeth now leads a prayer network called Pentium Global Prayer Network, under Pentium Ministries which he runs.
About the Author
