Florence Uwaeme
The National Film and Video Censors Board has reacted to the outrage from Nigerian Twitter users who are demanding that the Film, ‘Sugar Rush’ be brought back to the big screen.
The film which hit the big screen on the 25th of December 2019, is said to have been banned from further screening.
This, however, has caused Social Media users clamouring for its return with a #bringSugarRushback hashtag.
Reacting to the outrage, NFVCB in a statement on its Instagram page explained that the rationale behind the suspension was as a result of the expiration of the movie’s temporary exhibition approval.
Although there are speculations that the film was banned because of its depiction of the tyrannic Nigerian government, the statement from the NFVCB’s boss debunked such assertions.
In his statement, he said “It has been brought to our #BringBackSugarRush Is currently gaining momentum on Twitter with many speculating a ban on the movie ‘Sugar Rush’ and presuming the supposed action as a sign of government’s intention to stifle creativity.
Also Read: Burna Boy Wins Big At The 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards
This is however not the case as the President Muhammad Buhari led administration is rather in support of the creative industry and has been promoting it as o e of the avenues to diversify the nation’s economic base.
The movie has not just significantly increased box office revenues within a short period but has improved our Cinematic culture which are a sine qua non for attracting the investment we so much desire as a nation.
I, however, take responsibility for the gap in communication and the delay in granting final approval as the temporary approval given for the movie exhibition expired before we could release an official statement due to my preoccupation with extant responsibilities and a backlog of movies requiring approval as a result of the December rush.
I am currently working with the distributor, producer, director and key actors to grant final approval for the resumed exhibition at cinemas.
All hands are on deck and we are committed to serving your entertainment needs within the ambits of the law.”
