Blessing Egbe’s 40M Film, “The Ten Virgins” Hits Cinemas On Friday
Film producer and director, Blessing Egbe is back with a new film “The Ten Virgins”; a metaphoric and biblical representation of the biblical parable of The Ten Virgins.
Ready to screen in cinemas nationwide on Friday, waiting fans cannot help but wonder amidst the excitement, how the film will be different from other projects produced by the ex-model in the past.
Speaking with eelive.ng exclusively, Blessing Egbe clarified, “The Ten Virgins is far different from anything I have done. The magnitude and scale of production for the Ten Virgins is huge. The technical input and output for this is far better than the others. The look and feel, language, setting, costumes, everything…is not the usual.”
What people don’t know for sure is how much the project cost to make. Luckily, Ms Egbe was not shy about divulging information on the budget with us.
On whether or not the film was a high budget one and in response to the amount it cost, she said: “Yes indeed. It is a high budget film. Over 40 million naira has gone into the film. The cast is huge. We constructed a lot of the locations used. The costumes took a big chunk of our budget because we tried to do our best to be realistic. This is not to speak about the vfx/Special effects, the music, and art direction also gulped a great percentage. Likewise, the post production process. We achieved what we set out to despite all the negatives that come with working under these climes.”
On her intention behind making the film, she stated: “The objective of The Ten Virgins is to simply to speak to some of our lost values and hopefully get viewers to reconsider their ways. In these times…the virtues and values of patience, faithfulness, hope and perseverance is lacking, and this is my own little way of evangelism. It is my hope that when people watch it, beneath all the entertainment, the message behind it all will not be lost.”
A preview of the film reveals few new artistes playing prominent roles in the film, a surprising move for a film of its magnitude. Describing the motivation to take the gamble and intimating on who the new faces are, she said: “A gamble it is really? One that is now threatening the success of the film. Cinema bookers and viewers must understand that, familiar faces are not only what sells a film. The content and execution of it should greatly matter. I chose to use 98% of new actors for The Ten virgins because like always, I aim to achieve the factor of belief.
“There are stories where one must not compromise, and this was such. The actors that made it to The Ten Virgins cast list are well rounded talented actors. They could sing, dance and act. This was a must criterion which we adhered to greatly. I absolutely do not regret my choice despite the odds that come with it,” she said.
Does the writer cum producer think “The Ten Virgins” will take her role as a director to a new level? She replies in agreement, “Yes. I would say This film took my role as a director to a new level. The process even made me a better director and producer. I stretched my creative self to the max in the hope to achieve a worthy offering. I selected and worked with some of the best hands in the industry and it sure paid off. I worked tirelessly for many months for the ten virgins to happen.
“Some of the naysayers who speak of women directors as a bunch of lucky people who use their feminine privileges to get things done will eat their words as the ten virgins screams CREATIVITY and HARDWORK,” she added.
