A community of filmmakers
The Nollywood Workshops was founded by a team of filmmakers based in the United States and Nigeria.
Aimee Corrigan, Managing Director
Aimee Corrigan is the Managing Directer of Nollywood Workshops. Her most recent Nollywood Workshops project is spearheading a partnering with Lagos State Government on the Nollywood Upgrade Project, an initiative to support sustainable growth in the Nigerian Film Industry through training, capacity building and innovation in film financing and distribution.
Bond Emeruwa, Co-Director
Bond is a prolific Director who has produced over 35 films. Bond currently serves as the Chairman of the Coalition of Nollywood Guilds and Associations (CONGA). He served two terms as the President of the Director’s Guild of Nigeria.
Bond travels internationally as an ambassador for Nollywood, and was a fellow at TED Global in Tanzania in 2007. Bond was the producer of the film “Check Point,” which was featured in the documentary “This is Nollywood.” Bond is currently in post-production for the NW’s first Nollywood feature film, “Hidden Hunger” which includes a storyline related to child nutrition and women’s empowerment.
Robert Caputo, Co-Founder
Bob Caputo co-produced the documentary “This is Nollywood” with Executive Producer Franco Sacchi in 2007. After a career with National Geographic largely focused on stories in Africa, he came away convinced that Nollywood offers hope for a country and continent with too few positive stories. The experience inspired him to develop the Nollywood Workshops to offer peer-to-peer training to support local filmmakers in making a difference in their communities.
Bob recently produced a National Geographic Special about the Fenway Park centennial that was broadcast on PBS March 26, 2012. In addition to ongoing documentary projects for National Geographic and other broadcasters, he also produces films about development projects in Africa, such as child nutrition and pastoral risk management programs.
As a veteran filmmaker and photojournalist for National Geographic TV and Magazine, Bob’s work has ranged from documenting traditional cultures and wildlife to covering wars, famines, and political strife. Assignments in Africa, Asia, South and North America included text and stories about the Nile, Congo, and Orinoco Rivers, HIV/AIDS in Uganda, and an in-depth look at the troubled Horn of Africa. He was also the subject of a National Geographic Explorer film, “Zaire River Journey.”
He has won awards from NPPA (National Press Photographers Association) Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation (The Lowell Thomas Award). His photographs have been displayed internationally in the exhibition “Odyssey: The Art of Photography at National Geographic.” Solo shows: “Horn of Africa” in Perpignan, France, “Recent Works” in Birmingham, Alabama, and “Shoot to Thrill” at the Delaware Museum of Natural History. Bob holds a BFA from New York University Film School. www.robertcaputo.com
Franco Sacchi, Co-Founder
Born in Zambia, Franco directed, and co-produced with Robert Caputo, the documentary “This is Nollywood,” which inspired the creation of the Nollywood Workshops. Franco directs and produces films for NGOs and universities with a focus on economic development and Africa. He is committed to film education, and has developed curricula and served as an instructor in workshops all over the world. He currently teaches editing and directing and is filmmaker in residence at the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University.
Franco directs, produces, and edits independent documentaries on a range of topical subjects. His feature length documentary “Waiting for Armageddon” was released theatrically and on DVD in 2010, the product of a grant from Sundance Documentary Institute and the Foundation for Jewish Culture. His 2007 documentary “This is Nollywood,” won the Audience Award at the Abuja International Film Festival (Nigeria) and was broadcast internationally. “American Eunuchs,” his first feature length documentary as director/producer/editor, aired on the Sundance Channel in the US and was an official selection in dozens of film festivals including the prestigious International Documentary Film festival in Amsterdam (IDFA). Between 2002 and 2005 Franco collaborated with numerous news magazines of RAI International (Italian Public Television) as a reporter/producer/editor. Franco graduated in political science at the University of Bologna. He received a Masters of Arts in Visual Arts at Emerson College in Boston, MA. www.francosacchi.com
Amy Wray, Producer/Director
During her career as an Emmy Award winning film producer for National Geographic and other television broadcast companies, Amy traveled extensively to make films about scientific and cultural subjects. She recently co-produced a National Geographic Special on the centennial of Fenway Park for broadcast on PBS March 26, 2012. She also recently produced National Geographic Wild’s 5th rated show for 2011, “Lions Vs. Cheetahs,” about the rivalry between the big cats in Tanzania’s Serengeti.
Her career has included public relations and program development work with non-profits including Greenpeace and The Sierra Club. In addition to producing documentaries, she also does business development and marketing consulting.