7 Reasons African Female Directors Rock

(Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN)--African cinema is booming. The continent is awash with creative minds with a flair for storytelling who are bringing life to local stories and sharing them across the globe -- from gripping thrillers and intensely-emotional dramas to celebrations of musical heritage and biopics.

We spoke to seven great female directors from Africa to ask them what they love most about their work -- and why you should too.

Oscars Recognizes Nollywood for Awards Category

Ahead of the 2015 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has approved a 12-man committee of Nollywood stakeholders, the Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee (NOSC), to consider Nigerian entries for the world's most prestigious awards for films.

Each year, countries with an approved selection committee may submit one film for consideration for the Foreign Language Film Award Oscar; only five films are chosen from all international submissions for Academy members to cast their votes and choose a winning foreign language film.

"This is a great opportunity for Nigeria to have a voice in the international film arena," said Chineze Anyaene, filmmaker and committee chairperson.

The NOSC members comprise of outstanding professionals who have over time proved their mettle as some of the finest in the movie industry. They include Chineze Anyaene, Ngozi Okafor, Olumide Amure, Ramsey Nouah, Kene Mkparu, Emeka Mba, Chioma Ude, Akin Salami, Mildred Okwo, Biola Alabi, Charles Novia and Shaibu Husseini.

According to Academy rules, the members will consider submissions on seven criteria, which are: story, direction, acting, cinematography, sound, music and universal theme.

Shaibu Husseini, another member of the board agrees. "The Nollywood film industry needs to play globally so people will begin to look towards us."

London School of Economics Screens First Nollywood Movie

(Entertainment Express)--"This is definitely a cheering news for all lovers of the Nigerian motion picture industry globally known as Nollywood. Recently, the prestigious and famously revered London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), United Kingdom, proudly screened its first ever Nollywood movie, Ije: The Journey...to its multiracial students and stakeholders."

"The Nollywood-Los Angeles collaboration, produced and directed by youthful Chineze Anyaene, a multiple-award winning filmmaker,  was shown at the Global Media and Communications post-graduate program's weekly interaction. The duo of Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji are the lead acts in the pulsating and suspense-filled flick. The diverse audience in attendance at the event in the Graham Wallace Room, spanned four continents (Africa, Asia, Europe and North America). Also in attendance was the Program Director, Prof. Terhi Rantanen.

"At the post-screening discussion afterwards, the viewers, most of whom were encountering Nollywood for the first time, offered pointed and critical reviews of the film. They discussed its framing of contemporary socio-cultural issues of transnational migration, legal justice, gender representation, identity, stereotypes and family, among others.  Some expressed