Nollywood, Nigerian Air Force collaborate on Eagle Wings

Eagle Wings, a story about the bravery of Nigerian Airforce soldiers and their fight against insurgency in the northern part of Nigeria, has finally hit cinemas across the country.

The film, which features Nollywood stars such as, Eyinna Nwigwe, Femi Jacobs, Francis Duru, the late Sadiq Daba, Keppy Ekpenyong, Paul Apel Papel and a host of others, which was premiered at the Blue Pictures Cinema, Lagos City Mall, is produced and directed by Paul Apel Papel, a Colorado film school-trained filmmaker, who also learnt from the renowned Teco Benson.

According to him, “this movie shows the sacrifice and patriotism of the Nigerian Air Force in the fight against insurgency and gives hope.”

Speaking further, Papel said, with the film, “Nigerians will appreciate how much sacrifices soldiers make to ensure we have the peace we are experiencing. We have seen first-hand, what they go through and if we begin to appreciate them, they will do more.” He noted, “in this film, we won the fight, that is how we are going to win in real life.”

Papel also talked about the challenge of shooting this movie. His words: “Every movie has its own challenge, but we were privileged to have the support of the Nigeria Air Force. NAF set up a committee that trained and also worked with our people and whatever we needed, they gave to us. But the terrain was tough for us, as the actors were doing a type of movie they had not done before. It was very tasking on them and the whole crew. It was also a learning curve for me. We are happy we scaled through all the challenges and made a great movie.

“The movie is world standard and has the right sound and images. It was beautifully told. You will be entertained, generally. It was shot using the Atlaslensco Orion 2x anamorphic lenses on the Alexa mini cameras, which are actually calibrated for cinemas, you are going to get the same feeling you get watching American movies.”

Also present at the event was the representative of Nigerian Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal, Uche Nwagwu, the managing director of the Nigerian Air Force Investment Limited, who confirmed the partnership between the Air Force and the Papel Productions to bring to light the resilience and dedication of the Nigerian Air Force.

“The movie brings to the fore, an epic tale of the fight for life, peace and love for our great nation. This moving story captures the efforts, sacrifices and impact of the Nigerian Air Force, and indeed, the armed forces of Nigeria, in our collective fight against the twin evil of terrorism and insurgency to which a lot of people have paid a heavy price.”

The lead actor, Nwigwe, who played the role of an air force pilot trying to escape being caught by insurgents was also present at the premiere. He spoke about his experience and the challenge of interpreting a role he was new to.

“The experience shooting this movie was amazing. We shot across different Air Force bases in Kaduna, Abuja and Maiduguri. We had no fear of security and had access to everything we needed, the fighter jets, automated rifles, man power, etc. It was very demanding for me as an actor, because I had to make choices that would match the excellence of the Air Force training over the years but I had to convey it on the spot, perfectly.

“This film is going to show Nigerians what is happening in the fight against insurgency and what our military is going through to keep us safe, the sacrifices, their humanity and what their families go through while they are in the frontline. It’s an amazing experience I won’t trade for anything. This movie is a national treasure that should be cherished, I am very confident about how it will do in the cinema.”