Amayo Ụzọ Philips

AMAYO UZO PHILIPS [HIGHPRIEST]
MOVIE SCRIPT/SONG WRITER, PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR

Amayo Uzo Philips, fondly called High priest by his friends and fans was born to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Philip and Salome Iheagwu of Umuokpara, Akwakuma, Okporo in Orlu Local Government Area, of Imo State. He attended the then Christ Church Primary School, Uwani Enugu. [Now Uwani River Primary School] 1972, Awo idemili community Secondary School, Awo Idemili in Orsu Local Gvt Area, 1977, and the university of Jos from where he graduated in 1984 with a B.A. in Theatre Arts.
His National Youth Service took him to Lagos state where he helped to start the now NYSC drama group that has widely spread today.
As a student in University of Jos, Amayo Uzo Philips was strongly involved with the television and became part of most popular Nigerian National Television programs such as ‘cockcrow at Dawn’ and ‘Caravan of Life’. After his Youth service in 1985, he got fully involved with theatre practice at the National Theatre Iganmu, Lagos becoming a member of the then ANANSA play house. He performed in great stage plays like Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall apart’, Ola Rotimi’s ‘The Gods Are Not to blame’, Our husband has gone mad again, Out from the river, Kongi’s Harvest’ and the adaptation of Elechi Amadi’s ‘Concubine’ which he performed with the National Troup in 1998.
He is a renowned playwright, doing both stage and screen plays. In 1987, because the theatre practice was yielding little or nothing financially, he left for his home state of Imo, after playing a major role in ‘SOUNDS OF DESTINY’ the National television drama program that replaced ‘Cockcrow at dawn’, produced by the ace broadcaster Mike Enahoro.
Back in Imo State, Amayo Uzo Philips, veered into poultry and fishery businesses and prospered in them, yet the theatre bug did not allow him any peace until he ran back to Lagos in 1997 to grid back into his professional calling in Nollywood. Amayo Uzo Philips has successfully become a brand name, having made remarkable impacts in the movie making industry as one of the foremost screenplay writer, producer and director. He is reputed for the discovery and projections into lime light of the two Nigerian movie icons, CHINEDU IKEDIEZE [Aki] and OSITA IHEME [Popo] with his now rated an ‘All Times Movie’ AKI NA UKWA. He has made more than 300 successful movies, including ‘Sacred Tradition’ in which he wrote the most celebrated traditional song ‘DINTA’
Amayo Uzo Philips has served in various Associations and guilds in Nollywood as follows:
South East coordinator for Screen Writers Guild of Nigeria {SWGN} 1999- 2009
Chairman Enugu State Chapter of the Association of Movie Producers [AMP] 2000 – 2009
South East coordinator for the Directors Guild of Nigeria [DGN] 2003 - date
Member, task force on implementation for Director Guild of Nigeria [DGN] 2003 – date
Chairman South East for the Association of Nollywood Core producers [ANCOP] 2008 - date
South East coordinator for the African Movies Academy Award [AMAA] 2008
Member , movie screening college for the African Movie Academy Award [AMAA] 2008
Founder and National President of OMENIGBO, the Association in Nollywood that is crusading for the return to Igbo language movies.
His awards include:-
BEST SCRIPT WRITER 2001 [FESTINA/NANTAP Lagos]
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR 2007 – Papyrus International Magazine Makurdi. Benue State
NOLLYWOOD OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY AWARD [NOPA] 2010 – Association of Nollywood Movie Journalists
NOLLYWOOD AMBASSADOR AWARD 2011 – Igbo Film Forum
AMBASSADOR ON ENTERTAINMENT/BEST MOVIE DIRECTOR 2011 - 9JA TV & Crystal Moments of South Africa
BEST DIRECTOR IN AFRICA 2012 – ARIK/NAFCA, people’s Choice Awards. North Carolina USA.
PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD 2012 – Rotary International, District 9140 Imo State
E-GOLD AWARD 2012 GERMANY

Amayo Uzo Philips is happily married to Mrs. Nkechinyere Amayo Philips with four beautiful children and is the C.E.O. of WHITE THRONE FILMS LTD, a movie production and distribution company that is based in Imo State.
In his words, …’I am in Nollywood to seek, discover and make movie stars’