“The Weekend,” a film directed by DanielOriahi, premiered yesterday, June 9th, at the ongoing Tribeca Film Festival in New York. This groundbreaking film holds a special distinction: it’s the first independently produced Nollywood film ever selected for the festival’s final lineup, chosen from a record-breaking 13,016 submissions.
Written by EgbemaweiDimiyeiSammy,VanessaKanu and Freddie O Anyaegbunam Jr., and produced by UcheOkocha, “The Weekend” tells the story of Nikya, an orphan who has finally found a family in her fiancé, Luke. One wish remains: to meet his parents and extended family. However, Luke has been estranged from them for over a decade and is hesitant to reconnect. Filled with a longing for connection, Nikya pushes him to reconcile with his past and soon they are off to Luke’s childhood home. While there Nikya learns that family baggage can be harder to stomach than she assumed.
The cast includes Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Bucci Franklin, EkpenyongBasseyInyang, Meg Otanwa, GloriaAnozie–Young, Damilola Ogunsi, JamesGardiner and BryanOkoye.
Director Daniel Oriahi expressed his excitement at its premiere: “Today, marks the start of our remarkable history. The weekend film premieres today 9th of June, 2024, in the midnight section of the Tribeca festival which runs through June 16. Subsequent screenings of our film are on the 11th and 15th of June. We are beyond thrilled about this milestone we have achieved. Thanks to our team of pacesetters and the Tribeca Festival for recognising our art.”
<img src="https://www.mtlblog.com/media-library/a-canadian-flag-waving-in-front-of-a-mountain-backdrop-illustrative.jpg?id=53778395&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=240%2C0%2C240%2C0"/><br/><br/><p>Canada may be known for its warm hospitality and friendly vibes, but according to a <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/montreal-ranked-best-cities-in-the-world-cn-traveler-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new global ranking</a>, none of our cities are quite welcoming enough to scratch the top 10 friendliest in the world for 2024.</p><p>In this year's <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/canada-ranked-best-countries-in-the-world-cn-traveler-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards</a>, not a single Canadian spot earned a place in the ranking of friendliest cities in the world — a stark contrast to last year, when Canadian cities absolutely dominated, snagging four spots in the top five. So, what changed?</p><p>"Last year, Canadian cities received the most votes, although 2024 saw the spotlight move across the border to the US, with New York, Chicago and Las Vegas all ranking in the top 10," <a href="https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/friendliest-cities-in-world-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Condé Nast Traveller says</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/the-most-friendly-cities-in-the-world-ranked-canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In 2023</a>, Calgary took the top spot as the friendliest city in the whole world, with Edmonton and Victoria close on its tail in 2nd and 3rd place, respectively. Meanwhile, Quebec City wasn't far behind in the #5 spot. But this year, Canadian cities were conspicuously absent from the list altogether.</p><p>Still, despite Canada's absence from the city rankings, the country itself made it to number five on the list of the <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/canada-ranked-friendliest-countries-to-visit-cn-traveller-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">world's friendliest countries for 2024</a> — proving that the nation's reputation for kindness and warmth is alive and well, even if our cities don't get the same love.</p><p><span></span>The Readers' Choice Awards rely on votes from "thousands" of travellers from the U.K., focusing on how welcome they felt in each destination. Readers consider everything from how easy it was to get around to how helpful the locals were and what the vibes were like in each city, according to the outlet.</p><p>So, who beat us? Here's the full list of the friendliest cities in the world for 2024:</p><ol><li>Singapore</li><li>Sydney, Australia</li><li>Las Vegas, USA</li><li>Bangkok, Thailand</li><li>Cape Town, South Africa</li><li>Tokyo, Japan</li><li>Marrakech, Morocco</li><li>Hong Kong</li><li>Chicago, USA</li><li>New York, USA</li></ol><p><em>Love this? Check out our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/notices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MTL Blog noticeboard</a> for details on jobs, benefits, travel info and more!</em><br/></p><p><em>AI tools may have been used to support the creation or distribution of this content; however, it has been carefully edited and fact-checked by a member of MTL Blog's Editorial team. For more information on our use of AI, please visit our <a href="https://www.mtlblog.com/editorial-standards" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Editorial Standards page</a>.</em></p>
Former GOC of the Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army and current security strategist, Retired Maj. Gen. Danjuma Ali-Keffi, has warned that Nigeria’s worsening security…
