June 5, 2013 
Here comes a Nollywood Director to watch out for in 2013.
The talented director Chika Uche who’s grandfather (His Royal Highness Eze) was a community chief, hails from a small community of Igwuruta in River State.
Chika Uche (a.k.a. Dudu) is a Belgium based Producer, Director and Actor. The exposure of Chika, to these forms of creative and performing arts made acting and creativity a way of life for the youngster.
The Inspirations
Fired by these artistic influences, Chika churned out his first script writing aged 14. He joined the school dramatic society. Impatient with the way the dramatic society was being run, he planned and executed his first “coupe d’état” against the President and assembled his first drama crew. At the age of 16, guided by this strong artistic heritage he made his first drama debut called „Udungwo”, a work that he still cherishes till date. Unique about Udungwo is the fact that it included a number of local men and women as figurants giving it a note of authenticity. “In my mind’s eyes, even today, especially today, long after some of them have joined the ancestors, I still see those men and women of Igwuruta as they placed their hands over my head in a prayer of good fortune on the day the drama made its debut on the village square” Chika remembered with melancholy.
Going Professional
Convinced that film-making was no one-night stand, Uche Chika pursued further studies in Belgium in other to realize his passion and dream for Film-Making. Meanwhile his love of script-writing took the better of him that today he has some 5 films in varying stages of film development. These are: I killed a ghost, Trapped Abroad, Add more time, The black cowboy, And The Same Day which is currently being produced.
Having professionalized in film production in Belgium, Chika Uche landed a role in the Netherlands movie marketplace where he played a big role in the film entitled Amsterdam Heavy. In 2011 he acted side-by-side such big Hollywood international notable actors like Michael Madsen, Rik Sinkeldam, Alison Carroll and others. His role preference goes to hardcore bad guy. His looks, but not his nature, confirms the bad guy image that he plays so well in his movies.
Driven by the words of Albert Einstein that “all that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual” Chika did not sit at home waiting for movie opportunities to fall on his laps. He went out in search of knowledge and per chance came across a professional movie production training at the Flanders training institute “Syntra West” where he immediately showed exceptional talent in movie directing. He passed out of Syntra West in flying colours. Chika literally stepped into hard-core movie directing immediately out of movie school.
Ongoing work
The creative mind of Chika is continuously at work. Though he has five movie scripts at different stages of development “The Same Day” is priority. Based on a true story involving a family member currently doing time in jail, The Same Day captures the lure of drugs trafficking, violence, betrayal, prostitution and related vices as played out in the Belgian coastal City of Ostend where by choice 99% of the movie is being filmed.
Challenges
New entrants into the movie industry are faced with the Herculean task of finances or sponsorship. With no track records of movie production experience, it is difficult, maybe even impossible to find sponsors. When you do find one, they are likely to ask for a pound of your flesh. Above all, you got to think of attracting and retaining the good actors. All these make venturing into the industry impossibility except of course you have a deep pocket. And deep pocket is exactly what Chika did not have. This is where the creative talent and previous good will come to play. It is amazing how much the industry opens their minds to accepting my story and prepared to work with me pro bono. “From day one, I was able to attract excellent actors, who believe in the project and saw this as a collective enterprise” revealed Chika. 95 percent of the scenes were filmed in Ostend, Uche Chika’s adopted home. Location owners have generally donated their spaces for the film’s use in exchange for credit on the film. Thus a huge budget post came into the production in kind and not cash.
CUD Movies and Nollywood
Uche Chika’s ethnic-cultural background, as Nigerian in Europe, would be a hindrance, under regular circumstances, in making a breakthrough. But not in his case. His crew was interested from the start in his ethnic-minority story and through the collaborative venture with him, is excited at the prospect of discovering the huge Nollywood market. It has been remarked elsewhere that Nigerians are comfortable and confident aligning Nollywood to Bollywood and Hollywood. This is something that Uche Chika has had to grapple with. The lure is huge and the temptation to want to immediately grapple into the Nollywood world is real. But not as far Uche Chika is concerned. “As Nigerian producer, actor and director operating out of Europe, it’s impossible not to notice and be enticed by the realizations of Nollywood” Chika enthused “but it’s important to tread carefully. At present, my firm, CUD Movies International, offers limited consulting services to Nollywood based firms in areas such as location sourcing for scenes in Europe, local knowledge consulting in terms of advisory on European cultural and legislative matters” added Chika. CUD Movies has consciously decided to take on only limited consulting assignments for Nollywood at present in consideration of its on-going production work. Ultimately, the CUD Movies crew is positively disposed to a more assertive presence in the Nigerian movie industry.
Extra-Curricular
Uche Chika can very easily be regarded as a workaholic but one that also loves life. When Uche Chika is not on set, he is among friends and family. He makes up for the numerous hours he invests into his movie work by spending quality time with his wife, Blessing and their four children at the beautiful Belgian coastal city of Ostend that has been home to him for the past 10 years. Apart from partying to relax, Uche Chika enjoys fitness and body-building to keep body and soul together.
To Contact Chika Please see below:
CUD Movies International
Website: www.chikauche.com
Diamond Celebrities 
nice one