When Bridget John came to a University of North Georgia Open House this past summer, she asked questions at the theatre department table and said she had decided to return to school to study acting. Unlike the summer work of most incoming students, she had just produced and starred in a movie, and two months into the semester, her movie "Adora" was named the Best Film in the Diaspora category at the Nollywood and African Film Critics' Awards held recently in Beverly Hills.<br />
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John is a nontraditional student born in Nigeria. She explored acting a bit when she was younger and went to college in Nigeria and got an associate's degree in education, but began a fashion design company upon graduation. After designing for 14 years, she decided to try acting again. She moved to the U.S. in 2001.<br />
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"I began private acting lessons seven years ago, did some theatre and small films," explains John. "I made lots of contacts, but the projects didn't really go anywhere; the quality and marketing was not what I hoped for." <br />
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Seeing the shortcomings of various projects, John began devising a plan to invest in herself rather than of hoping someone else would do it and do it well. She began saving money and building relationships with people in the film industry that she met and admired. That included Diane Diaz, a friend and screen writer, and director/producer Austeen Eboka who had worked with John on a few film projects over the years and is a pioneering member of Nigeria's Nollywood film industry. John continued to design and sew, saving everything she could to make a film well.<br />
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"I knew that as soon as I had the money, I would do a project," John recalled. <br />
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After sharing her ideas for a movie project with Eboka, a 30-year veteran of the film industry and a well-known name in Nigeria, the two approached Diaz dove feverishly into a screenplay for "Adora." A week later, the trio were ready to begin casting.<br />
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"Adora" is the story of an immigrant woman who loses her everything; her marriage, her job, her dignity and freedom, and holds tight to her decision to face the future and survive. Bridget John is co-producer and plays the lead role in the movie.<br />
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"There are lots of plot twists and the story is very unpredictable," John says. "It's easy to relate to since we all face challenges; there's an Adora in everyone."<br />
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The timeline was quick as John's savings poured out quickly; it was a week from having the concept to being ready to cast and shoot, filming took place in Smyrna, GA, over the course of a month; and then there were 7 months of post-production, for which John was working part time to so she could keep paying for editing. By the end, she and Eboka were sleeping at the editor's house so they could work on the project every waking minute.<br />
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"Adora" premiered on August 13 at the Dorothy Benson Center in Roswell and is now making the round of various film festivals. While hoping for success, John was surprised when the movie won Best Picture at the Nollywood and African Critics' Awards last month. She also won Best Actress at the Hollywood Weekly Film Festival held in September in Beverly Hills.<br />
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"There's a sudden rush of activity and attention," blushes John, who seems genuinely surprised by the success of her project. "There was the traditional red carpet, and Louis Gossett Jr., was sitting in front of me at the awards
