Becca To Star In Eto’o Film

Singer Becca is due to leave Accra in a forthnight for Barcelona, Spain, where the young artiste will conclude her role in a feature film on the Camerounian footballer, Samuel Eto’o Fils. The film, with a working title Eto’o, has the Camerounian striker in the lead role and is meant to reveal and explain the aura around one of Africa’s most famous exports, as well as provide a message to African youth who dream of one day emulating his path to glory. The film, part of which was shot in Kumasi where Cameroun’s Indomitable Lions were based for the group stages of the just-ended African Nations Cup, is being directed by award-winning Camerounian filmmaker, Jean-Pierre Bekolo.“We found locations in Kumasi that looked exactly like places in Duoala. The people were very friendly. The crew had a very good time working in Kumasi. It was fun,” Jean-Pierre told Showbiz. Becca plays the role of a teenage friend of Eto’o. According to Jean-Pierre, he met her through a friend who is a friend of Lazzy of V.I.P. “Becca’s character in the film is kind of symbolic. She questions the destiny of Africa’s children and what role models can do to alter young lives on the continent. She can really act and she brings a lot as a person to the role. She is very strong, believable and intense and pulls Eto’o along effectivey in the film. It really helps as a filmmaker when you have characters like that to work with.” Asked what he thought of Eto’o after meeting and acting with him, Becca said: “He is a very interesting person, mature, focused and very conscious of what he wants to do with his life. It has so far been nice working with him and the crew and I’m looking forward to meeting them all again in Barcelona.” Eto’o was born and raised in Nkon, a suburb of Douala and currently plays for FC Barcelona. He is a distinguished forward known for his outstanding positional awareness and shooting ability. His talents have made him a leading scorer for both club and country and one of the world's top strikers. He was named African Footballer of the Year in 2003, 2004, and 2005. The first scenes of the film were shot last year when Eto'o, Pele and other notable footballers met former South Africa president Nelson Mandela at his 89th birthday in Cape Town. Incidentally, the film on Eto’o will be completed for release in South Africa during the 2010 soccer World Cup.“The film is a mix of fact and fiction but almost all of it is scripted. There are flashbacks where Eto’o interacts with schoolteachers, close family people and childhood friends. The message in the film is directed at those young talented African youth who want to be Samuel Eto’o,” says Jean-Pierre whose Les Saignantes film won the second prize at the last Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO). “It’s about their perception and idea of what it means to be successful, where they want to be and what they want to achieve. It’s also about the destiny of African football.” Becca seriously came to public notice last year with the release of her maiden album, Sugar, on Kiki Banson’s EKB Records label. Renowned South African musician, Hugh Masekela, played flugelhorn on one track on the Sugar album.