Yaounde-Hilton: Site of the Grande Premiere
On Friday September 14, 2001, Potent Secrets made its world debut during a lavish Grande Premiere at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel in Cameroon. Invitees included the crème de la crème of Cameroon's capital city, among them, leading political figures and top government officials; members of the diplomatic corps and international organizations; prominent artists and journalists; and the movers and shakers of Cameroon's literary scene.
The anticipation for the country’s first full length English language movie was quite high and the public was not at all disappointed. At the end of the screening the film received rave reviews from critics and the public – setting apart not only as Cameroon’s, first full feature English language movie but as one of the best movies to be produced by Cameroonians in recent memory.
Following the Yaounde Grande Premiere, the movie was screened to a mammoth crowd at the French Cultural Center in Buea. A second screening was organized the next day due to popular demand. The next stop was the Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda, where the event was once again sold out.
Now, some three years later, Potent Secrets is back on DVD due to popular demand. Like old wine, it has not lost any of its luster. Instead, it has become a Cameroonian and African movie classic, which should be part of the library of any respectable aficionado of African films.
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