by Sasha Watson
AFI FEST Daily News

Minister Frank Nweke Jr., left, with filmmaker Ngozi Onwurah at AFM's African Voices panel, November 4. (Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images)

The Honorable Minister Frank Nweke Jr., Federal Minister of Information and Orientation for the Republic of Nigeria, arrived in Los Angeles on an official mission.

He came to forge connections between the US and Nigeria film industries, and to honor the debut of the African Voices Cinema Series at AFI FEST 2006 presented by Audi

Nollywood, as Nigeria's film industry is known, is the third largest in the world. It is the world's largest producer of home videos.

Though Nollywood films are widely seen throughout Africa, they continue to be little known internationally, a state of affairs that Nweke, along with a delegation of Nigeria's most popular directors, actors and producers, hopes to change.

One of Nweke's signature projects as Nigeria's Minister of Information has been the Heart of Africa project, which seeks to improve perceptions of Nigeria both nationally and internationally.

His delegation will attempt to advance Nigerian film in the US and will look for opportunities to invest, with the ultimate goal of producing and distributing Nigerian films internationally.

The newly launched African Voices Cinema Series at AFI FEST 2006 showcases the work of six films that represent African directors, producers, and writers from Algeria, Britain, Egypt, France, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe.