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Friday, April 11, 2014

Bayray McNwizu


Bayray McNwizu is an African Movie Academy Award nominee who has become popular for taking on the title role Cindy Haastrup in the inspiring true African story "Cindy's Notes". Offscreen, Bayray is prominently active in non governmental projects especially those involving women and youth. As a young child, her mother would teach her to spell words and she would win spelling competitions on behalf of her class and eventually an Omo competition. In her earliest years, Bayray was popular but painfully shy and would rush home after school to re-enact scenes she had seen from movies like "Things Fall Apart", "Home Alone" until one day, someone failed to show up for the school's rehearsed End of the Term drama show and she was chosen to fill in. 



As she matured, her confidence grew as well and she partook in several school stage shows. Unknown to her, this would become a schooling ground for her intense natural gift. At age 13, she joined her mother to run the family hotel called Veragon Hotel. There, she would meet several famous actors she admired. This would further fuel her decision to become an actress and sometimes the actress has often admitted the "frustrations of not being totally free to explore my talents much younger and now making up for lost time!

In the mid-2000's, Bayray partook in a T.V production "A Love Like Ours" for a famous film studio, Finnu productions where she took on the role of an Orphan and got good notices.


In 2007, She participated in the Third Edition of the Amstel Malta Box Office Reality Show and for the first time the show ended with a Viewer's Choice voting and the public voted her winner after 3 long torturous weeks in the Big Brother styled show. Her critical acclaim however increased when she played strong roles in the cinema releases Rebound and Cindy's Notes which earned her an AMAA nomination and PAMSA Award. Her popularity increased even further as she had played the Lead role in this Amstel Malta production because it was a story that inspired the Nigerian youth, a story of a Nigerian corper, quite privileged, very bright and brazen and having a difficult time taking instructions but after a series of events finds within herself the power to positively affect the lives of the youth at her NYSC place of primary assignment. 



One of the A Love Like Ours filming locations was an Orphanage home. It was an eye opening experience for the actress and this birthed the humanitarian chapter of her life. She lends her voice to several nonprofit organizations like Project War. Against Rape and Youths are Talking. In 2011,this bi-lingual actress who also studied in France, started her self named handmade jewelry line and unofficially launched her BMCC stores. That same year, a dear family relative was critically ill and it behoved the actress to be at her bedside for a long period of time. In October of 2012, the actress returned to the screen with several productions, one of them, an Inkblot production "Knock knock".

Awards

-Africa Movie Academy Awards, Most Promising Actor(Nominated), 2008
      -PAMSA awards, Best Actress in a Film, 2012

4 comments:

  1. Wow! Spotlight team, tnx for bringing her back to my consciousness. I've long mused about her whereabouts having watched her (spectacular performance) in Cindy's note. That movie should be a benchmark for film productions. Thank God she's back, for the better!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks McLere, we couldnt help but notice her amazing performance in the Caged trailer, Bayray is here to stay.

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