The Emerging Video Film Industry in Nigeria

The Emerging Video Film Industry in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects
Author(s): PATRICK J. EBEWO

Source: Journal of Film and Video, Vol. 59, No. 3 (FALL 2007), pp. 46-57
Published by: University of Illinois Press on behalf of the University Film & Video Association
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The EmergingVideo Film IndustryinNigeria:

Challenges and Prospects
PATRICK J. EBEWO
MOTION
PICTURES
WERE
REPORTEDLY
was bequeathed to
indigenousfilmmakers
Ola Balogun, Ade Love, and Eddie Ugbomah?
prolificfilmmakersof the 1980s who extended
the pioneer effortsof the earlydramatistsand
ushered Nigerianmoviemaking intothemod
FIRST
SCREENED INNIGERIA inAugust OfI903?

when NigeriannationalistHerbertMacaulay,
inassociation with the Balboa filmcompany
ofSpain, introducedthe newmedium to an
audience assembled inGloverMemorial Hall

inLagos (Owens-lbie).Over fivedecades later,
thefirstfilmproductioncompanies, Latola Rim
(founded in1962) and Calpeny NigeriaLimited
(1970),were established inNigeria (Amobi).
ern age.
The collapse ofmovie-theatergoingculture in

the 1980s, caused by the incessantharassment
of innocentcitizensby criminals,the country's
economic downturn,and various problems
affectingcelluloid filmproduction,gave rise
to thevideo film?"a less powerfulbutmore
Inaddition to Latola and Calpeny,members

of theNigeriantheatercommunitypromoted
filmcultureas well. Infact,the currentvideo
film industryinNigeriaowes a huge debt to
the pioneers ofNigeriantheater,particularly
practitionersof theYoruba TravelingTheater,
who branched offfrommainstream theaterto
convenient [form
of] filmmaking utilisingU
Matik, superVHS and ordinaryVHS cameras"
(Dike).Video films,known inNigeriaas "home
movies,"
experimentwith celluloid.
ofmobile cinema by
While the introduction
the Britishduringcolonial timesmay have cre
ated awareness and interestinfilm,theme
diumwas used primarilyto educate Nigerians
about such issues as health, sanitation,and
nutrition.Inthe late 1960s, dramatistsHubert
Ogunde, who recordedhis plays on celluloid,
is a Nigerian
theater scholar
ers, marketers,
to books
actors,
lar form of audio-visual
culture,
and
technicians
into the
entertainment.
The
has also become too significantforthe

industry
world to ignore.Accordingto a press release for
a 2005
cur
international
convention
on Nollywood
held inLosAngeles, ithas been estimated that

mov
the industry
produces an average offifty
ies perweek, thoughthis issurelyan exaggera
tion (Bequette). Video filmsgross an estimated
200 million dollars a year and Nigeriahas been
(English Department), University of Botswana,

Southern Africa. He has written journal articles
chapters
culture, and film.
in popular
The video filmisa household word in

limelight.
Nigeriaand has become a popu
contemporary
teachingintheTheatreStudies Section
rently
and contributed
initiative
stylishlycalled "Nollywood,"has churnedout

thousands of titlesand broughtmany produc
Moses Adejumo (alias Baba Sala), and Duro

Ladipowere responsible forelevating the cin
ema to a popular art thatalso contained social
commentary(Ekwuazi9). The legacyof those
Patrick J.Ebewo
are a new
thoughtheirimpact isalready phenomenal.

Althoughmany productionspreceded it,Ken
nethNnebue's successful LivinginBondage
(1993) iscreditedwith "jumpstarting"thevideo
film industry.
now
Since the early1990s, the industry,
on theater,
46
JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 59-3 / FALL 2007

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film industry,
rankedtheworld's third-largest
afterHollywoodand Bollywood (India) (Va
sagar). Video filmsare notonlypopular intheir
nativeNigeriaand otherAfricancountries,but
in less than twentyyears theyhave attracted
film
theattentionofmanymedia practitioners,
festivals,
and some American
and European
universities.Infact,DSTV (DigitalSatellite
Television),a digitalsatellite service inAfrica,
features"Africa
Magic" (Channel 102), a chan
nel devoted toNollywoodfilms.
Nollywoodfilmsare popular inNigeria
because theyhave indigenouscontentand
address
issues
relevant
to a mass
about $2.50). Ogunleye contends thatwith the

global world unitedunder the swayofvisual
culture,theemergenceof thevideo film in
Nigeria is timelyand crucialas itserves as the
voice of itspeople and responds to thedrudg
eryof a socioeconomic existence characterized
by highunemploymentand dwindlingopportu
nities
(ix). Ithas
taken all on board,
including
religious-mindedpeople, who are enthralled

by "Hallelujah video films,"religiousfilmscre
ated or sponsored byevangelical groups forthe
propagationof theirfaith.
Despite
its fame, however,
some
critics?
both local and international?see theNigerian

as a poor imitation
of the real
filmindustry
are
plagued by technical
thing.Productions
Trenton
glitches.Accordingto journalist-critic
are
"the
the
sentimental,
Daniel,
acting
plots
raw,and the cable-access editingnot unlike
minus the randyparts.
thatof an X-ratedflick,
... Productionvalues are deplorable; special
clean-cut
images,
would be uncriticalself-appraisal,deceptive,
and
counter
Our stand,
productive.
neverthe
less, isnot thatof thesympatheticand con

descending criticswho lowertheirstandards
of criticism
when itcomes to popular culture.
Some of the filmsare excellent,some are just
good, and many, to borrowa popular Nigerian
audience.
Throughan amalgam ofNigeriannarrative

techniques (Africanstorylines)andWestern
technology,these filmsdocument and re-create
sociopoliticaland culturalevents thatoccurred
withinand beyond the country'sborders.1The
has also saved poor Nigeriansthe
industry
cost of procuringexpensive filmsfromtheWest
(thepriceper filmranges fromN200 toN400?
and
its healthy messages
West Africansmut,dedicated to
than this lurid
makingmoney hand over fist"("Homegrown
Hybrid").Though criticsmay not adopt the con
temptuousmanner of some criticsof the Frank
we
furt
School castigatingthe culture industry,
knowany enterprisewill encounterproblems
on its initialouting.To deny thatproblems exist
street expression,
are "so-so."
This paper
aims
to assess theproblemsencounteredby the

emergingvideo film industryinNigeria,proffer
solutions,
and assess
its prospects.
Thematic Concerns
One of themajor criticismsof thisnew indus
tryis itsthematicobsession with theoccult
world (juju, blackmagic, sorcery,ritualmurder,
and
witchcraft,etc.), obscenity,prostitution,
video
films,along
"moneyworship." Nigerian
with theirGhana counterparts,have been
described by Larkinas a mixtureof "horror,
magic
and melodrama"
(qtd.
inOgunleye
6).
Some criticsdub these films"occult thrillers."

One journalistrecentlydescribed theircontent
as "an odd
cross between
the ultra-violence
ofShaft and thegabbiness ofMy Dinnerwith

Andre" (Solapek). There isnothingwrongwith a
filmdealingwith any of these themes,but crit
ics frownat the factthattheyrecur,filmafter
seems beset with a seen-one
film.The industry
effects leavemuch to the imagination"("Nol

lywood").WritinginFilmComment,OlafM?ller
also dismisses Nollywoodfilms:"Give or take
a minormasterpiece or two,nothingcould
from
wholesome art cinema,with
be further
seen-them-all
syndrome. Worse,
some
produc
tionsseem to celebrate theevil inherentinthe

themes,with no serious effortto highlighttheir
moralmessage. When a message is implied,its
treatmentisoftenbland, as inLivinginBond
age, SunnyCollins's BillionairesClub Iand II
(2003), and AlexOmagbio's Dangerous Sisters
Iand II(2004).2
Producersmay argue thatvideo filmsad
dress the social problems plaguing society,yet

47
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many people are disturbed by theirtreatment

of ethical and moral issues. Though Enemaku
believes thatethical reengineeringinthe
largersocietymay be a prelude to sanitizing
good to the largersociety?videos with good

morals
women.
Okome,
on occasions
thedifferencebetween rightand wrong.Many

ethnicgroups inNigeria stillhold firmto their
culturalties and norms.As elsewhere inthe
world, deviations inbehavior are the exception
ratherthan the rule,and this is themessage
home video producers should convey to the
public. But so far,this is not the case. Accord
ingto a studyconducted byAkpabio, of the
1,547video filmssubmitted to the Nigerian
Filmand Video Censors Board, 60.1 percent
were negative inslant,while only7.27 percent
were positive (138). As Enemaku observes,
"this highoccurrenceof negativityputs a mark
against the ethical structureof the [film]in
dustry" (72). Osofisan, a celebrated Nigerian
dramatist,bared hismind about thisdilemma
when he addressed theSixth Lagos Interna
tional Forumon Cinema,Video and Motion
Picture inAfrica:
virtues."
a respected
film academic
on aspects
spoken
of the repre
sentation and "objectification"ofwomen in

Nigerianmovies (Giwa).Only a fewNigerian
films,such as Tunde Kelani's Thunderbolt
(2000) and ElvisChucks's Trialsof Love (2002),
have portrayedwomen relativelypositively.
The general impressionis thatwomen are
negativelyportrayedinorder to appeal to the

male-dominated audience (Anyanwu87). Ni
gerian filmmakersdo not seem to be aware of
the shiftingparadigm inwomen's discourse.
some
Consequently,
films are gender
insensi
tiveand many stillabide by the traditionaland

conservative
toward women.
attitude
Women
are portrayedinmost filmsas prostitutes,at

best
courtesans,
wily
lovers, and witches.
are prone to all imaginablecriminality:
They
This image of women
as portrayed in Nige
rian home video films cut across the country
from
NorthtoSouth, though
withdiffering
intensity. The difference being that the ritu

als and murders, which occur in Southern
films, do not yet appear in Northern movies.
in the Northern films are not
Still, women
The films also have significant influence on

the way that others see us, and hence on
reflected any better; they are seen as greedy,

fickle minded, weak, unable to make their
own marital decisions and are available
for
the way they relate to us. We cannot but be

concerned, therefore, about what they are
saying, what attitudes they are promoting,
and what image of us they are projecting.
purchasebythehighestbidder.(Anyanwu
84-85)
won
Preciselybecause theyhave deservedly
everywhere, the Nollywood films

have come to assume an authority over our
values and our lives, such that what people
ovation
Negative imagesofwomen are apparent in

filmssuch as LivinginBondage I (1993),Abuja
Connection (2003), Dangerous Sisters Iand II
(2004), and TheRitual (1992). Thewomen in
see in them comes to be taken not as just a

fictional projection of one imaginative con
but as the true, authentic mirror
sciousness,
GlamourGirls (1992) are reminiscentof Helen

ofTroy,JaguaNana (CyprianEkwensi's Jagua
Nana [1987]) and Rola (WoleSoyinka's/*Dance
of theForests [1963]).Theyare not traditional
really are, as a veritable market

of what our society represents, and much
of what we
aspire,
"ennobling
and promoterof theNigerianvideo film,has
he nevertheless observes
thevideo industry,
thatthe situationdoes not obviate the need to
urgentlyreexaminethe ethical foundationsof
thevideo industryitself(78). Nigeriansknow
worse,
and
Another issue is the representationof
of the ideal that we aspire, or must

towards. ("From Nollywood")
housewives
He, likemany othercritics,remarksthatthe

producers should down playmorally repugnant
themes and produce videos thatare ofgreater
48
sentenced
to "hearth
and
home,"
butmodernwomen who mount roadblocksand

act as vamps.
When
women
are given
a voice,
it ismisused; when theystand theirground, it

is ina ruinouscause. InAlex Okeke and Ugo

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No Nonsense
Emmanuel's
Ada,
dominates
and
brothers,
sisters,
and
switched todigitalcameraswith improved

imagequality.The ordinarydigitalcamera is
now being replaced byHDV,a sophisticated
high-tensiondigitalcamerawith lenses that
creates
have
the heroine,
(2003),
as a liberated woman.
is presented
terrorizes
son-in-law?who
parents,
anyone?her
husband,
daughter,
in her way. She
gets
She
trouble inherown household as well as inher

parents'
home.
Nigerian
movies
perpetuate
sex rolestereotypesand reflectthe patriarchal

social values dominant inNigeriansociety,
which amounts towhatTuchman calls the
"symbolic
annihilation
of women"
in Stri
(qtd.
nati 183).
to create
the capacity
critics have
drowning
sound
effects. Still,
special
about
complained
track noise"
the "dialogue
and
the "glori
ously ridiculousspecial effects"(M?ller12).

Better equipment,
ment-friendly
some
such as boom
and environ
would
microphones,
take care of
of these
equipment,
Unfortunately, certain
problems.
such as the crane, which
is useful
forestablishing shots and followingshots, is
Artistic and Professional Constraints
simply not available.
especially duringthemilitaryregimeofGeneral
I.B. Babangida (1985-93), forcedfilmproduc
Like theNigeriantheaterbefore it,thevideo

film industry
has disappointed many. They
feel itisa dumpingground forthosewho have
failedto findtheirfeet inother lucrativebusi
ers to change
nesses.
As noted,
the downturn
in Nigeria's
from celluloid
economy,
to video.
A cam
corder is ideal formaking films.Unfortunately,

Nigerianfilmproducersstartedshootingwith
cheap analog technologyand the resultswere
notalways encouraging.The good news is that
many of thefilmcompanies thatcould notaf
ford top-of-the-line
SR3, Beta-Cam,
cameras
like the Arriflex
and Super-Cam
series,
have
Many
people
who
have ventured
into
thebusiness offilmmakinglackthe necessary

skills,as isobvious intheamateurishdirec
tion, cinematography,
scriptwriting,
and acting.
FilmmakerEddie Ugbomah once lamentedthat

those who
parade
as filmmakers
around
are
reallymere "videographers" (Balogun). People

who
have only ever handled
a still camera
Photo
Women
or
: Root of Evil:
and money are
the roots of all evil.
JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 59*3 / FALL 2007

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49
video camera at a village funeralor a traditional

wedding ceremonysomehow feel theyhave
the skills to use a sophisticated filmcamera to
shoot a narrativefilm.But the cinema has its
own language;words likeshot or takeshould
not be taken forgranted.Consequently, the
compositionand framingof the image insome
films ispoor.Artistryisoftenmeasured by a
director's
use of shots
and
camera
scenes
movements
on theaudience. Shaka observes that inmost

films, "static
camera
deserve
angles/set-up/
adopted at the levelof scenic representation,

seems
action
to drag"(45).
She
con
cludes thatvideo filmsshot inthismanner tend

to be "stagy."
For example,
the Igwe's palace
meeting inEgg of Life(2003), a movie about

theOgbanje ritual)and thevillagers'meeting
scene inNo Nonsense are both shotwith a
static camera.Also, ifproperlyshot,many films
withmultiple parts and runningtimesof 120
240 minuteswould shrinkto 60-120 minutes.
AccordingtoShaka, the listof earlyfilmsshot
inthismanner includeLivinginBondage Iand
II,Zeb Ejiroand Bolaji Dawodu's Nneka: The
PrettySerpent Iand II(1994), and EmekaAni's
equip
Nigerian industrylacksbasic lighting
ment, and inmany video films,veryhighor
affectsthequalityof the color.
very low lighting
attempt
to create
a commendation
Ihave
because
never
ochie,
Patience
Asuquo
a dramatic
(a.k.a Mama
]), Charles
Okafor,Genevi?ve Nnaji,Omotola Ekeinde,

Zack Orji,Alex Usifor,Liz Benson, Richard
Mofe-Damijo (a.k.a. Denzel), Segun Arinze,and

NkemOwo (a.k.a. Osuofia), some of the actors
display such amateurish tendencies thatthey
on the screen.
"diminutive"
are pedestrian,
their performances
timingof the shots iswrong. Lightingisanother

crucialelement that,used creatively,can shape
orembellish an imageand have a psychologi
the
cal impacton the audience. Unfortunately,
no deliberate
re
voices
anythingremotelyresemblingcraftsmanship
beyond keeping the actors inframe"(M?ller
12). ThoughM?ller seems to come down hard
here, the factremainsthatwith the exceptionof
talentedveteranplayers likeSam Loco, Pete Ed
become
Ikuku(1996).
Insome films,the editing ispoor. Tech
niques used to signal a transitionfromone
locationto another,such as the dissolve and
superimposition,are blatantlyabused, and the
With
the performers'
seen an unwantedmicrophone ina shot, the

filmmaker'sprofessionalnightmare.)
Another issue is the qualityof the perfor
mances. Inthewords of one critic,video films
feature"absurdlyardentacting, the absence of
of static photog
positioning, itselfa carry-over
of
scenic
main
is
the
form
representa
raphy,
tion;and when static camera positions are
narrative
inwhich
verberate,break, hum, fluctuate,echo, and

crack,while backgroundmusic drownsout the
dialogue (especially inAnini). The noisy nature
ofmany of thefilmscalls attentionto the need
forproperequipment and traininginthe area
of sound mixing. (Nollywoodcameramen do
(tilting,panning,tracking,or dollying),the com

binationofwhichmay have a powerfuleffect
early video
of thevideo films.Samuel Nwankwo'sOut of

Hand I is saturatedwith backgroundnoise,
which becomes veryannoying inplaces. Both
Anini (2005) and RoyalFamily (2003) contain
Some
of
hammy,
trite,and fullof clich?s. The problems include

poor casting,
a "hurry-hurry"
ule, and undertrained

stage-acting
techniques
actors
production
unable
to the screen.
sched
to adapt
Some
of the performershave more ambition than

ability.Unlikemost Britishactors,who receive
theirformaltrainingat a professionaldrama
school or academy, Nigerianactors gain their
experience as theatreartsmajors at a college or
university(Tucker104).
Insome video filmsthe actors do not seem
to know thedifferencebetween stage and
screen
acting. As Tucker has pointed
out, "the
main reasonwhy good [stage]actors are not

good on screen is thattheyhave theirvocal
levelswrong" (69).When theyspeak too loudly,
effect,a good numberof thefilmscontain

shadows thatcould have been eliminatedwith
proper lighting.3
More thananythingelse, uncontrolledback
ground noise has greatlyreduced the quality
their performance
becomes
"too
theatrical."
stage actor projects his or hervoice to the back
50

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of the theater,but a filmactor's audience is the

microphone.Tuckerhas supplied the ruleof
thumb:"Ifyou projectto theotherperson [ina
film]as ifhewere as faraway fromyou as the
microphone on the boom, thenyouwill be pro
jectingat the rightlevelforthesize of the shot"
(70).
For example,
when
characters
actors
raise their voices,
berate
and become
microphone
because
cacophonous
is so close.
to an
accessible
To make
international
the
quarrel,
tend to rever
which
video
audience,
the
films
more
attentionmust be paid to thearticulationand

pronunciationof Englishwords.While many
actors
have made
effort to articulate
properly,
others have refusedto be "oyinbo" (an English

person).
English
Katsuva
has
reported
that Nigerian
and code-mixing
pronunciation
have
caused some difficultiesinunderstandingthe

filmseven innearbyDemocraticRepublicof
theCongo (99). Some of the productionsshow
evidence
rehearsals,
of last-minute
which
and/or
sometimes
inadequate
leads
to impro
vised dialogue. "Withlittletimeto rehearse,

theactors frequentlyread fromscripts leftopen
on the floorduringfilming"(Vasagar).Tomake
more money,
actors
also
contract more
than
one projectat a time,givingthem littleor no

time to adequately
prepare.
Somethingmust also be said about direc
tors and directing.

a production,
executive
As the creative
the director must
coordinate
of
the
activitiesof his or her collaborators.A visionary

director ensures
that everyone
works
together
towarda single goal. At the same time,the

of the production,theverbal and visual
rhythm
balance
of each
and
formances,
scene,
the intensity of the per
the overall
style and design
of
thefilmrestwith thedirector.Filmdirectingis
a difficultjob because itrequiresthe directorto
be not merely
a jack-of-all-trades
but a master
of all?an effectivedirectorknowswhat he or
she wants
from his or her crew and must
de
velop empathyand human understandingwith

the audience.
A good numberof the Nollywoodfilmscan

not be absolved fromdirectoriallapses, some
of which
occur out of sheer
carelessness
or
an obvious lackof training.

Many filmsare
loud and
racy. Why
can't a director
sometimes
explore theworld of silence? The creativeuse

5*
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of silence
can create
incredible
dramatic
atmo
sphere.An aside isa stage technique used by

playwrightsto indicatea word or speech meant
to be heard onlyby the audience or, perhaps,
byanother characteron stage (as opposed to
theother characterson stage).While theaside
may be effectiveon the stage, thisdevice is
overused infilmsand isusually ineffective
because a characterwho isnot supposed to be
hearingthe aside will oftenappear inthe same
FilmFestivalFund,Kodak, NordiskFilm,and
Fuji Film,organized a workshop at theNational
Film Institute(NFI),Jos,inJuly
2006 to ad
dress professional issues concerningthefilm
were brought
industry.
Experienced facilitators
infromNorway,Denmark,South Africa,and
France because,
but themovie directorshould handle thiswith

care or theaudience will sitwatching a stage on
screen (see Egg of Lifeand We are One [2004]).
Anini (2005), a film inpidginEnglishthatmoves
performance by any group of professionals

including movie practitioners is through con
stant training and re-training, to enhance
in
such as armed
confession.
Worse
robber Anini's
still, when
True Love
(2000),
the gang of rob
two men
These
are
lapses
Participantsfromthe public and privatesectors

attended theworkshop, but unfortunately,
"the
so-called big names inNollywoodstayed away
because quite a numberof themabhor train
production. Ideally,filmmakersshould strivefor

excellence.Their interestshould notbe limited
tomaking a profit.Theyshould be culturalactiv
are
ists?people
discovers Paul,whom she prefers,and triesto

pull himout of the pit.She issearchingfora
ladderwhen, suddenly,the loverinthepit tells
her he has a rope.How did he obtain the rope?
ex machina!
of hard work, training and constant
InNigeria,filmmakingismainly inthe hands of

with no traininginfilm
privateentrepreneurs
forthe loveof a girl(Onwu),and the

fighting
more powerfulof the two (Chike)throwsthe
other (Paul) intoa pit.Aftersome days, thegirl
Deus
products
exposure,(qtd. in lyandaEi)
Entrepreneurial Monopoly and

Managerial Challenges
preachy
bersmeets ina bar, theirtable is littered

with
several bottlesofGuider,stout,and Star beer,
yetnotone of themtakes a sip throughoutthe
scene, and none of themare drunk. InOjiofor
Anyanchie's
true professionalism
effective skills, and effi
ciency, and to keep abreast of developments
within a very dynamic industry. Qualitative
productions are not an accident. They are the
ing"(lyanda E2).
with lightning
speed frombeginningto the
end, uses inner
monologues thatbackfirein
places,
to Nweke,
The onlyguaranteeforsustainedoptimal
shot.
Filmapproximates reality,
butwhen thedi
rectorignoredthe fakeand unconvincingslap
administeredby JudithinDangerous Sisters 11,
thesituationbecomes absurd. InEgg of Life,
an unclewho wants to discipline his niece
searches furiouslyfora cane but ends up using
an available cocoyam leaf?not believable! The
"box-set"settingmay be appropriateon stage,
according
that a supe
riordirectorought to have takencare of either

duringshootingor editing.As suggested earlier,
partof the problem is inadequate training.
Inrecognitionof thepersonnel problems in
thefilm industry,
theNigerianFilmCorporation
(NFC), incooperationwith the FederalMinistry
of Information
and NationalOrientation,the
FrenchMinistryof ForeignAffairs,theCoteborg
52
who
love art for art's sake.
Unfortu
nately,an artist isunder thecontrolof the indi

viduals holding thepurse strings.Theycontrol
thequalityof theproductionbydictatingthe
shootingschedule. To cut costs, video filmsare
produced ina "fast-foodstyle,"and the result
ismass production,several filmsperweek?a
sure routetomediocrity.This excerptfroman
interview
betweenwriter-journalist
Ugochukwu
Ejinkeonyeand Sam Kargbo,a lawyer-turned
movie-producer(BloodDiamonds [2004]), illus
trateshow not to be a producer:
Sam kargbo:
I have my preferences
for art
ists.Thatwas why people likeT. J.Cole,

Mike Nliam,and Abay Esho ofSafari could

OF ILLINOIS
?2007

me
convince
to invest inmovies.
To cut cost
and perhaps to simplify

matters, Idecided to
write thefirststory[BloodDiamonds] Iwas
to shoot.
Iwrote
the screenplay
and Teco
Benson,who directed itforme, gave itto

one Bat Hills,a banker to edit, and he did it
overnight.
ugochukwu
EjiNKEONYE: Were
you
involved
inselecting the cast? The characterofDon

Carlos
is excellent,
and several
others
too;
butmost people wouldn't be able to say that

about
who
a few others,
Shan
especially,
sk: Iwas theone thathired the lead cast, but

itwas Teco Benson thatassigned the roles
the role of Don Carlos,
T. J.Cole was
but Teco,
to play
as director,
thoughtthatthe rolefittedDesmond better.

... As you have observed,
do not want
Teco was
right. I
to fault your reservations
about
Shan George, but Ibelieve thatshe did

wonderfully
well.
Iknow your stand
scripted for her_

Iam not referring to any moral
preferences
here. Iwatched thefilmwith a colleague,

who also isa directorand producer.We both
thought some measure
required
for a character
of sprightliness
undertaking
was
such a
hazardous expedition,to endear her to the

audience. ButMs. George simplyrefusedto
shine.
sk: Of course,
Istill insistthatshe didwell_

UE:Will itbe possible to rescue the industry
fromthe hands of the powerful,but barely
marketersdictatingthe tuneand
literate,
pace theretoday?
SK: The industry
theworld over isnot forthe
acacias [academics]. (Ejinkeonye)
This exchange says itall: the sponsorwrites the

script, selects
others
of contributing
"incapable"
in the industry
hires the producer,
to the process.
to creativity constitutes
approach
what
This
Peter
Brookcalls "The Deadly Theater" (11-46). Being

does
not make
a person
an artistic
directorinthefilm industry.
Filmsmade by in
hands
will
from
competent
always be different
filmsmade by professionals likeTunde Kelani,
a trainedfilmographer(BrassJingleBells [1999]
and TheGong of Taboo [2000]) and Eddie Ug
bomah, erstwhiledirectorof theNigerianFilm
Corporation(BlackGold [2006] and TheRise
and Fall ofDr. Oyenusi [1977]).
Anothermajor obstacle faced by the industry
is the lackof collaborationwith otherstake
holders
there were
the cast, and
while a bankeredits the scriptovernight.The

sponsor also stronglybelieves thatthe industry
isnot foreducated people who are financially
a financier
on mor
als, butmind you, she was justactinga role
ue:
thing. You may not fancy our take on her, but
George,
acted Vera.
to them. For instance,
thatcould have played the role,but she is

partofour circleand we feltthatshe could
do well and we stillfeel thatwe did the right
and
cooperation
among
the producers.
To startwith, the industryinNigeria,unlike
Photo 3: Usen Ikpe [Judg

ment Day] (2006): a
woman is falsely accused
of her husband's
death.
JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 59.3

/ FALL 2OO7
OF ILLINOIS
?2OO7 BYTHEBOARDOF TRUSTEESOF THEUNIVERSITY

53
Australia and New Zealand, does notwork in

partnershipwith or receivefinancialsupport
fromthe federalgovernment.The film industry
inNigeriashould be tapping intothe creative
minds inthe country'suniversitiesand theAs
sociation of NigerianAuthors (ANA).As Ekwuazi
points out, creativecollaborationbetween the
and the Nigerian literary
community
industry
obviouslywent awaywith celluloid (Akubuiro).
Television stations should be reliablepartners
butwhen theyare ap
of thevideo industry,
for
advertisements,
they insiston
proached
holdingonto the broadcasting rightsof thefilm
being produced.
The burgeoning industry,likeNigerian
politics, is latelybecoming regionalizedand
is beginningto show signs of sectarianism.
Besides Englishand pidgin-Englishfilms,836
Yoruba-language
movies
forty-four Ibo-language
have
been
produced;
films, four Hausa
films,
fiveEdo movies, one Itsekiri

movie, and one
were
Isoko
produced between 1995 and 2000
(Akpabio 134). The Ibibiominoritygroup has re

centlyjoined the racewith theMagnetic Lynks
ProductionofUsen Ikpe (2006) and Emern
Isongand Rob Emeka's productionofMfana
Ibagha Iand II (2006). There isnothingwrong
with celebratingethnic culturesand concerns in
thefilms,but the industryisbeginningto show
signs
of regionalism.
In Kano,
Northern movie
makers are likelyto disassociate themselves

fromNollywood. Infact,theyhave coined for
themselves
another
"Kanywood."
Instead
Hollywood-derived
of pulling
other.
of Hollywood."
"the poor cousin
cinema,"
Without belaboring thispoint,we agreewith

Haynes thatthere is no need to politicize the
name ("Nollywood").Afterall,Nigeria itself
was coined duringthe colonial timesby a for
eigner,
Flora Shaw,
Lord Lugard's
paramour,
and nobody has raisedan eyebrowsince.What

requiresgreaterattention is the problemof
piracy,which has become a menace thathas
eaten deep intothe industry
and may grind
itto a halt (Dike).With CD writersand other
copyingdevices available inelectronicshops,
the piratesflood the localmarketwith inferior

and cheaper versions of themovies, cutting
the shop's price by as much as 30 percent.
The filmsnormallysell forabout $15.99 f?ra
DVD and $10 fora videotape, while the pirated
versions sell foras littleas $4 each (Ajiboye,
"American").Video parlorsbuyvideos and rent
themto clientswithout consultationor alliance
with theproducers. Piracyand monopoly from
financiersrob theproducersand artistsof their
Com
financial rewards.The NigerianCopyright
mission has introduced
what itcalls "Strategic
ActionAgainst Piracy" (STRAP)to protectthe
Towage
filmsagainst copyrightinfringements.
a successful
war
against
piracy,
the government
must educate thepublic about thisnotorious

So
far, the message
about
piracy and
itseffecthas been top-down,but experience
has
name,
shown
that inmodern
communication
development, ruralpeople must be removed

fromthepassive peripheryand placed inthe
centerof the communicationprocess.When the
people are included inthe decision making,
theywill feelmore committedto the projectand
treat itas theirown.
resources
For example,
World
dent, impliesfilmon the fringes,"Third
practice.
together,the producers pull apart and point

fingers at each
a BBC correspon
with Nick Moran,
associated
moviemak
ers fromtheNorthhave accused filmmakers

and inde
fromtheSouth of sexual immorality
in
Vernacular
their
filmsare
cency
productions.
welcome, but theyshould not promote regional

tensions. Before thispolarityset in,Kenneth
Nnebue, thoughof Iboorigin,startedhis career
as a filmmaker
with the productionofYoruba
InaOte (1990) isa notable
videos;
language
example.
Some criticshave frownedat theHollywood

inspiredNollywood because the name,which is
54
Recommendations
and Conclusion
These criticismsof the industry

should be seen
as contributionsto itsgrowth,notas exercises
infaultfinding.Good artistsgrow fromcriticism
because a good criticisa chaperon of the arts.
Our intentionis to constructively
push serious,
JOURNAL OF FILM AND VIDEO 59-3

/ FALL 2007
OF ILLINOIS
?2007

committedfilmmakersto reach the interna

tional scene,
but we may also
structively destructive,"
be seen
as we would
as "con
like to
see the loafingproducersand otherdetractors

abandon the trade.Nigeria'svideo film industry
has greatpotentialand ithas come to stay.The
initiativeisa big lesson tootherAfricancoun
tries because
itdemonstrates
that a successful
filmneed not have a huge budget.The industry

has added an itemto thedevelopmentof the
economyand has placed the name of Nigeria
on the entertainment
map.
Today, filmmaking employs
about a million
people inNigeria,splitequallybetween
and distribution, making itthe
country's biggest employer after agriculture.
... The
a
industry has sales of $20om-30om
production
far, the industry has grown with

year_So
little or no help from Nigerian government.
(Okafor)
Forthe industry
to continuetowax stronger
and make an indeliblemarkon thecompeti
tiveglobalmarket, itneeds todevote itsenergy
to improvingitsproductions.Rim producers
should not restcomplacently,believingthey
have reached the top;muchwork needs to be
done toelevate the industry
to international
standard.
However,
with a population
many
believe
that Nigeria,
of approximately
131,530,000,
can sustain a him industry

without recourseto
externalmarkets; since thatpopulationaccepts

thefilmsintheirpresentstandard,why improve?
This position
seems
to be a defense
mechanism,
and itismyopic ina global economy.Rlmmak

ers should notdelude themselvesand settle
for
what is inferior.
To deny theaudience what
isbest because itcannotdifferentiate
theclas
sic fromthepedestrian isa disservice to the
community.
Rim producers,
like critics, should
assist the localaudience inthecultivationof

artistictaste.Rims should notstiflebut elevate
thementalityof theaudience, should take itoff
familiar grounds
to new terrains of experience.
must provideconstanttraining
The industry
and workshops foritsemployees to keep them
abreast of developments inthefield.Attention
should shiftfromcommonplace,stereotypical

55
OF ILLINOIS
?2007

works
themes toadaptations of classic literary
thatare readilyavailable inAfrica.So far,at
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The Emerging Video Film Industry in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects

Author(s): PATRICK J. EBEWO

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