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2003a.d.: A Year In The Nigerian Movie Industry
05 January, 2004 02:25:00
By Sola Osofisan
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Husband & Wife, a Nigerian movie
2003! That was the year! And now that it is history, perhaps it is high time we looked at the highlights that made the year memorable. Organizations and people do this stock taking annually. People look back at the goals they set at the beginning of the year and consider how much of it they achieved. The problem with a growing industry like that of Nigerian movies is that it has bounced around and about from year to year, since no agency is really overseeing it. That means no goals where set at the beginning of the year, which renders pointless any attempt to assess on a scale the beginning and the end results. Nevertheless, a lot happened this year and we are going to take a quick look at some of them. Just the highpoints, remember… Whatever is missing, I'm sure you will fill in the gap!
In memoriam: Prominent passages in 2003 are Yomi Ogunmola, Gbenga Adeboye and Mutiat Ajileye, the latter popularly known as Mama Mi L'eko. May their creative spirits be leading lights wherever dead actors go.
Trend: The Sale of the movie Osuofia In London has turned recording Nigerian movies abroad into a feeding frenzy. Okay, Nigerian producers have never really been known to think originally. It has been established that they follow the crowd. If a movie with a romantic theme does good market, it becomes the next craze. If it is a movie shot in the bushes and called epic, that's what everyone does from that point until it is tapped dry.
An addition to that, however, is the fact that Nigerians living abroad who had movie aspirations or used to work in television back home are also going back to their first love. They have seen a sudden spike in interest in these movies, which means they if they can package a good one, they have a potential market in their Diaspora base where they can monitor and control the market, and at home where the product can be sold off for a small one-time fee. And who will star in these movies? Nigerian stars in Nigeria of course. They are shipped abroad on a tight schedule to quickly shoot it. We saw a lot of this in 2003 and we will see more in 2004 because the stories of the Nigerian experience in the Diaspora has not even be scratched.
Brave Guy: Tade Ogidan for conceptualizing Living Abroad, a grand drama serial that will tell the stories of Nigerians abroad - and Kingsley Ogoro, the man behind Osuofia in London, for daring to spend good money on what he believes in. The final product is left to anyone's opinion though!
Websites: Yes, this category wouldn't have been in reckoning a year ago, but things have changed drastically in a matter of months. Stars like Richard Mofe Damijo and Genevieve Nnaji took the leap into cyberspace. Sites selling Nigerian movies also grew in wild abundance, while the old hands like Bethels Agomuo's africamovies.com continued to thrive and consolidate their leading position. A couple of spaces tried their hands in the Netflix patented online movie rental business, specifically for Nigerian movies, and they seem to be thriving. Oh, we shouldn't forget this website, Naijarules.com (or nollywood.com). The first truly Nigerian movie targeted community on the Internet, we continue to grow daily. However, since we cannot make ourselves website of the year (ha ha!), the honor goes to Genevievennaji.com, one website that has become a Mecca for the lovers of Nigerian movies around the world!
On the flip side of the coin, while business boomed for marketers of Nigerian movies online and in the stores abroad, the moviemakers continued to pine and complain that they are not seeing the result of the sales touted everywhere. Above all, they insist they are not in formal agreement with people selling their movies abroad.
Big time actress: Give it to Genevieve Nnaji. Aside of getting many of the big roles, although Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde and Stella Damasus-Aboderin gave her a good run for her money, Nnaji stands out because her profile and fame rose locally and internationally. The first Nigerian actress to go online, she also became the highest paid female in the industry. In addition, she collaborated with producers in African countries and beyond to do movies. Don't forget she also dined with the president of Sierra Leone. The problem with this position is that it is ephemeral. Stars come and go and only the carefully managed last on the throne. Hopefully, she will be guided aright.
Nigerians abroad: Nigerian movies are increasingly easier to purchase in the Diaspora. They can be bought online or from the local African food mart. Many foreign newspapers also wrote about the Nigerian movie industry and players, shedding positive light on the image of Nigeria and Nigerians. Africans generally who also watch the movies voraciously also grew closer to the Nigerian community abroad due to the shared interest in the movies, some collaborations across African borders. Hopefully, we will get more Nigerians abroad to buy these movies instead of passing them on from hand to hand and burning copies for their friends.
Nigerian movie industry: The fame and quality of Nigerian movies improved around the world, prompting the close interest and articles, some badly researched, by world respected publications like Washington Post, the legendary Transition Magazine of Harvard, VOA, BBC and other lesser publications on and offline. Tunde Kelani and the industry received the attention of the international community for a 2004 African Film Festival, NY, retrospective. The UK-based Commonwealth Film Festival also planned a 2004 spotlight on the Nigerian movie industry. MNET started AfricaMagic - the all African Movie cable channel, obviously to exploit the popularity of Nigerian movies across Africa. A few years ago, Nigerian moviemakers were practically begging the cable channel to buy their movies for screening, but the SA company was not interested. How things have changed. Even the Nigerian government took notice for once, as the president suddenly realized there is a need to use movies to sell Nigeria to the world.
Associated matters: We saw the positive result of the formal agreement to feature actors across the Yoruba and English movies. Many in the English sector acted in Yoruba movies, while some in the Yoruba field also joined their partners in the English sector. This resulted in many movies with cross-audience appeal in 2003.
Short-changed: Aki and PawPaw - For making nonsense cool and hip again. Oh, and for also getting on the raw nerves of movie watchers and consigning themselves to early retirement. Many viewers are already tired of seeing them and their antics as they jump into any vehicle that promises them a little Naira.
Free Shows: Abeokuta Radio has been showing clips of movies for a while. It has even been know to stream full-length video films, usually of the Yoruba variety.
Out of nowhere: Chiwetel Ejiofor of Dirty Pretty Things. He received critical acclaim for his role in this 2003 movie that explored the dark underbelly of immigrant life in the UK.
The big stick: Roseline Odeh entrenched herself as the Mamangida of the industry, where the buck stops. Filmmakers now think twice before shooting a scene, which is a good thing. In the same vein, Roseline Odeh has been accused of going beyond her mandate in her seeming obsession to sanities the Nigerian movie industry. In reality, she has no business sticking her nose into what a movie contains. Anyone can make any movie containing anything. Her job is to rate the movie, to determine whom the audience of such material should be and it should stop there. Now, if the moviemaker and retailers make the film available to the wrong audience, then she can swing into action. Still, many parents thank her. They shouldn't. She is limiting their choices and imposing her own version of morality on them. What they should ask her for is an education, how to know what the movie ratings mean - and then ensure this is enforced in their homes. Are children going to watch movies that they should not? It happens all over the world. You cannot stop it outright, but you can educate the consumer. That will reduce it to a manageable issue.
Alternative route: The Filmmakers Cooperative of Nigeria emerged to give the Idumota cartel a run for their money. Reports indicate that they are making a headway. It is going to be a tough and long battle. Many bruised bodies will clutter the roads before this battle is over.
2003 was a good year for the Nigerian movie industry. Let's see if the boys can kick 2004 into the perfect shape!
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