Nollywood and Lagos Cinema Culture

(From The Tribune) How patriotic are the indigenous cinemas? Newton Ray-Ukwuoma, in a bid to answer this question, investigates the reasons behind foreign movies gaining ascendancy in Lagos cinemas and brings his report.

Revamping a cinema culture where more indigenous movies are the choice selections of cinema goers might be a vastly wrung out imagination, but a possible break point for a boom in the Nigerian movie industry known as Nollywood, which spins out a whopping sum of 2000 straight-to-the-video movies per annum, ranking higher than America’s Hollywood and behind India’s Bollywood. But for most cinema houses in the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria, Lagos State, it is all about the exotic and the fray.

This, indeed, has always been a generational reality. Most managers of these cinema houses constantly look up to European and American made movies to sustain their clientele. Movie subscribed to for weekly screening very often range from freshly released Hollywood thrillers, whose alluring signposts on the walls of movie houses are the plainest intrigues to the very nerve wrenching depths of actions and adventures that the actual movie holds, to the romance movies wired from beginning to end with suspense and intrigues.

It is therefore not alarming that about 85 per cent of movies enlisted for weekly screenplays in most cinema houses in Lagos are foreign movies. It should not also come as a surprise that even a budding movie industry like Ghollywood sometimes nibble away at remaining 15 per cent. Inside Lagos sought the opinions of youths in Lagos and here are some of the revealing remarks. 

Comments on the Cinema Culture in Lagos

“The cinema culture in Lagos is quite encouraging and fast developing. We now have strong and marketable structures for cinemas in Lagos. It‘s now becoming a way of life for an average Lagosian to want to go to the cinemas to see his or her favourite movies”. Abiola Alaba Peters, a Lagos journalist said.

“I go to the cinemas almost every week. Anytime I see a new movie in their websites I  take some of my friends along to watch it. You can take me for a regular customer of the cinemas”. Don Hackett, a postgraduate student of the University of Lagos said.

  “Do not have much time for movies, but I go to the cinemas at the slightest chance.  For me, going to the cinemas is more than just watching the movies. It is more of a place to commune with other people. I like the hecklers, the comments and the fun in the cinemas. Most of my friends also love going. So, it is becoming a routine for us.” Jessica, a civil servant told Inside Lagos.

While it goes without saying that the cinema culture is blossoming in the city of Lagos especially among youths whose senses of worth are sometimes revalidated by the architecturally alluring edifices of the cinema houses, this branch of the entertainment industry continues to suffer from an exotica syndrome. The number of foreign films enlisted weekly for screening constantly outweighs the indigenous ones.  At some of the cinema houses Inside Lagos visited, the ratio was about 11:1, 15:3, 10:2, etc. Attempts to exact some responses from the managers of these movie houses were not successful, as they declined talking to us. However, down the streets and in the universities around Lagos, students freely bared their minds.

Can you go to the cinema to watch a Nollywood movie?

 “No. I prefer watching Hollywood movies at the cinemas and at home. Nollywood is not related to my field. I am a psychologist. Nollywood does not make me think. Hollywood movies are very insightful, elaborately budgeted, filled with good stories and suspense. Nollywood movies do not have intrigues and suspense”, said 400 Level Afolabi of the University of Lagos.

“Yes. I could go to the cinema to watch a Nollywood movie. It is the best place to watch a Nigerian movie. I prefer Nollywood movie to other movies because most of the movies are naturally acted. Some of the roles are decently portrayed. We Africans like to maintain decency. Some, not all, of Nollywood movies are descent, though the same movie can be repeated in different forms.” Florence (25) 200 Level student of Geography, Unilag.

“Yes. I believe that Nollywood is trying unlike before. I would like to watch more interesting Nollywood movies like the last one I saw even in a cinema. Most of the Nollywood movies do not portray moral lesson. It is just nude and sex scenes. That is why I do not watch most of them. There is no suspense. They keep recycling the same story only changing the names” Moses faith, 18, Undergraduate, Unilag

“Yes. On the 1st of October, I would have loved to watch the Independence Day movie, October 1st. I didn’t see the movie because I got there late”. Adams, 23, Undergraduate, Unilag

“No. It is generally boring for me. I think the only good thing about Nollywood movies is the story line. Some of the movies come from things that happened in the society. But the interpretations are sometimes poor. If Nollywood movies can make their movies look real, we could start watching them”. Modi Andrew Allison, 28, Graduate, University of Benin

“No. Why would I go to the cinema to watch a Nigerian movie?” Jessica Iwebuike, 24, Student of Business Administration, Unilag.

Reason For Low Appearance of Nollywood Movies in Lagos Cinemas

Reacting to the reason why most Nollywood movies are shunned in cinema screening, Rotimi Ige, an entertainment personality, remarked that the nature of production of some of the movies makes it difficult to be used in cinema. “Only a few of the Nollywood movies are of HD standard and could be screened on large screens. Most Nigerian movies are shot with substandard equipment and cannot be enlarged for cinema screening, said Rotimi Ige. “ Not many movies are shot with 35mm. I believe if our movies step up, they would enjoy more subscription”, he concluded.

“If you ask ten Nigerians if they watch Nigerian movies, I believe that eight will say, “No”’The problem is that producers do not take their profession seriously. Churning out low quality movies, poor storyline and hackneyed role interpretation”, Mr Jide Adegbite, a Nollywood producer, said are the reason some Nollywood movies are denied cinema screening as well as nominations for awards.

“One could attribute it the large quality of substandard movies we have in the Nigerian market” Abiola Alaba of Metro News remarked. “We are aware of the high quality of state of arts digital equipment that are been used by some of these cinemas, so for a particular movie to be screened in a cinema  it would have to meet some requirements, from technicality to  post- production. Otherwise, it may be denied a place in the cinemas. So, the point is clear: there are too many low quality movies and few high quality movies in Nolywood”, he stated.

Lagos no doubt remains the place of vibrant cinema culture. But to the extent the home made movies contributive to the sustenance of these culture has shown that the state depends largely on external contents more than it relies on its internal resources.

Source: The Tribune