(CNN)--They used to be the preserve of informal home gatherings
around old flickering TV sets, but Nollywood films have now gone global.
Movie streaming giant Netflix has dedicated an entire
section to Nigeria's mega film industry, so rather than having to buy a DVD,
viewers around the world can now get their fix of Nigerian drama straight to
their computer screens -- Nollywood is notorious for churning out hundreds of
movies per month, capturing viewers with stories ranging from romance and drama
to comedy and witchcraft.
 |
| A poster from the popular Nollywood movie "Fazebook Babes" |
iROKOtv, a
Nigerian online platform for on-demand films, already streams
home-grown movies to the diaspora around the world, but with 25% of Nigerians
predicted to access the internet via their mobile phone by 2018, the home
market is expected to grow too.
Movie star power
 |
| Top Nollywood' stars - Ramsey Nouah, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Genevieve Nnaji and Jeta Amata |
Befitting the mammoth industry that Nollywood is, its
glamorous movie stars are revered in the country as any Hollywood A-listers
would be. Shown above are four of Nigerian film's most recognizable faces.
Ramsey Nouah
stumbled into the film industry almost by accident. He was looking for funds to
cover his school fees when a friend suggested he tried acting. Some 25 years
later, Nouah is today one of Nollywood most prolific stars.
Omotola
Jalade-Ekeinde, heralded as the queen of Nollywood, has appeared
in around 300 films since her debut in 1995. Her allure earned her the nickname
of "Omosexy," while two years ago she was named one of the top 100
influential people in the world by Time Magazine.
Jeta Amata
comes from a family of Nollywood stars, so it was perhaps not surprising that
he became one of Nigeria's most prominent film directors. He is often praised
for the high production values and strong narratives of his movies, and has
worked with both Nollywood and Hollywood famous stars, including Mickey Rourke
and Kim Basinger.
Genevieve Nnaji,
dubbed the "Julia Roberts of Nollywood," has been acting since the
age of eight and has won the 2005 African Academy Movie Award for Best Actress.
High output, low profit
 |
| Poster for "Ijé: The Journey" Nollywood's highest grossing film so far. |
Nigeria's film industry pumps out around 50 movies per
week and is estimated to generate around $600 million annually for the
country's economy. With more than 1,200 films a year, it's the world's second
biggest producer behind India. Nollywood is also Nigeria's second biggest
provider of work, employing directly or indirectly more than one million
people, according to the
United States International Trade Commission.
However, films are typically low-budget and revenues are
small. One of the highest grossing
Nollywood film so far is thought to be "Ije: The journey",
which generated $500,000 when it was released in 2010. It stars two of
Nollywood's biggest stars, Genevieve Nnaji and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde as
sisters fighting for justice.
Search of excellence
 |
| Musicians Wyclef Jean and Akon on the set of Jeta Amata's film "Black November." |
In recent years, a new wave of filmmakers who want to
shake off Nollywood's reputation for shoddy productions is emerging. Dubbed the
New Nigeria cinema, these young professionals want to create a movie industry
which can compete with Hollywood -- not just in quantity but also quality.
Actor Wale Ojo, one of the biggest supporters of the
movement, told CNN: "New Nigeria Cinema basically means an elevation of
Nigerian film -- high production values, good strong narratives, stories that
capture the essence of who we are as Nigerians, as Africans.
"And it means also that these films can be shown at
international film festivals anywhere in the world, from Toronto to Cannes to
Venice."
Source: CNN
No comments:
Post a Comment