"Nollywood in Focus" Premieres in San Francisco

(TheGuardian.ng) - ‘Nollywood In Focus’ To Premiere At San Francisco Black Film Festival

Nollywood in Focus, an exciting documentary film offering a rare glimpse into the burgeoning Nigerian film industry, … premiere[s] at the 22nd San Francisco Black Film Festival on June 19, 2020. 
 

Directed by critically acclaimed artist and photographer Iké Udé, the documentary features 40 Nigerian film industry personalities, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of Nollywood, the second-largest movie industry in the world.

“You don’t know the film industry if you don’t know Nollywood,” said Kali O’Ray, Director of the San Francisco Black Film Festival.  “Nollywood in Focus is a promising short documentary where renowned artist and photographer, Iké Udé masterfully paints a portrait of the Nigerian film industry in the voices of its icons.  We are incredibly pleased to be screening Nollywood in Focus this year.”

Starting in the early 1990s, Nollywood has quickly gained worldwide recognition as the world’s second most prolific film industry (over 1,000 titles released each year) ahead of Hollywood and behind Bollywood, generating over $600 million for the Nigerian economy annually.  It is characterized by independent, low-budget, quick filmmaking and meeting the growing demands of a continent for authentic stories that reflect the reality on the ground.   

Nollywood in Focus features an impressive cross-section of the industry from veteran actors and producers to a new generation of rising stars.  The documentary film is part of a multi-platform franchise which also includes an international touring exhibition at renowned museums and galleries and a beautiful, oversized coffee table book.

The San Francisco Black Film Festival, which has screened over 10,000 in its twenty-two years, aims to celebrate African American cinema and the African cultural Diaspora and to showcase a diverse collection of films – from emerging and established filmmakers.  

The 22nd edition of the San Francisco Black Film Festival begins virtually from June 18, 2020.