Influence of Catholicism on Early Filmmaking

(By Chaz Muth) - Catholicism Influenced Moviemaking from the Early Days of Film 

    Motion pictures have enchanted the public since the late 19th century, providing audiences with vivid storytelling on a host of topics and conceptually transporting them to distant places. 

     The art form was able to merge literature, theater and even biblical accounts and project it all onto accessible screens for the masses to take in. 

     However, as the film industry grew in the early 20th century, Catholic Church leaders became concerned about some of the content that had become so readily available to their flock. 

     Priests in the United States began to discuss films they deemed objectionable during Mass and to instruct the faithful to stay away from the “sinful” content. 

     Catholic groups throughout the U.S. began to organize in an effort to influence filmmakers into creating content that reflected moral standards and wouldn’t lead viewers to sin. 

    In 1915, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in its Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio decision that free speech didn’t extend to motion pictures, and states throughout the country began to introduce censorship legislation. 

     Faced with mounting political pressure and the possibility of having to comply with hundreds of decency laws throughout the U.S., movie studio heads worked with Jesuit Father Daniel A. Lord to develop the 1930 production code of standards for wide-release films, basically as a way of self-regulating. 

New Nollywood, Witches, and Traditional Religions

(By Daniel Okechukwu) - Old Nollywood demonised traditional religions. New cinema says ‘No More’: Witches, gods, folklore take two

    In Narrow Escape, a classic 1999 Nollywood film, the embattled protagonist Reverend Emmanuel is facing a formidable enemy: his father. The two men are on either side of the well-known battle line of good vs. evil. Reverend Emmanuel is of the Christian faith, spreading the gospel. His father is a traditional worshipper. 

     “In the past twelve years, we have had fourteen Reverend Fathers in Umuaka. Six left here as corpses,” a concerned elder warns Reverend Emmanuel in one scene. The cause of death? Murder by a powerful cult of traditional worshippers. 

     This line exemplifies the specific religious theme of many films made in Nigeria at that time. Characters representing the Christian faith – pastors, deacons, reverends, believers – were inherently good and under attack by adherents of traditional faith – depicted as witches or ritualists – who were seen as full of evil. 

     Narrow Escape, with its all-star cast, was a hit as were other films with similar themes. End of Wicked depicted the wickedness of witches; Billionaire Club was about sacrificing loved ones for wealth; Festival of Fire followed the persecution of missionaries. It is not hard to see why these films were popular. They drew inspiration from the policies of colonial missionaries who saw traditional customs as evil and irreligious. This message found a receptive audience in one of the world’s most religious countries. 

     Yet today, the tides have turned. Filmmakers in Nigeria are now exploring previously-maligned traditional faiths and subverting how they have been depicted. What changed? The answer is likely to be found in Nigeria’s changing relationship with religion. 

Of Nollywood, Music, and Original Soundtrack

(By Aanuoluwa Odole) - Unveiling the unsung melodies of the original soundtrack industry in Nigeria: The nexus of music and Nollywood

 The arts are mankind’s greatest creation. With music, books, paintings or film, the depth of human creativity is expressed, expounded and eternally forged. Art forms allow stories to be told, in a way that is so unique to the artist. Above all, it serves as a reminder of the world we live in, evoking past, present and future emotions. Therefore, when two or more art forms intersect, magic is created. This is essentially what the soundtrack industry is, a confluence of two of the world’s greatest arts; music and film. 

     The movie Titanic is renowned for its multifaceted impact, seamlessly weaving a retelling of a historical tragedy, a compelling love story, and sociopolitical commentary on class divisions, holding the all-time box-office gross record for more than a decade after its release. Yet, one element that remains cemented in our collective memory is the timeless theme soundtrack, “My Heart Will Go On”. 

    Performed by Celine Dion and later included in her 1997 album “Let’s Talk About Love”, the track has become not only one of the greatest hits of her career but an unforgettable emblem of the movie itself, capturing its essence by portraying a genuine combination of love and grief. A 2012 Washington Post article by Jessica Goldstein describes it as the “ultimate marriage of theme song and movie”. This is the quintessence of an original soundtrack. 

Nollywood & Afrobeats: Nigeria's Cultural Powerhouses

(By 49th Street) - The Symbiotic Rise of Nollywood and Afrobeats: Nigeria’s Cultural Powerhouses 

      The Nigerian entertainment industry is an admirably thriving space fashioned with incredible talents across sections including the music and film industries, dubbed Afrobeats and Nollywood respectively. In a country with little to boast about, our music and movies have propelled us to global entertainment powerhouses. 

    The Nollywood industry itself has witnessed a notable upsurge in terms of production, storytelling, direction, and distribution. From the early days of ‘Glamour Girls’, ‘Blood Money’, ‘Issakaba,’ ‘Living in Bondage’, and ‘Osuofia in London,’ amongst others. Actors like Patience Ozokwor ‘Mama G’, Kenneth Okonwo, Nkem Owoh, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Eucharia-Anunobi Ekwu, Ngozi Ezeonu, and Stella Damasus contributed immensely to the industry in the last few decades. 

     Nollywood has grown from giving us classic home-videos marketed and distributed from the hub of Alaba, to more top-par quality stories and production spanned across cinemas and streaming platforms stretching beyond the corners of Africa, releasing record-breaking films. 

     Afrobeats, on the other hand, has grown in leaps and bounds, arguably surpassing Nollywood as our most renowned entertainment export in recent times. The evolution of this industry has seen a meteoric ascent to global success. 

    Both have individually maintained their stance in promoting Nigerian culture, telling stories, and being our best cultural exports.

Nollywood's 1st 1 Billion Naira Box Office Film

(By Dammy Shittu) - Funke Akindele’s “A Tribe Called Judah” Becomes The First Nollywood Movie To Gross 1 Billion Naira at the Box Office 

     Filmmaker and superstar actress, Funke Akindele makes history as her Nollywood movie hits the 1 billion mark at the Nigerian Box Office, becoming the first movie to achieve this feat! By becoming the first movie to gross 1 Billion Naira, it becomes the highest-grossing Nollywood movie of all time. 

    This prodigious feat places Funke Akindele as the highest-grossing Nollywood director of all time. 

    Released on December 15, 2023 ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ is a comedic drama tale about a mother and her five sons hit by financial hardship with a plan to rob a mall, but is overturned by armed robbers on getting inside the mall. 

    The Nollywood movie produced and co-directed by Funke Akindele herself and Adeoluwa Owu, features film stars including Funke Akindele, Timini Egbuson, Nse Ikpe Etim, Fathia Balogun, Jide Kene Achufusi, Uzee Usman, Tobi Makinde, Yvonne Jegede, Genoveva Umeh, Olumide Oworu, Juliana Olayode, Uzor Arukwe, and a host of others.

     The widely acclaimed success of this movie is a tremendous achievement to Funke Akindele’s array of feats in the film industry. Funke holds the crown for the three highest-grossing movies including “Battle on Buka Street” and “Omo Ghetto: The Saga” with over 600 million naira at the box office. 

     While “A Tribe Called Judah” has received massive acceptance and has been lauded for its captivating storytelling and performances which portray love, family, and resilience, Funke’s marketing budget no doubt was a huge catalyst in promoting the movie all over the nation. This record-breaking feat is a testament to Funke’s ingenious talent and unyielding spirit.

Literary Adaptation: Solution to Nollywood's Unoriginality?

(By Remi Jordan) - LITERARY ADAPTATION AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO NOLLYWOOD’S UNORIGINALITY  

    “If you don’t like someone’s story, write your own”- these are the words of Chinua Achebe to The Paris Review in 1994. Not to take away from the imperative ethos of Nigeria’s greatest writer, but that has failed to resonate with the majority of our filmmakers who are pursuing novelty in the immortal craft of storytelling. Perhaps it is time to leave the chase of an original screenplay and look to the written language that precedes the language of cinema. Perhaps it’s time for our filmmakers to consider the potential of novels and short stories. 

    The novel, to the filmmaker, can be a complex bible with a beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order, and that description resonates with the structure of film. Although we might embellish it andwe serve it up as a way to ignite the creation of good films; it is not a shortcut or a simple page-to-screen to process. It is not an opportunity for a verbatim narrative. The adaptation of a novel is a craft. One does not plunge into a piece of written fiction on a whim. 

    There’s a need for a deep understanding of the story and the writer’s motives. Nigerian filmmakers lack a certain… attentiveness to stories that stem from the over-commercialisation of the arts and the dominance of mindless entertainment. The novelist, specifically the African one, for the most part, does not have the liberty of cheap entertainment. The novelist has to say something because the voice is a delicate object and there’s no room for waste. That is the beauty of the adaptation of a piece – you do not waste the voice of a story, especially a story that is not yours.

Nollywood's Classic Adaptations

(By Remi Jordan) - Literary Adaptations in Nollywood You Should See

 We have, in the past, talked about the importance of adaptations in the Nigerian film stratosphere and how that can serve as a creative well to add some qualitative streak to a lot of the films we produce. But adaptations aren’t unheard of, we have certain books that have adapted in recent years and have graced our screens, and some of them are even critically acclaimed. Below are some of our favourites we deem worthy of watching and reading; 

Bullfrog in the Sun 

This film was inspired by Chinua Achebe’s works, Things Fall Apart and No Longer at Ease. Both of these novels were released in 1958 and 1960. In 1972, the film was released. Things Fall Apart was adapted into a television drama series that broadcast on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in the mid-1990s. One could call this a combinational adaptation as it ambitiously takes narrative elements from both books to form a poignant story that, to a certain degree, upholds the texts. 

Saworoide. 

Tunde Kelani created and directed this political satire, which was released in 1999. The film, written by Akinwunmi Ishola, who also penned the original book, is set in Jogbo town, where a king cheats the Saworoide (a brass drum) ceremonial and becomes a tyrant in order to keep his kingdom. The Kelani picture is the quintessential Nigerian classic, imagine if you will, a dad film that has a didactic streak and appeals to a younger generation with all its Shakespearean milieu. 

Lagos Noir & OG Ritualists: A Gen Z Sizes Up Nollywood

(By Emmanuel Olutimileyin Odebunmi) - OG Ritualists, Soap Operas, and Lagos Noir: A Gen Z Appraisal of Nollywood's Evolution Via Its Storytelling Eras 

Growing up in Nigeria in the early 2000s, I witnessed movie culture back when it was still in its Nolly-classic era. This was the age of DVDs and film clubs, cultists and OG ritualists. It was the age of veterans like Rhamsey Nouah, Kanayo O Kanayo, Stephanie Okereke, Nadia Buhari, Jim Iyke, Van Vicker, Pete Edochie… the list goes on. The early 2000s are for Nollywood what the 90s are for Hollywood – the time everyone wants to go back to. 

    As technology and film culture globally evolved, so did the film industry in Nigeria. The CDs and film clubs were the first to go. The loyal customers who reliably visited the movie rental clubs every Friday right after picking up the kids from school started to dwindle. Families still bonded over movies every weekend and during holidays, but they began to do so with DSTV and its counterparts. There used to be equal spacing for urban plots and traditional stories in the industry, but at this stage, traditional stories started to be relegated. More and more urban-centred movies were filmed and marketed. The audience started to want something different. Something newer. And the industry raced to give it to them. 

     Tinsel ran between 2008 to 2013 and passed the baton to its successors in the years proceeding. By this time, Nollywood had settled into the prime time of sitcoms like Jenifa’s Diary, The Johnson’s, and attractive drama titles like The Husbands of Lagos, The Mens Club, and the popularly beloved Skinny Girl in Transit. These productions caught and held the attention of Nigerians and, at the same time, gave Nollywood a place even as the world continued to spin faster and faster. 

    The way I see it, the industry had three eras. Its OG classic era, its in-between era, and finally, the industry of today.

Nollywood: A Grassroots Revolution

(By Olatoun Williams) - Nollywood is an expression of grassroots, popular culture, a true revolution 

    Jonathan Haynes had firsthand experience with Nigerian film industry at its early days and fell in love with it immediately. He has gone on to write a great book on the industry, The Creation of Nigerian Film Genres. In this interview with OLATOUN WILLIAMS of Africanist and Global Interviews, Haynes gives rare insight on Africa’s revolutionary film tradition. 

 Your research into Nigerian Film started in 1991. Talk to us about this genesis. How and why and with which important collaborators, did it begin? 

    When I first arrived in Nigeria as a Fulbright lecturer in 1991, I had already begun writing about African cinema, but of the kind I’d seen at the FESPACO Film Festival. I’d never seen a Nigerian film. I was lucky to meet Onookome Okome, then a recent PhD holder in film studies (now an eminent professor in Canada), who drew me into the world of Nigerian film studies. He persuaded me to go to a workshop on film policy sponsored by the Nigerian Film Corporation in 1992, where I met many people, including Amaka Igwe and Zeb Ejiro, Baba Sala and Ade Love, Afolabi Adesanya and Hyginus Ekwuazi, whose book, Film in Nigeria, I had been poring over. 

 This was a few months before Living in Bondage inaugurated Nollywood

Taiye & Kehinde: Of the Yoruba & World of Twins

"The myth:
     ibeji (twins) are two halves of one spirit, a spirit too massive to fit in one body, and liminal beings, half human, half deity, to be honored, even worshipped accordingly. The second twin specifically--the changeling and the trickster, less fascinated by the affairs of the world than the first--comes to earth with great reluctance and remains with greater effort, homesick for the spiritual realms. On the eve of their birth into physical bodies, this skeptical second twin says to the first, "Go out and see if the world is good. If it's good, stay there. If it's not, come back." The first twin (taiyewo (from the Yoruba to aiye wo, "to see and taste the world," shortened Taiye or Taiwo) obediently leaves the womb on his reconnaissance mission and likes the world enough to remain. Kehinde (from the Yoruba kehin de, "to arrive next"), on noting that his other half hasn't returned, sets out at his leisure to join his Taiyewo, deigning to assume human form. The Yoruba thus consider Kehinde the elder: born second, but wiser, so "older."

Taiye Selasi

Ghana Must Go, pp. 83-84

Chalé, With Love from Ghana

 

"Kweku had always greeted him with the Ghanaian Ey Chalé! to which Mr. Charlie always responded, "Tell that story once 'gain." (The story: in the forties the officers strewn around Ghana were known as Charlie, all, a suitably generic Caucasian male name. Ghanaian boys would mimic Hey Chalie! in greetings, which in time became Ey Chalé, or so Kweku had heard.) But no matter the man's insistence, they couldn't call him by his first name, so well steeped were he and Fola in African gerontocratic mores. Mr. Charlie would hear nothing of sir or Mr Dyson ("mr Dyson was my daddy, may the bastard rest in peace.") So "mr. Charlie."
    Mr. Chalé.

Taiye Selasi

Ghana Must Go, p.66