Let’s start this column with a quiz question. Which film
center produced more commercial movies in 2005: Hollywood (USA), Bollywood
(India), or Nollywood (Nigeria)? If you guessed Hollywood, guess again. America
produced only 611 commercial films in 2005. Ok, Bollywood then. Nope. Although
India outshone the USA, producing 964 films, they produced less than half the
output of Nollywood, which released over 2000 films. (Hollywood comes out on
top when the criteria is gross sales income.)
Admittedly, the Nigerian film industry operates on
different principles from those of America and India. Most films are
low-budget, often costing less than $30,000 to make. They are shot in ten days
or less by hand-held video cameras, and distributed directly to DVD without
ever seeing the light (or is it the “dark”?) of a movie theater. Most films
made in Nigeria sell for about $3 and rent for 50 cents.
