2006 may spell doom for NollywoodBy Emmanuel Ukudolo
Published: January 29, 2006
Print Two thousand and five was not a particularly good year for the film industry. It was a year many wished never came to pass.
Even at that, practitioners seem to have lost confidence in the film industry just as events begin to unfold less than 10 days into 2006.
They are not predicting deaths, accidents and intrigues that characterised 2005, or something worse. But as professionals, they have been able to piece events of last year together, looked at things critically and came out with predictions for 2006.
President, Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Mr. Fidelis Duker, sees a bleak year ahead for the film industry. His reason is based on trends that characterised the previous year, with most filmmakers dumping film production for soap operas. He referred to individuals like Zeb Ejiro, Amaka Igwe and Opa Williams, who left the industry they created virtually from nothing for soap operas due to discouraging developments – the lack of distribution network for films so as to allow filmmakers recoup their investments – and the ravaging problem of piracy.
Amaka Igwe stopped producing films almost five years ago after producing some films she deliberately withheld from release until she was sure the environment is conducive enough to do so. She is now more into production of soaps.
The experience of Zeb Ejiro in his last film,
The President Must Not Die, was not too palatable, and may have forced him to turn his back on the industry. Opa Williams left the industry almost a decade ago after discovering he could make more money through his brand,
Night of a Thousand Laughs, and never came back. Even though he told
Daily Independent he would be back, he is not showing any sign of doing so.
There is virtually nothing on the ground to encourage him to make a comeback. Fidelis Duker produced his last film almost a decade ago and went into soap production for a while before dabbling into film festivals, which seems to be taking much of his time for now.
Dangerous Twins is the only major film produced by Tade Ogidan in 2005. Although the film performed above average in the market, his enthusiasm to produce more seems to have waned.
As for Duker, the exit of these practitioners, who are among some of the best hands in filmmaking, would definitely leave much to be desired in the industry, which would definitely affect the quality of films churned out in 2006.
In spite of his pessimism, he nevertheless expressed hope that government would come to the rescue. “Unless something is done to put things right in terms of regulation, 2006 would be a bleak year for the film industry,” he warned. Duker emphasised the need for practitioners to see filmmaking as transcending ordinary buying and selling, for things to work out very well.
Notwithstanding his prediction of doom for the industry, Duker believes that television would reap the benefits of the fallout as more filmmakers would take to production of soap operas instead of films, which seems to be losing attraction for now.
He refers to the likes of
Doctors Quarters, a multimillion naira M-Net series production involving the likes of Jimi Odumosu and Remi Ogunpitan.
But he is not alone in his loss of faith in the film industry. In fact, veteran filmmaker, Chief Eddie Ugbomah (OON), believes the industry is in a coma and in need of urgent resuscitation. He has asked government to take urgent steps to address the myriads of problems confronting the industry. For one, he believes the Federal Government is still paying lip service in its promise to assist the industry. For instance, the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), he pointed out, still remains dormant and yet to take its pride of place. Nothing seems to be happening to bring the colour lab alive, which experts say was wrongly sighted in the first place. What seems to be left of the NFC is nothing but the Nigerian Film Institute (NFI). It cannot boast of any support service to the film industry. The only makeshift studio it managed to put up in Lagos, which is adjudged centre of filmmaking in the country, is about the worst set up by any individual not to talk of an institution. Nevertheless, the NFC plans to hold Zuma Film Festival during the year, which some already describe as a festival of home videos.
Besides, the much talk about Film Village seems to have been forgotten since the exit of the former Minister of Information and National Orientation, Chief Chukwuemeka Chikelu. His successor, Frank Nweke Jnr., is definitely not a film-loving man. It appears the film industry is the least on his scale of priorities, a development that would definitely send the achievements of his successor in that sector into oblivion. He is more concerned with managing government information to the detriment of the foremost tool of propaganda – films.
Ugbomah predicts that more producers would go into soap production even though not many of the television stations are financially equipped to pay for local soaps but would prefer the Mexican soaps, which they often obtain at give away prices. Ugbomah is also not at home with the concept of reality shows, which he described as fraudulent. Nevertheless, he predicts that 2006 would be a year of television productions. And indeed, he is not far away from the truth.
Big Brother Nigeria, also an M-Net production with a cash reward of N14 million ($100,000) for the last man standing, would take the industry by storm and probably provide jobs for trusted hands in the industry.
With such productions coupled with other factors highlighted earlier, it is not surprising that the ex-chairman of the NFC would diagnose the film industry as comatose. “We need a miracle to revive it,” he said.
The much talked about Film Fund might just be one of the antidotes needed to give the film industry a shot in the arm. Ugbomah is unlikely to go into soaps, but it is doubtful if he would put his resources into film production this year.
Black Gold, one of the home videos he produced last year, has not paid him at all. The marketer handling the film is allegedly owing him about N920,000 and he is not sure when he would be able to lay his hands on the money.
Like the filmmakers, the marketers did not have it easy too, in 2005. Although they succeeded in reducing the number of films churned out for the market, things seemed to have snapped along the way as the marketers had to contend with about 10 films released without the necessary censorship and classification.
The industry will definitely witness more of these in 2006, unless the Emeka Mba-led National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) moves to put things right. The censor’s board will also have to contend with pornographic films that have covered every nook and cranny of the Nigerian landscape.
Besides, the censors board is expected to acquire modern gadgets that would facilitate its operations. The board would host its websites and do most of its business online. Efforts would also be made to put into practice policies formulated at the quartet meet at Chelsea Hotel, Abuja, involving stakeholders, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), the NFC, NFVCB and the stakeholders meeting in Lagos. The success of the industry in 2006 lies squarely on careful implementation of the resolution arrived at during the conference in Lagos.
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