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Great expectations from Nigeria at Cannes Festival 2007
critique
rédigé par Tunde Oladunjoye
publié le 14/05/2007

The formal entrance of Nigeria into the world's prestigious Cannes Film Festival opening on Wednesday, May 16, 2007, has generated different reactions from film critics, stakeholders and other commentators.

To the former Regional Cultural Attaché of the French Embassy in Lagos, Mr. Pierre Barrot, "this is good news" that Nigeria would be at Pavilion number 111 at the Riveria in Cannes.

Mrs. Tayo Agunbiade, a social development practitioner, radio presenter and weekly columnist with Thisday newspaper, one Nigeria's leading national daily, believes that with "Nigeria's participation, finally the world will get to see and learn more about Nigeria from her own perspective."

This, Agunbiade feels is better for Nigeria because "prior to now, what we have is Nigeria according to what foreigners think. The world should not only be seen through the lenses of Britain and America." She explains further that "it would open up our creativity and values to the world. Nigerian filmmakers can benefit from this in the sense that they can stand side by side with their international counterparts." Also, "it will show-off the craftsmanship of the Nigerian filmmaker and boosts the film industry and creates more jobs in that direction. The Nigerian film industry will start to gain more respect and reverence from the western media."

However, Agunbiade also has some reservation on the present state of the film industry in Nigeria: "it is too narrow. The perspective should be broadened into positive values that we hold dear. The quality needs to improve vastly. The participation in Cannes will task the filmmakers to dig deep and bring out their creativity to higher levels", Agunbiade concluded.

French film critic and expert on African films, Monsieur Olivier Barlet, received the news of Nigeria's official participation with joy. Barlet, who is an executive board member of the international film critics association, FIPRESCI, expresses the desire on the possibility of having a meeting with the Nigerian section of FIPRESCI International, on the Nigerian Pavilion 111.

Interestingly, Barlet seems to also have a lot of posers for the Nigerian delegation: "Could the Nigerian Pavilion in Cannes be the opportunity, as the ITPAN Forum may also be, to have an idea of the new tendencies in Nigerian Films? We would also want to get figures about the industry; number of films, what have been the main successes, why, perspectives, co-productions and so on, and to get the important new films to see or buy as it is so difficult to have them in Cannes?"

The itinerant film critic thinks a directory of present filmmakers and actors would be also useful for interviews, with information on films and people. This, according to him would be "great as we permanently need information for articles about what's going on in Nigeria.
Some round-tables or conferences would be also of great interest and occasions of meetings, as it is at the Pavilion des cinemas du Sud".

Tunde Oladunjoye

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