If there was one year that practitioners of the self styled Nigerian home video industry dubbed Nollywood wished would snap bye quickly, then 2008 was it. It was one year that the hand of the sectors clock was put on the reverse gear. Prostrate was the general outlook, a reason some practitioners say that they are still scratching their heads to come up with a fitting description for the state of moviedom in 2008. The few that have found a description say it will be best to leave it as the year of the good, the bad and the ugly and or the year of bloom to gloom.
Indeed if the truth must be told, Nollywood was in the whole of 2008 trapped in the middle of inaction and theoretical governance. It was a year when the boom of the past few years almost came to a wrenching stop. The sector not only gasped for breath but it faced hard times that threatened to cripple a sector that is reputed to be the toast of the watching world. Indeed throughout 2008, there were accounts of programmed confusion, roiling feuds (which reportedly nailed the ambition of Zeb Ejiro and Matthias Obahiagbon to foist a contraption called the Nollywood Business Forum on the sector), and disagreements among practitioners on the one hand and the regulatory agencies- the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), the National Film and Video Censors Board and even the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), that impacted tremendously on production, revenue generation capacity and entire fortune of the sector. Indeed 2008 walked away as one year that recession, though a global phenomenon loomed large in Nollywood.
Jobs practically dried up, some movie marketer's closed shops; finances appeared a lot less robust as sales stuttered at the beginning of the year and dropped drastically by almost 80 percent by December 2008. No movie, no matter how star studded, sold past 50,000 copies. It was common knowledge that the eager movie crowd stopped buying movies. A few of them couldn't cope with the rate of releases because of the buffeting economic crunch while a greater majority rehashed this old song ‘drop in quality of production' as reason for the decline in patronage.
So to fill the gap, the movie crowd relied more on some cheap titles that showed daily on pay channels like DSTV, HITV and the new one DAARSAT. Grim was it for moviedom from Lagos to Aba and from Aba to Kano where the state censorship organ has continued to muzzle filmmakers with all manner of laws.
But things were not meant to turn out this way for moviedom. Practitioners walked into 2008 with a lot of expectations. They had just returned from a forum in Calabar (the second edition held just this November) that is clearly an abracadabra deployed to give the impression that the then Minister of Information and Communication Mr John Odey had plans for the industry. It was an all expense paid trip to Calabar, boarding inclusive and so practitioners always the ones who will hop into planes so far they are assured of a return ticket met again on the future of the industry and completely forgot that the conveners had called a similar forum in Lagos in 2005 which they called Motion Picture Stakeholders Conference (MOVISTAC) for which none of the resolution has been implemented. The forum which held at the Sheraton Hotel attracted nearly the same set of practitioners who honoured the invitation twice now to Calabar.
Expectations were that discussion would bother on the level of implementation of the resolution reached at the Lagos forum, but no. They embark on another round of discussion, closed with a party and returned to their different stations exuding so much optimism that government was after all interested in growing the industry. It was after a long wait for some of the decisions reached at the forum to be implemented like the speedy inauguration of the Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPPICON), and the establishment of the National Film Fund that it dawned on most of the practitioners that the calabar meet was after all an abracadabra show. It was from that point that things slowed down and became progressively rougher for moviedom.
But things picked up again and started to look good when four events that aim at exposing Nigerian films and cultures to international audiences held following each other. First was the fifth edition of the African Film and Television Programmes Expo dubbed BOBTV 2008 which held in March in Abuja under the theme Greater Heights for African Cinema. Then the UBA sponsored African Movie Academy Award dubbed AMAA 2008, one event that has consistently projected the best and the brightest talents in Africa and the Diaspora and then the Nollywood Foundation Convention in the United States, one programme that if well embraced has the potentials of bridging the gap between Nollywood and the rest of the world particularly Hollywood.
The AMAA event was roundly a success except for the logistic issue which the organizers had to contend with and which was occasioned by the Appeal Court decision that nullified, at that time, the election of Governor Timipre Silva. The event had to be hurriedly moved to Abuja and this impacted on logistics of travels and accommodation. But the organizers rose up to the occasion and their synergy with Africa's global bank-UBA made the show tick and it made it maintain its status as the biggest gathering of movie makers across the African Continent and in the Diaspora. Indeed AMAA 2008 was about class, style, blitz, glitz and razzmatazz.
Even the Hollywood star Angela Bassett who was the event special guest of honour agreed that the AMAA has become the biggest singular filmic show on the continent. It was at AMAA 2008 that Ghana confirmed their status as an emerging home video force in the continent. Their entry Emmanuel Appiah's Run Baby Run was voted Best picture ahead of some Nigerian offerings like Stronger than Pain, White Waters and Across the Niger. The well shot Ghanaian entry grossed two other awards and left Nigeria to contend with the acting crests. It was at the AMAA's that the deep actress Kate Henshaw Nuttal and the comic actor Nkem Owoh confirmed their status as Africa's leading actors. They both received the lead actors crest for their efforts in the Tchidi Chikere's Stronger than Pain. Others who were recognized at the event include Uju Okeke, Doris Simeon Ademinokan and Emeka Ossai who were named Best Upcoming actress, Best Indigenous actress and Best supporting actor respectively.
There is however a suggestion that for the next diet, the organizers of the AMAA's must pay attention to logistics. They must put a mechanism to check overcrowding and must keep the main show tight and short. The last award programme over ran and didn't allow for the usual after awards networking.
The BOBTV event sizzled. It maintained its reputation as the biggest programmes market in the West African sub region. There was a focus on new media and the strategies for finance and distribution as well as a focus on children and student filmmaking. But attendance was generally poor. The crowd that turned up at the opening ceremony thinned out as the festival progressed. It is hoped that more effort will be geared towards mobilizing participants otherwise the BOBTV will continue to play out to the same crowd and attract the same exhibitors year in, year out.
The biennial Zuma Film Festival held under the theme Films without Borders. There was a remarkable improvement in the content and organization of the Zuma feast particularly the idea of producing a daily newsletter on the festival and the invitation extended to film students across the country. But the inter-agency collaboration and strategic alliance with the organized private sector which the organizers boasted of didn't translate into a robust and well attended festival. The festival played out to a lean crowd and it attracted the same exhibitors who were at the BOBTV event. There were workshops, seminars and screenings but they all played out to a near empty hall. It was regrettable that Abuja was allowed to sleep when a major filmic event like that held. There is a suggestion that Zuma should be held annually and that more of the budget should be spent on mobilizing Nigerians and foreign filmmakers to attend the feast so that the broad objective of transforming film into a tool for achieving unity between peoples of different cultures can be attained.
Besides, there is another suggestion that a body outside the Nigerian Film Corporation be constituted to power the feast. The NFC has a lot of policy issue to contend with that organizing a film festival amount to overkill. The turn out and general outlook of the last two editions have shown that the feast needs a structure outside the NFC (which is the practice elsewhere) for the festival to assume the status of a truly national festival. At the moment the feast looks much like an improved version of the annual Abuja Film Festival, the Enugu International Film Festival (which didn't even hold in 2008) and the Lagos International Film Festival; three festivals in dire need of redefinition in terms of form, organization and substance.
The Nollywood Foundation Convention organized annually by the Egbe Dawodu led Nollywood Foundation was by far one of the events that gave industry watchers something to cheer about. Those attracted to the forum say there was value in attending the convention than in attending a worthless road show that was held in 2007 in London and funded wholly by the National Film and Video Censors Board. Held right inside Hollywood in California, the organizers of the Nollywood Foundation Convention succeeded in connecting Nollywood to internationally acclaimed filmmakers. For two days, Nollywood was introduced to some of the best hands in filmmaking in Hollywood.
Discussions bothered on how Nollywood can break into the international scene and the possibility of co-productions. Major snag was that apart from Zack Orji, Mrs. Biodun Ibitola of Remdel Communication and Joke Silva who were the only core practitioners at the convention, those who could have benefited from the proceedings were absent. But the Chairmen of both the Senate and House Committees on Information Senator Ayogu Eze and Honourable Dino Melaye who have attended more international filmic events than those held in the country were at the convention. They took notes and assured that some of the suggestions made will be implemented on their return to Nigeria. But nothing has been heard from them, a reason an observer jokingly remarked recently that it seem as though the relationship between the legislators and moviedom begins and ends with their attending international movie meets.
Lingering became the face-off between the Censors Board and members of the movie marketers over the Film and Video Distribution Policy which the NFVCB had introduced to reform the distribution aspect of the film business. Indeed the controversy that greeted the seemingly hasty implementation of the National Film and Video Distribution Framework almost dwarfed all the other achievements that have been recorded by the board. Some practitioners were reportedly arrested and detained over alleged non compliance with aspects of the distribution policy. Even assurances by the Censors Board that the guidelines were not meant to frustrate the marketers or any practitioners in the industry fell on deaf ears. The marketers took their protest to the public court but they were reminded there too that the policy was only meant to boost the board's regulatory capacity in the area of quality and standardization and to ensure that the industry moves forward.
Though the implementation is still on -going, some observers say that there are provable defects in the implementation of the distribution policy in spite of its immense benefits. The board and most of its supporters have refused to accede to the vigorously argued grounds that it was not ready for the implementation of the policy. What observers thought the board would have done before shutting down existing distribution channels was to ensure that those it has licensed as national distributors and or even regional and state distributors have structures on ground in terms of reach and territorial coverage to support the implementation of the policy.
It has been established that none of those the board has licensed as national distributors can assure that a movie released today will get to a place like Birnin Kebbi in Kebbi State by the first month of release of a movie. Some of the outfits that were licensed exist merely on paper with presence in only about three to four states. Yet the implementation and enforcement of the policy suggest that no new work will get to Birnin Kebbi except it is handled by one of the licensed distributors most of whom embraced the framework without knowing the implication. In fact there are licensees who cannot tell if Birnin Kebbi is in Kebbi or Sokoto state.
Although some of the movie marketers have since complied even though a few of them said it was done out of compulsion, many of them have predicted that that policy would fail unless the right structures that will support the implementation are put in place. Some have even suggested that the Censor's Board need to have presence in all the states of the federation as the first step towards the successful implementation of the policy. That way a licensee can fall back on the state offices especially where issues bordering on the implementation of the policy crop up.
There were a number of other disagreements. But one that lingered was the unnecessary face off between the organizers of the Face of Nollywood (FON) and the leadership of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) over rights pertaining to the Face of Nollywood initiative. While the leadership of the AGN which secured a befitting secretariat for the guild during the year maintained that it has the sole right to the project, organizers of the event which later held in Abuja though after several postponement insisted that the project was their own creation. It is not clear now how the matter was resolved, but the organizers have assured that unlike this maiden edition which Patience Ozokwo won with Emeka Ike and actress Bukky Wright as runners up, the second edition will be bigger and better and would be devoid of all the controversies that trailed it.
Nollywood quacked again when the management of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) alerted that its attention has been drawn to a purported establishment of a Nigerian Film Fund (NIFIFU) by Messrs Ken Otukoya, Berend Rah and Dele Ajakaiye, an initiative which the NFC says does not have the endorsement of Nigeria particularly the Nigerian Film Corporation. Although the NFC says it welcomes private, individual and corporate initiative and positive contributions towards the development of the Nigerian Film Industry, the NFC says it behoves on the corporation to guide the public and at the same time, provide necessary policy direction and framework for such participation. The NFC declared that it considers ‘fraudulent and unacceptable' any such existing ‘fund' with the toga ‘Nigerian' intended to give the impression of a Federal Government established agency and or project for film matters (fund). The NFC further warned the investing public not to subscribe to the fund in the erroneous belief that is an initiative of the Federal Government or its relevant agencies.
About a week later, officials of NIFUFU replied the NFC. Ken Smart Otukoya, a member of the Board of Directors had in response observed that that the emphasis of the complaint by the NFC was the use of the word, "NIGERIAN". However the NIFUFU Board stated categorically that The Nigeria Film Fund was registered in the UK by well-meaning Nigerians based in the UK & USA and that prior to the registration, the promoters conducted a name availability search and the name used was confirmed available. The Board stated that it does not have any reason to believe that the use of the generic term'Nigerian' is the exclusive reserve of the Nigerian government, stating too that it is their understanding that the use of this entirely generic term predominantly relates to a person's or group's affiliation to the Nigerian culture, heritage or origin.
The Board maintained that its main focus is, and remains, the Diaspora only, and so has no intention to engage in conflict or rivalry with the Nigerian Film Corporation's activities in Nigeria. They stressed that theirs was entirely a private sector initiative designed to fund and facilitate world class movie film production in the Diaspora using talented Nigerian actors and projecting positive image of the people of Nigeria. The Board considered the disclaimer by the NFC ‘reckless and vicious, and cautioned the NFC against further dissemination of such manner of injurious statements. No word has since then come from either the NFC or promoters of the Nigerian Film Fund on the matter.
But the year was not all about controversies. The industry recorded a number of milestones. Nigeria courtesy the Nigerian Film Corporation made its presence felt at some international meets like the Cannes, Toronto, Egyptian and Indian film festivals. But observers have argued and rightly too that Nigeria's participations at these events will continue to be a mere waste of scarce resources as long as the industry does not have its offerings either in the competitive or the non competitive categories. Its ironical that at a time the House Committee Chair on Information and Communication Honourable Dino Melaye, the regulatory authorities as well as the practitioners are engaged in a bulk passing game as to the real status of the overtly revised bill on Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPPICON), South Africa which already has a regulatory framework in place and which only recently announced a number of co-production incentives for international producers has already found a film with which to enter for the foreign language category of the Oscars. Given the huge potentials of the film Jerusalem which was entirely shot in Johannesburg, South Africa will just be on its way to grabbing its second Oscars. Yet the country is nowhere near Nigeria's rating as a movie producing nation.
Observers have argued that the funds used in funding the travels of some of these government officials could best be deployed to producing a work fit for presentation either in or out of competitive and or even support festivals and initiative back home that are aimed at growing the industry. It is lamentable that the best support a festival back home has received from government is a paltry five hundred thousand naira when indeed millions of naira has reportedly been paid out as consultancy fee for Nigeria's participation at meets abroad outside other sundry expenses. A story is still being told about how a regulatory agency paid out about 10,000 dollars as consultancy fee to a practitioner for merely arranging hotels and internal transportation for a Nigerian delegation. Observers believe that some of the festivals and events back home would fly even with a million naira grant from any of the regulatory agencies.
But in spite of a few of their short comings, the NFVCB and the NFC deserves some commendation for the commitment and passion they have demonstrated in drumming up support for Nollywood. The NFC particularly have in the last couple of months embarked on sensitization and networking exercises that are all geared towards building bridges and structures which Nollywood requires to thrive on, on a grand scale. It has continued to encourage capacity building with its annual SHOOT programme and through the National Film Institute. But if there are people who should be recognized for helping to shape the development of the industry, then the awards should rightly go to Mrs. Remi Ibitola of Remdel Communications for her commitment to capacity building, Mr. Andrian Gbinigie of Atlantic Overseas for his philanthropic gestures; Don Pedro Osaro Obaseki, Mahmood Ali-Balogun, Jeta Amata, Efere Ezako of the D'Talkshop and Amaka Igwe; five people who have remained unwavering in their commitment to raising the stakes in Nollywood.
There is indeed no stopping Jeta Amata who has continued to work on the big gauge with his Mary Slessor as a pointer and Efere Ezako, an intellectual property lawyer who has improved the knowledge base of most practitioners on right issues with his Wetin Lawyers Dey Do Sef. Don Pedro's Movistar which currently shows on Daarsat is the reason why offerings of the sector are on the lips of most Europeans while Mahmood Ali-Balogun or MAB for short has maintained a steady voice that has somewhat corrected negative perceptions about the industry. Amaka Igwe should be celebrated for her consistency in providing an alternative market for content through her BOBTV event while Tunde Kelani should also take a bow for his knack for creating quality pictures-his new culturally inclined film Arugba as a pointer to that fact.
Peace Anyiam Fiberisima deserves commendation especially for her consistency with the AMAA project and unrelenting pursuit for the erection of structures internally to support meaningful growth. Peace has led the AMAA to organize free international training workshops for the different areas of film business. Then there is Chief Edwin (Eddie) Ugbomah, OON whose commentary has kept quite a number of people in check and who has led by example by setting up an academy where he hopes to build capacity for the industry. There is also the veteran actor and producer Yinka Ogundaisi whose commitment to professionalizing the industry cannot be quantified. Ogundaisi's views on growth strategy for moviedom are worth adhering to. There is also the Berlin based but Nigerian born Isaac Izoya who should clearly be named Nigeria's cultural ambassador. Izoya has with his Ehizoya Productions exposed a number of top rated actors to international audiences especially in Europe. Only recently, Izoya facilitated a tour that featured acts like Mercy Johnson and Benedict Johnson. Then there is the German Dorothee Wenner who should be saluted for producing and directing a documentary on Nollywood titled Peace Mission. The documentary an insight into the Nigerian movie culture is one of the real reason Nigeria's flag flew at full mast at the Toronto International Film Festival. So far the documentary has been screened at over five festivals across the world and it's still touring. Also Wenner's concern for visibility for Nollywood has manifested in a number of invitations that Nigerian films have received from some international film festival. Later in May, Tchidi Chikere's Stronger than Pain, Fred Amata's Letter to a stranger, Charles Novia's Covenant Church and Izu Ojukwu's White Waters will be a major feature of the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland courtesy of Wenner's wide connections.
Reality show programmes littered the screens in 2008. The regulars-those that border on the sector like AMBO and Next Movie Star resurfaced while new ones like The Ambassadors were introduced. But promoters of these shows must see beyond the branding opportunities that the shows offer and should really work at evolving strategies that will launch winners of the shows into the mainstream. From O.C Ukeje to Bhaira Mcwizu and to Portia Yamahan, winners of some of these reality show programmes do not even qualify to feature as extras in mainstream. They are only remembered after the premier of the one-off film that they are supposed to star in (a part of their winning package) and after that they are left to just drive branded cars around town. It's either that there is something the promoters have not done right to link these winners with mainstream or that the selection process is faulty.
Outside the turf, practitioners recorded a number of milestones. But there were a few sad events. Enebeli Elebuwa of the Andrew ‘I am checking out fame' was viciously attacked by a heartless fellow who left him with a battered left eye. Also curtain drew for pioneer video producer and actor Prince Muyideen Aromire and the retired University of Ibadan theatre arts lecturer and veteran actor and poet Dr. Femi Fatoba. They both passed on during the year. And as the year progressed quite a number of practitioners including Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha, Monalisa Chinda and Doris Simeon Ademinokan were blessed with the fruit of the womb while others like Segun Arinze, Emeka Enyiocha, Tony Ani and sultry actress Ini Edo formalized their relationships during the year.
It was also during the year that the former Special Adviser to the Delta State Governor on Entertainment and Talent Development Richard Mofe Damijo was confirmed Commissioner of the Ministry. Also three practitioners- Chief Yemi Farounbi, Chief Wale Adenuga and the veteran actor and performance poet Lari Williams were decorated with national honours by President Musa Yar'Adua at a colourful ceremony in Abuja just this December. Their recognition coincided with the appointment of the Professor Dora Akunyili as Minister of Information and Communication. Although there are mixed reactions over her suitability for the job of overseeing such an octopus Ministry with some people arguing that there is a wide difference between chasing drug barons and information management, practitioners think she may not disappoint considering her antecedents at the NAFDAC.
But Madam Minister must act fast and address certain factors that have negated the continuous growth of the movie. There is the seeming lack of government support; the near absence of an effective copyright system and the lack of a clear-cut standard occasioned by the non-existence of a practitioners council. Even more pronounced is the twin issue of marketing and distribution, which has left copyright owners and pirates on war path for some time now. Government through the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication need to show more than a passive interest in the affairs of the movie. A number of talk shops have been held by two of the regulatory agencies- the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) but it does appear except in few instances that those talk shops don't lead the industry anywhere. Government needs to urgently reposition and restructure the motion picture industry in such a way that it can meet the challenges of present day national and global realities. Urgent and most pressing is therefore the need to enact and fully implement a National Film Policy.
It's unthinkable that Nigeria has been talking about an industry that is well regarded continentally and the world over without a sound policy environment. It is the absence of a policy that has made it almost impracticable for the many reform initiatives by both the NFVCB and the NFC to yield sustainable dividends. It is the reason why the industry is yet to witness the desired leap. Government must therefore see to the adoption of the film policy, the draft of which has been allowed to as usual gather dust in the shelves. Most informed observers have argued that only a sound and workable film policy will guarantee private sector participation in the industry as the policy is likely to make them enjoy tax rebate, ease the difficulties associated with regulations, increase funding sources and options, ensure professionalism and even the distribution of movies both locally and internationally. Once implemented, it is hoped that other vital issues like that of the setting up of the National Film Fund, the establishment of the National Film Distribution Company and the Motion Picture Practitioners Council (MOPPICON) will come on stream because ideally they should be enshrined in the policy.
Urgent too is the need for government to set up a structure that will entirely be concerned about distribution matters in the industry. The business of marketing and distributing the offerings of a fast growing industry like Nollywood is not a task that should be left to any of the existing regulatory agencies since it is clear that they have their hands full. The Censors Board should concentrate on regulating the porous censorship environment and allow a different structure to fully drive the distribution framework. Once in place, the distribution company that will later be limited by guarantee will ease the difficulties associated with distribution of movies both locally and internationally as well as guarantee the institution of a distribution mechanism aimed at preventing piracy. Luckily Nigeria is not lacking in men who can help drive the distribution framework and even the proposed MOPPICON which must not be allowed to function under the NFC.
Vital too is the need for a film fund which will beyond assisting in the building of capacity among practitioners, encourage the keeping of sound financial accounting system which is presently lacking and which has made the movie not appear as a bankable project. Presently, only finger countable banks are ready to do business with an industry that is worth close to 500 million dollars. Even those who signify interest to come in and assist jump off after one attempt and they have often blamed it on the fact that Nollywood is not structured and that even government itself has not created the right environment for the business to thrive. Nollywood is yet to smart off a deal that gone sour between some practitioners and a new generation bank.
From production perspective, there are still very obvious lapses, which can be eliminated if training and retraining of the players in the sector is emphasized. There is also the need for the various operational groups in the sector to form well organized union or guilds as a way of regulating, regularizing and controlling membership and professional qualification. Besides those administering the movie from the NFC to the NFVCB and the leadership of the professional guilds and associations must talk less and listen more. There are lessons they can learn from industry watchers and critics. They must in these last days of their first term in office be prepared to think outside the box and must desist from bouncing carrots around that will be gobbled by loyalists and top dogs, with very little coming to the practitioners who need it most. Moviedom needs to be bailed out. Things needs to change- and it has to start now.
by Shaibu Husseini
abracadabra
