COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE-NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY
Oct 13th, 2008 by admin
Communicating for Change, a non governmental organisation put together a three day international conference, in a bold move to reposition the Nigerian film industry Nollywood, in the global entertertainment industry. The three day conference will have key note speakers such as Ms. Andrea Calderwood, producer last king of Scotland, currently working on the adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie book, Half of a yellow sun into a feature film, Mr. Tunde Mr. Tunde Kelani, Award winning Nigerian film maker and a host of others.
The conference touched the very pulse of Nigeria’s fast growing film industry by exploring international financing, intelectual property rights, distribution, content development and the fusion of Nigeria’s creative industries as an engine for growth. It also enabled professionals in the creative industry learn more on how to protect and look after copyrights, ensuring that there is no infringement on one’s creative work.
The executive director and founder Sandra Mbanefo Obiago described Arts and films as very powerful tools because they entertain and when you are entertained, you open your heart and all of a sudden it starts to affect the way we think. Emphasizing that Communicating for change is not just about raising awareness, the organisation is interested in behavioural change, because we have found that by entertaining audiences, by giving them cutting edge , controversial films to watch that you can actually shock people into thinking differently
WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR THE FILM INDUSTRY IN NIGERIA?
I think we are not just looking at best practises in Nigeria film but in global context. We are looking at excellence in terms of technical structures upon which any creative project is based so financing that is solid, legal framework that is solid so that creators have comfort to know that they have legal instruments that protects their creativity. We looking at the process of producing content that is thorough, we are looking at excellence in terms of script writing, music, in terms of preproduction, production and post production of producing films. Then, we are very concerned about the fusion of Nigeria’s creative industries, so how do we bring acting, the best of music, the best of performing arts and lighting, and the best of writing to bare. Looking at design and fashion at the moment there is very little interconnection between the different aspects of the creative industries. We have won awards with our literary giants, we have won the Booker price, Nigerians have won as far as the Noble price for literature but how many have we won for the writing of screen plays, screen writing for films, same goes for music and Nigerian music is celebrated around the world and yet we are composing for films, the soundtracks for our movies have not won awards so how do we get the best of the varieties in the creative industry to be reflected in film, that starts to address what we call the best practises in the film industry and the entertainment industry in general.
The fact that the different sectors of the creative industry are not working together is a major gap and in order to improve our films and in order to use films as a mechanism to showcase our talent we have to work closer together with the different sectors.
WHAT IS THE NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY DOING WRONG?
Some Nigerian films are culturally inappropriate and that gives a bias where people believe that all Nigerians are sort of involved and somehow affected by witchcraft and voodoo. It has left a lasting impression on many audiences around the world.
IF YOU HAD AN OPPORTUNITY WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN THE NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY?
I think I would encourage producers to spend more time in preproduction and in the production process. Also, spend more time in writing our scripts, on composing our music and again on having more financial support, this will make a phenomenal impact on films, a positive impact.
LET’S TALK A BIT ABOUT COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE, WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS DOES IT EMBARK ON?
We produce and distribute films on environment and development issues. One was on Female Genital mutilation. Years ago some actors went to Benin City in Nigeria to do some research for a play on female genital mutilation. Through the research they met a lady from Benin who was the circumciser from the royal family. They interviewed her and she at the time said she would never, never stop circumcising little boys and girls because she felt that it was right and a major part of the culture of which she was very proud. They went away, finished their research and created this play. She was then invited to see the performance and it was during the performance she broke down and she vowed never ever to perform another circumcision on another girl. . That led to a whole revolution that started in Benin because advocates came together and the first law against female Genital mutilation was passed in Benin City in 1995.
IN FILM PRODUCTION, WHAT ASPECT IS MOST EXCITING AND CHALLENGING?
The exciting part of our work is to actually show that art is a powerful tool for development just like the theatre group was able to convince a stout advocate of Female genital mutilation that actually this is a harmful traditional practice. We are not against culture, but against harmful traditional practices.
A major challenge in terms of producing films is in the area of financing and it is because of this we decided for our tenth anniversary to organise a conference which actually addresses the issue of financing that also creates a platform were bankers and people in the finance industry can listen to an international speakers who has been doing film financing for his entire career and learn from the financial successes and pitfalls that filmmakers have gone through in Hollywood and try and see how we can bring positive principles to bare in Nigeria
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR THE NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY PARTICULARLY WITH THE EXISTENCE OF COMMUNICATING FOR CHANGE?
The future is very bright for the Nigerian film industry. Communicating for Change is just starting. I think there is a huge gap in the communications landscape for development communication like we are doing. Nigeria is a huge place and there is so much need now. We are overwhelmed by the request we get everyday to assist civil society organisations in producing materials. We are going to be very busy continuing producing social messages, continuing to work in partnership with the civil society, the private and public sector. We will continue to fight for change through entertainment and using advocacy as a tool, looking at critical content in films.