‘Nollywood Still Incubating’

Veteran Nollywood actor, Victor Edogun is someone you will hardly find granting press interviews or promoting himself like most of his colleagues do. He would rather sit back and allow his numerous award-winning jobs speak for themselves.

The Edo State born thespian, who has starred in popular flicks and soaps like Time Bomb, Perfect Church, Enemy of State, My Cross, Super Story, This Life and Odd World among others too numerous to mention is no doubt well-respected in the motion picture industry as one of the core professionals.
In this chat with NollywoodReel, he came out of his usual shell to speak on issues affecting the Nigerian movie industry.
Influx of Ghanaian actors and movies in Nigeria:
Just as Nigeria was instrumental to politically liberating Southern Africa from the stranglehold of apartheid and has taken acknowledged stances of brotherliness to other African countries in the past till date, Nollywood has emancipated many nascent African film industries from obscurity. Of easy mention is Ghana’s. A direct appendage of this development is the current influx of Ghanaian actors in the Nollywood film sceptre. Nevertheless, this influx should be controlled. More than this, Nollywood actors need similar working relationships with Hollywood and other internationally celebrated actors to secure a rise in their own universal appeal and value as well as those of the movies. Our producers and directors can ensure this by stretching out a bit longer. While a few Ghanaian movies have transcended mediocrity and deserve mention, many, whose contents are plainly ludicrous and morally-lacking, have no business on our film shelves. So much so that it becomes pertinent to ponder how much seriousness is assigned to its guarding responsilities by our Censors Board.
Has Nollywood come of age:
Nollywood is in adolescence. It has not come of age, but it has come to stay. Still being nurtured and meandering through winding roads now, it will shine and assume full maturity in good time in a not-too-distant future.
Short comings of Nollywood:
Few organizational structures. Inadequate and insufficient hi-tech equipment with subsisting manpower/upgraded training of few hands is also part of it.
Low budgeting of productions, man-made hurdles erected by certain producers/directors for some artistes, inadequate pre-production preparation and planning cannot be overlooked.
Post-production blues i.e. marketing and distribution. Also, we have limited and restrained streams of tight storylines and plots, insincerity by some practitioners. Bleeding of Nollywood by some media networks vis-avis rights, royalties, environmental protection acts etc.
Ways to improve:
Collaborations with superior film making industries should be encouraged.
Merit and quality should be further underscored among casts and crew.
Government should truthfully assist Nollywood to grow and blossom. Same goes for corporate organisations who need to overlook previous short comings as there is no child without teething problems. It’s time for Nollywood to chew meat and crush bones and government and corporate Nigeria should be right there where it matters. More synergy between practitioners, media networks and engagement platforms, upgrade of recording medium to comply with international film format, standards and mode.
AGN politics and next month’s election:
Do you know why many pretty-looking buildings collapse? It is because of faulty foundation.
The foundation base of AGN as a professional body has to be revisited and put right.
In the official enabling guide of the guild, it is empirically stated that the function of the Board Of Trustees (BOT) is strictly advisory. As the founding fathers of the guild, they not only relegate that responsibility but shoot the guild in the foot by its confines and appointing officers who have held executive sway for years now, whilst obnoxiously disregarding the veritable results of a properly-supervised and conducted electoral process.