Nigerians
always complain of the poor quality of movies in Nollywood, however
they still keep the faith that one day their prayers will be answered;
well pray no more.
Nollywood,
recently produced its most expensive movie yet, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’.
The movie cost approximately N1.27 billion ($8m) to make.
Half
of a Yellow Sun’ is an adaptation of Chimanmanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel,
‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, the movie was shot at Tinapa Film Studio, Cross
River State, and in the United Kingdom.
The
movie is yet to be released but we have confirmed that the movie was
directed by Biyi Bandele who had most of its cast and crew flown from
abroad.
The
cast comprised Britons and Nigerians such as Chiwetel Ejiofor (Kinky
Boots, American Gangster, 2012, Salt); Thandie Newton (Mission:
Impossible II, Crash, The Pursuit of Happiness); Anika Noni Rose
(Dreamgirls, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, For Coloured Girls);
Joseph Mawle (Women in Love, Game of Thrones); John Boyega (Attack the
Block); Onyeka Onwenu, Nigerian singer and actress; Genevieve Nnaji and
Zack Orji.
The
production quality of the film directly points tothe growing
professionalism in Nollywood. In the last five years, Nollywood has been
growing in terms of output and quality.
.The
development has also impacted huge returns. Not only is Nollywood
ranked third globally in terms of quality of production, financially
Nollywood is also placed third in the world.
Managing director, Robert Orya of Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), says: ‘The
global film and entertainment industry generated about $90.6 billion
revenue in 2010,’ Orya explains, saying ‘the revenue increased to $102.7
billion in 2012. Most of these revenue streams are largely from
theatrical distribution. North America contributed the largest market
share of about 40 percent. Europe, Middle East and Africa accounted for
24 percent, Latin America 20 percent, and Asia Pacific made only 3
percent contribution.’
Film
maker Victor Okhai says a new breed of film makers began to bring
professionalism into the industry, which explains the improvement in the
quality of films produced lately. Some of those that fall into this
group are Tunde Kelani with movies like ‘Thunderbolt’ (‘Magun’), Tade
Ogidan with ‘Dangerous Twins,’ Richard Mofe Damijo’s ‘Out of Bounds,’
Ego Boyo with ‘30 Days,’ the Amstel Malta Box Office series.
‘It
is expected that the quality of films will improve,’ says Okhai. ‘We
are at a stage where we can no longer play the mediocre anymore. We have
discovered that when we attend film festivals, we realised that nobody
pays attention to Nollywood films. They look at the industry with
disdain at these film festivals. Then local film makers came back home
to do some serious work. Many film makers are challenged by what they
see at film festivals,’ he says.
Before
the emergence of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun,’ the movie ‘Tango with Me’
produced by Mahmoud Ali-Balogun, ranked as the most expensive film. The
movie was shot with the latest Kodak 35mm camera, ‘Tango with Me’ costs
over N50 million to produce says Ali-Balogun.
To
show the passion Ali Balogun had for movie production, he travelled all
the way to Bulgaria to master film technology. The end product of the
trip was an outstanding film that ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ has
knocked-off.
Experts
say the return of the cinemas has offered a veritable platform for film
makers to escape piracy and the open market. By granting first viewing
to cinemas, film producers are assured of getting returns on their
investments. But Okhai still emphasizes on the quality of production, he
says:
‘Cinemas
cannot project poor quality films,’ explains Okhai, as ‘your flaws as a
film producer are blown in proportion to the size of the screen. Film
makers in the Diaspora are returning home to show how good films are
made abroad. Their films are changing the way local film producers are
making films’.
True
to Okhai’s theory, movie producers can recover tremendous amounts from
cinema viewing. A couple of examples are In 2009 for instance, Stephanie
Okereke’s movie, ‘Through the Glass,’ premiered at the cinemas making
over N10 million. This was followed by Kunle Afolayan’s ‘The Figurine’
becoming the first local film to make over N30 million in the cinemas.
Chineze
Anyaene’s film, ‘Ije,’ also recorded tremendous success at the cinemas,
making over N57 million and viewed by an estimated 14,000 people. In
2010, ‘Ije’ was reputed to be Nigeria’s highest selling movie in the
cinemas, returning to the cinemas three times that year. Its success was
next to Hollywood’s ‘Avatar.’ ‘Anchor Baby’ produced by Lonzo Nzekwe
also made over N17 million
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