Monday, October 12, 2009

Nigerian Movies Provide A Better Image For Nigeria

By Frank Mar

Mention 419' and anyone who has been an internet user long enough will unfortunately think Nigeria'. Well, it would be unfair to typecast an entire nation in bad light because of the indiscretions of a few individuals. Every country has its criminal elements. Thankfully, it is not all gloom and doom from Nigeria due to Nigerian movies.

Nigerian movies are one of the state's most recognizable exports today especially to other nations across Africa. There's more to the country than '419' tricks and the struggle for oil wealth at the Niger delta.

The origins of the Nigerian movies goes back to the 1960's. Around that time many African nations were still just obtaining their Independence from their European colonizers. The price of production gear and access to quality cameras and support equipment proved to be major obstacles at the time. By the 1980s, the govt. of Nigeria hatched and executed a policy that allowed more local content on air on Nigerian TV stations versus Western TV productions. This was a big step as it inspired local production content to grow.

Many researchers of the Nigerian movie industry (or Nollywood as it is frequently known) point the turning point of the country's movie making industry to the early 90s when the film 'Living in Bondage' was released. The simplicity and availability of inexpensive film making appliances gave further momentum and before long, the industry was growing in leaps and bounds.

Nigerian movies and flicks and the Nigerian movie making industry in total are guestimated to generate anywhere between US Dollars 250 million and US Dollars 5 hundred million every year. Nollywood has the additional benefit of drumming into an actors' and actresses' market that's not as costly in comparison to the median cost of a top-level actor or actress in Hollywood.

The demand for Nigerian movies in the continent of Africa has been enormous and has generated a fanatic following even among non-Nigerians across the continent. Inroads into wealthier markets like Europe and the U. S. have not been as successful. The films mostly still appeal to the average African resident that can relate to the localized movie storyline.

The African market can sometimes prove daunting when it comes to logistics. Poor infrastructure, expensive costs of communication and widespread piracy can easily cripple even the best-planned movie distribution network. Producers of Nigerian movies have mastered how to best use the continent's system to their advantage and reap a tidy profit as a result.

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