Credit: Vertigo Magazine

Robert Townsend's 1987 cult-classic film 'Hollywood Shuffle' was made on a budget of $100,000 and has grossed more than $5 million to date. By Hollywood standards, Townsend produced a major feature film on next to nothing. But if $100,000 is considered next to nothing, then $15,000 is actually nothing. That's about how much the average Nollywood film costs to make. Nollywood, a brave and resourceful industry, is part of the larger world of African cinema. The business and social lessons in this industry are useful and the potential immeasurable.

"Nollywood" is the name that has been coined for the prolific Nigerian film industry, which produces about 2,500 films per year -- most on shoe-string budgets. The average number of production days per film? Approximately 10. Nollywood films are popular throughout the entire African continent and quite marketable in the United States and Europe.

I can remember my auntie playing these "home videos" in her hair salon, while she and the rest of my aunties would be glued to the TV screen. I didn't know then that these movies would someday catapult the visibility of the Nigerian film industry to the world, with Oprah speaking about Nigerian cinema on her show nearly 15 years later.
But the truth is that at some point, the Nigerian film industry was the third largest producer of feature films in the world, bringing in at least $250 million annually -- until it was surpassed by India's Bollywood scene. UNESCO, the United Nations's cultural organization, has determined that Nollywood is now the second-biggest film industry in the world in terms of output -- beating out the United States.


Credit: Calabar Magazine

The History of the Nigerian Film Industry

The films of Nigeria's colonial era served as propaganda to support the mistreatment of Africans. Depicting Africans as savages, 'Sanders of the River' (1935) angered Nigerians and other blacks around the world. Paul Robeson, who starred in the film with Nigerian actor Pa Orlando Martins, disowned the film after the its message had been changed, stating, "The imperialist plot had been placed in the plot during the last five days of shooting. ... I was roped into the picture because I wanted to portray the culture of the African people. ... I hate the picture. It is the only film of mine that can be shown in Italy or Germany, for it shows the Negro as fascist states desire him -- savage and childish." (Duberman, Paul Robeson The Discovery of Africa, 1989).

In '70s, things began to change. 'Kongi Harvest' (1970), directed by Ossie Davis and co-produced by Francis Oladele, Arthur Dubons and Lennart Berns, adapted Nigerian playwright and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka's play. Shot on location, the film suffered from limited exhibition. Pioneering Nigerian filmmaker Ola Balogun has a list of credits that include great films such as 'Amadi' (1975), 'Aiye' (1979) and 'Cry Freedom' (1981), among many others. 'Amadi' was groundbreaking in that it was the first Nigerian film shot in a local language, Igbo (with English subtitles). Balogun's next film, 'Ajani-Ogun,' was shot entirely in the Yoruba language. Balogun's films addressed such topics as colonialism, greed, African liberation movements and metaphysics.

Another important film is Sanya Dosunmu's film 'Dinner With the Devil' (1975), hailed for its depiction of patterns of life in Nigeria. Eddie Ugbomah's film 'The Mask' (1979) portrayed and exposed looting by Africa's colonizers and the theft of Africa's art objects by the British. Ugbomah's other films, such as 'Oil Boom' (1981) and 'The Death of a Black President,' among other titles, are significant to the history of Nigerian film culture as well.

The closing down of cinema houses, the import of Western, Indian, Japanese, and other foreign films, and the need to command the images of Africans on the continent, were a perfect recipe for a booming Nigerian film industry as its popularity grew in the '90s.

Welcome to Nollywood

One great thing about Nollywood is that, unlike in Hollywood, black faces dominate all aspects of production. It is commonplace to see a black leading lady or guy in a Nollywood production produced today. Logically, it makes sense that this would be the case considering where the films are produced. With 150 million people in Nigeria, the country is the most populous black nation on the earth. Some notable actors and actresses include Olu Jacobs, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Genevieve Nnaji, Stephanie Okereke, Stella Damasus-Aboderin, Peter Edochie, Rita Dominic, Joke Silva and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.

Notable producers and directors include Zack Amata, Fred Amata, Jeta Amata, Tunde Kelani, Yinka Quadri, and Kenneth Nnebue. Nnebue's 1992 film 'Living in Bondage' is credited with setting in motion the Nollywood formula of a quick turnaround on a modest budget. The film's instant success inspired a new generation of film producers, particularly merchants and small business owners, who recognized the relative ease of producing a film. And while Nnebue's film has an important place in the history of Nigeria's movie industry, there were some important events prior to 1992 that are deserving of recognition. Filmmakers Francis Oladele, Ola Balogun, Adamu Halilu, Sanya Dosunmu, and Eddie Ugbomah have made important contributions to Nigerian film and helped to build a national film culture.

Check back soon for part two of this series, in which we will examine the production and business tactics of today's most successful Nollywood directors and producers -- as well as some of their obstacles to reaching mainstream success with American audiences.