Jimmy goes to Nollywood
Alongside Hollywood and Bollywood, Nigeria’s Nollywood is one of the top three largest producers of feature films. Invited to host the Africa Movie Academy Awards this year, Haitian born actor and model Jimmy Jean-Louis brought along a film crew of his own to interview major players--directors, producers, and actors--involved in this high-volume film industry in his probing, yet light-hearted documentary Jimmy Goes to Nollywood.
Recognizing the value of his inside look at Nigerian filmmaking, this year’s Reel Sisters Film Festival and Lecture Series brought Jimmy Goes to Nollywood to Kumble Theater at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus. Founded by African Voices magazine and Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus, Reel Sisters celebrates and discusses filmmaking within a variety of relevant cultural contexts, while bringing special attention to films produced, directed, and written by women of color.
Reel Sisters’ screening of Jimmy Goes to Nollywood this past weekend was followed by a dynamic discussion of the history, current state, and future of film production in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. Led by designer, writer, and owner of Calabar Imports Atim Annette Oton, a panel of three spoke about their lives and relationship to film in Nigeria and New York and their individual takes on the phenomenon known as Nollywood.
The former CEO of Brooklyn-based fashion brand Nigerian Fabrics & Fashions (NFF) and more recently involved in pursuits with major companies in the tech and telecommunications industries, panelist Jonathan Adewumi spoke about issues of piracy in Nigeria, monetizing the country’s film industry, and the potential for Nollywood to share a uniquely African story. Encouraged by a question from one audience member who mentioned an online platform developed in Ghana called Sparrow Station, Adewumi spoke of one of Nigeria’s answers to bootlegging known as the Audio Visual Rights Society of Nigeria (AVRS). He mentioned that he himself is also currently working on developing other online platforms for hosting films that will allow filmmakers to profit from their work. In addition, Adewumi is currently organizing a Nigerian Film Festival in New York City--an idea that originated with a project conceived by his mentor Jonathan Hicks (now deceased)--and will be taking place at Medgar Evers College, St. Francis College, and the Langston Hughes Cultural Center in Queens this November.
A trained man of the theater and activist who has worked as a producer, tour manager, and consultant for big names in the music, dance, and film industries, panelist Ogugua Iwelu provided a more intimate look at Nigerian culture and film, while challenging the classification of Nollywood as an industry in its current state. When one audience member took issue with a director in the film who insisted that Nigerian acting must be toned down in order to be taken more seriously and gain wider appeal, Iwelu spoke fondly of the expressive, at times explosive, nature of his own family and neighbors, implying that there is indeed a distinction between overacting and remaining true to one’s culture. Iwelu also noted that despite the lack of enforcement of copyright laws in Nigeria, some people are taking a stand, such as a group of filmmakers who literally led police to a market in Lagos where bootleg films were being sold. Iwelu mentioned that he had himself even spoken to a top official in the Nigerian government about enforcing copyright laws and allowing a Nigerian film industry to truly thrive. All three panelists indentified as being pre-Nollywood, having growing up in a Nigeria where they went to outdoor cinemas without fear, climbing trees to see the screen if they had to. With the increase of crime in Nigeria, came the demise of public theaters, and the rise of what is now known as Nollywood. These Nigerian films, most produced on shoestring budgets, are now enjoyed worldwide. Unfortunately, due to rampant piracy, Nigerian filmmakers are seeing slim profits. Laying down a clear and simple pathway for a prosperous Nigerian film industry, Adewumi noted: “. . . I think if we support these [online] platforms and support the movies and ask questions and say, I want to see more, we would be doing our part in growing the industry.” Wise words for all who enjoy films like Jimmy Goes to Nollywood and any and all films produced by Nigerian filmmakers.
