You
have heard of Hollywood, you have heard of Bollywood - but have you
heard of Nollywood, Nigeria's film industry?
This
is Nollywood (movie
trailer)
According
to a UNESCO report that was published and posted on the website,
the most recent UIS survey results released in 2009 showed that India
remains the world's leading film producer, but Nigeria is closing the
gap after overtaking the United States for second place. According to
the UIS survey, Bollywood produced 1,091 feature-length films in 2006
compared to 872 productions (in video format) from Nollywood. In
contrast, the United States produced 485 major films. Moreover,
Nollywood film industry is increasingly growing and nowadays it
produces approximately 1000 movies a year.
Although
most of people that live outside of Africa or African culture have
never heard about Nollywood,Nigerian
film industry is gradually becoming more popular outside its own
country. Indeed, Nollywood movies have not only become popular
collector's items at homes in Nigeria, but also in other African
countries and diasporic African communities in the United States and
the U.K.
"We
are doing films for the masses, we are not doing films for the elite
and the people in their glass houses; they can afford to watch their
Robocop and their whatever." (From the documentary This
Is Nollywood).
Certainly,
Nollywood produces movies for the masses about not just Nigerian
issues, but also African issues. This is why Nollywood movies are so
popular around the continent, despite the different languages,
cultures and history. Africans share similar issues, many of which
are unique to our continent. The masses are going to relate to a
particular interpretation of an issue in a different way to people
from the smaller group of wealthier Africans.
There
are many factors that contribute to the increasing popularity of
Nollywood films. First of all, Nigerian's movies are produced and
marketed in the space of a week: low cost equipment, very basic
scripts, actors cast the day of the shooting, "real life"
locations. Also, the African continent has a rich tradition of
story-telling that has been conveyed through oral and written
fiction, or recently through the mass media. Indeed, Nollywood movies
tell stories that appeal to and reflect the lives of its viewers:
stars are local actors; plots confront the viewer with familiar
situations of romance, comedy, witchcraft, bribery, prostitution et
cetera. The narrative is tragic, overdramatic, deprived of happy
endings; the aesthetic is loud, violent and excessive. All of those
features make Nigerian's movies unique, recognisable,
and
very different from Hollywood or Bollywood ones.
Sources:
Questions:
- Hollywood movies are arguably the most popular ones in the Western countries. What makes Hollywood movies so popular? Why Nollywood movies are not so popular outside of Africa and diasporic African communities?
- Have you ever seen any Bollywood or Nollywood movies? If yes, do you like them? Why?
- Do you know other "ollywood" film industries?
Generally I prefer European movies than Holywood productions. But with some exceptions. Few of my very favourite titles wouldn't be able to see daylight with huge budgets, that only Holywood industry can afford - like Lord of the Rings or Avatar. I think that I never watched Nollywood movie nor Bolywood unless Slumdog Millionare is a Bollywood production. In my case I will watch Nollywood production when one of the titles will be nominated to some important award. Unfortunatelly I don't have time to discover some random titles.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would like to emphasise how statement that robocop is something for elites made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Hollywood movies are so popular, because average bread eater is a person who dont like to think too much, in fact he would feel great if he doesnt have to think at all. Well, this is exactly what Hollywood productions are providing to a viewer. Their films does not require any reflection or a single thought. This is why it is so popular.
Nollywood movies are not popular outside africa, because nobody cares about low budget production from third world country.
Simmilar cause why Polish movies are not popular abroad.
Also for non-african viewer thoes production might feel strange, as they tell stories that happen in tottaly different world than his.
Although I have seen some African productions, I havn't seen any Nollywood film.
I don't remember seeing any Nollywood film, but I am very curious. It looks that Nigerian movies are the kind of regional ones, fully understandable only for locals, but for the viewer European wonderfully exotic. At a time when with multi-million dollar budgets the horribly bad movies are made, low budget does not necessarily imply that movie will be bad.
ReplyDeleteI saw few Bollywood movies, and I liked them very much. They are interesting because of the differences in our societies, customs, they also have their Bollywood musical flavor and unique sense of humor.
I don't know any other "ollywood" film industries, but I hope that countries other than USA will produce more and more movies. Few years ago I stopped watching USA movies because they are boring and naive. So in my opinion diversity is something good and needed.
1.Hollywood movies are arguably the most popular ones in the Western countries. What makes Hollywood movies so popular? Why Nollywood movies are not so popular outside of Africa and African diasporic communities?
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the problem, as usual, is in the money and the culture of the region. The first tentative region for fighting and stability discourages famous actors for a longer stay.
Second, the world-renowned film crew does not come cheap. Videos and labels are not saved for the actors playing them, which in a rather after a good scenario. Lack of interest in writers and reżysterów can cause reduced the popularity of the rogionu.
2.Have you ever seen any Bollywood or Nollywood movies? If yes, do you like them? Why?
Yes, I've seen a few videos created in Bollywood. I do not like overly large amount of music and dance in these films. I like it and the music is very dynamic and enegriczna. I believe that this film will not focus on the story and I think it has no significance.
3.Do you know other "ollywood" film industries?
Unfortunately I was not able to meet other film studios.
Firstly I have to say that you have choosen great topic! I haven't ever even heard of Nollywood but it seems to be quite interesting thing. I would like to see such move :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes I like to watch some Bollywood move, but in most cases they are for me like hard fantasy movies. They are so different in cultural way that sometimes I wonder if we are from the same planet :) (In positive way of course! )
In my opinion marketing makes Hollywood movies so popular. Someone "up there" spend lot of money on particular movie and wants to get it back and even earn more. The second reason is that these movies are closer to us in cultural way. They contains "our" problems and "our" way to fix them and so on...
As you wrote Nollywood movies shows "African" problems, live, fantasies.
unfortunately I do not know any other "ollywood" film industries, but I'm looking forward to see my colleagues comments, maybe they would post something intersting. :)
Very interesting article. I have never heard about African film industry growing so fast. In my opinion we “western countries” people always comparing something, that is perhaps completely new to Our realities, to something we know. Therefore, we probably do not understand other cultures because even Nigerian film industry is called Nollywood by comparison to Hollywood, but If I understood correctly the article, this is a completely different phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteIn reply to your first question I think that in the same way as “Cześć Tereska” was interesting for some Poles, African reality is interesting for native people or people who miss their continent but now they are staying in Europe or USA and also incomprehensible for others.
I like some of the films of Bollywood, Korean, or some less known Asian countries, sometimes you can find some real “gems”. I did not know that something interesting might be happening in this regard in Nigeria thanks to you I will search more about it.
I have not heard of other labels imitating the name of Hollywood, according to me it is not a good idea. Hollywood name raises my bad connotations, for me it is more synonymous with “blown eggs” in that I mean trash films based solely on special effects where the story ends after 30 minutes of the film just after first gun series and explosions.
First of all I think that Hollywood movies are so popular mainly because of the money that is put in this large industry. People like watching colorful films about rich families because this is what majority of people dream about. What is more, Hollywood movies are very well-advertised what makes them very recognizable and affordable for a huge audience. Neither nollywood movies, nor ollywood movies have such well-developed advertisement sector. I would also like to stress that people tend to do the same things i.e. they like watching mainstream films so that they would not feel excluded from the whole mainstream society.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Nollywood films, I do not know any of them. I suppose there are not popular because people are not used to watching something that is not spread all over the world. Probably, if you want to watch Nollywood movies, you need to look for them and you need to be more motivated and inquiring than any average human being who likes huge colorful productions that do not require any knowledge or background information in order be understood properly.
Actually, the popularity of Hollywood movies is sad mainly because of the fact that if people knew more about such productions as Nollywood, they could be more educated and know more about African culture what would be very enriching.
I have never seen any Bolywood movie before. I doubt I ever will. And Nolywood will share the same fate probably. I am not a movie fan. I watch some movies from time to time. Usually to relax , so I choose comedy, SF, or action movies. I don’t like modern “serious” or “ambitious” productions. There is long story behind it. To make it short: year by year I became more and more disgruntled by “ambitious” productions. I felt more and more like somebody is lecturing me and trying to influence my way of thinking. Maybe I am wrong, maybe I am casualty of wrong selection, but I feel subtlety is nowadays substituted by thinly disguised indoctrination (of different origin), not that it was not present before but it becomes overrepresented for me this days, and I simply don’t like it.
ReplyDeleteThere is one exception. I am fan of TV series. Good S-F or action series can suck me in for long hours. My favorites were 24, Mentalist, Revolution, Stargate, Prison Break, Supernatural and Heroes. When I need to catch some beak and relax I love to watch new or come back to one of old episodes. But it has nothing to do with Nolywood does it?