The Third largest film industry in the world, Nollywood could be heading downhill. With the production of over 500 movie titles per year, the Nigerian film industry is beginning to attract the attention of global cinema but not for all the right reasons. One major reason that made Nollywood films so popular is the fact that it was so different from films coming from Hollywood and other conventional film industries around the world. Nollywood films brought such freshness and perspective lacking or somewhat ignored in Hollywood, Bollywood, and other film industries. Many African and Caribbean people who reside in the states were eager to see stories that remind them of their country homes and culture. Nollywood films at one point provided such needs.
The irony is that after many years of popularity, Nollywood needs to inject some freshness to its filmmaking and story lines if it intends to continue to grow In my opinion. Now filmmakers from other African countries and the Caribbeans are jumping abroad. The other day, I read a piece that referred to the Haitian film industry as “Haillywood.” Even recently, Time magazine featured the Article about Nollywood but in such a negative way. The competition is getting stiffer and Nollywood has got to wake up and smell the sweet coffee. How can the Nigerian Film Industry Change for the better? With the issue of Movie Piracy among other things, is their any hope for Nollywood to grow or much less survive?
Okay ya’ll this is becoming a serious matter and I thought I bring this issue to light.
