Nigerian ingenuity fuels Nollywood’s surge

It’s 1992. A Nigerian businessman desperately trying to sell a large shipment of blank video cassettes uses them to produce a cheap local film. ‘Living in Bondage’, the story of a man haunted by his deceased wife’s ghost, becomes an instant hit, selling more than half a million copies. Nollywood is born.

Nigeria’s film industry is the world’s second largest in terms of the number of films produced annually, surpassing Hollywood and hot on the heels of Bollywood. It is also one of the largest employers in Nigeria. With an average shoestring budget of US$20,000 each, around 200 films are digitally produced every month, mostly for the home video market where they sell for less than two dollars apiece. This cuts production costs, produces healthy profits and ensures that the African masses – many of whom cannot afford to go to the cinema or reach one easily – can purchase a copy. To ensure their global appeal, most heavily marketed Nollywood films are in English, with plots that Africans worldwide can truly relate to.

Annual industry revenues are between US$250-500 million a year, in spite of trying conditions, rampant piracy, scarce resources and criticisms of poor quality. What’s more, Nollywood’s success has helped inspire the rise of other African film industries, such as Ghana’s ‘Ghallywood’.

While the industry continues to call for increased government and foreign investment, new funding sources are becoming available, and producers are increasingly choosing enhanced quality and industry training over quantity. The Oscars are not far away.

Okechukwu Umelo