Nollywood: Nigeria's billion dollar film industry
Business Daily
BBC
4.4 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 6 December 2022
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Nigeria’s film industry, known as Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world and has overtaken Hollywood in terms of the quantity of films produced – with an annual output of over 2,500 films.
In the early 1990s, the industry was infamous for its low budget, low production films – all of which went straight to VHS cassettes and DVDs, with actors and filmmakers often running at a loss.
However the past decade we've seen Nollywood grow exponentially and the industry now dominates streaming platforms across Africa and in the diaspora.
Filmmaker and distributor Moses Babatope tells us local languages and mythical storylines are the secret of Nollywood’s new found success, coupled with improvement in expertise whilst veteran actress Kate Henshaw says the industry has come a long way since she first graced the screen.
Adunni Ade a first time executive producer is of the opinion more can be done to incentivise the growth of the industry and Nigeria’s biggest film producer Kunle Afolayan advocates the need for improvement in production capacity.
Presenter / producer: Peter MacJob Image: Actors on set; Credit: Adunni Ade
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | World Football in Qatar is the podcast taking you behind the scenes with all 32 teams at the World Cup. |
| 0:07.3 | We're hearing from the players, the fans and people in Qatar, telling the truly global story of the competition. |
| 0:15.2 | That's World Football in Qatar from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:19.4 | Find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:23.1 | Hello, welcome to Business Daily. I am Peter Mac Job. Today, we're going to Nollywood. |
| 0:30.1 | The king died last month. Tonight is his barrier. But before they bury him, they unless he must die so as to accompany him to |
| 0:39.6 | heaven. The rise of Nigeria's film industry to mainstream. What has been demonstrated is that |
| 0:45.9 | the Nigerian story is something that global audiences also want to see. It's growing in lips |
| 0:51.5 | and bounds and of course industry players are trying to put their |
| 0:55.4 | best foot forward. But our film makers get in a fair shake. It could be better. There are certain |
| 1:01.2 | things that may still be holding us up in terms of negotiations. That's all coming up on today's |
| 1:08.7 | business daily. That's all coming up on today's Business Daily. |
| 1:18.8 | The Nigeria movie industry has experienced exponential growth in the past decade. |
| 1:24.1 | Norleywood leading lady, Kate Henshaw, has been in the industry from its inception and played a major part in its evolution. |
| 1:27.8 | For three decades, she ruled the screens with over 100 films under a belt |
| 1:31.8 | and regarded by many as the Queen of Nollywood. |
| 1:35.7 | The business is really moving for the first time ever. |
| 1:39.0 | We're having a premiere of a world-class film like Wakanda, |
| 1:42.6 | being premiered here in Nigeria, Lagos. |
| 1:44.7 | So it's growing in lips and bounds. |
| 1:46.7 | And of course, industry players are trying to put their best foot forward. |
| 1:51.7 | And it's attracting attention from all over the world. |
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