Letter To Nollywood

I received good replies from intelligent and wise people who read the firrst important and timely letter I wrote to NOLLYWOOD. The following is an updated version of it 

As written in 

◄ Proverbs 11:14 ►

"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers."

The wisdom of the world is nothing to the Wisdom of God.

It is important to accept wise counsel.

I have updated this message, because a big insurance company told me last week that when the company wanted to support Nollywood, the President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) of over a decade ago and the leadership of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP) antagonized each other and refused to cooperate on the program. So, the company left and never wanted to support Nollywood again.

When I recommended that AMP should be changed to the appropriate Producers Guild of Nigeria (PGN), it is for the best interests of the Nigerian film industry. 

Intrigues and shenanigans are childish and foolish in professional bodies.

Unprofessional practices have actually caused the untimely demise of several actors and producers in Nollywood without any insurance policy.

The good news is: I have attracted another multinational company in the entertainment industry and I have already recommended a thorough seasoned professional in Nollywood to them. Because, she is above aboard; a woman of substance; a woman of dignity, integrity and nobility of over 40 years professional experience in the Nigerian film industry; from the cradle of Nollywood, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) where I also started my career and was paying my monthly tax from the age of 17, when I was earning N400 monthly for four years before going on to work for the John Hopkins University''s Population Communication Services (JHU/PCS) at 21 as a public health illustrator and later as a translator (through which I paid, the Nollywood actor, Kanayo O. Kanayo to do translation of English into Igbo for the family planning methods booklets fully illustrated by me for the whole Nigeria. I met him at the Radio Nigeria office in Ikoyi, Lagos).

Finally, from a dialogue in my "Once Upon a Time in Nollywood":

Even if you are driving a stolen car in Nollywood since 2010 to date, do your best to drive it well and maintain it, so that people will not even know the truth. I will even enjoy the jolly ride with you and your passengers 😀.  

PS: 

For those who are good enough for the production of documentary films, funding is available for you.

I don't know if anyone applied for the Sundance Documentary Fund I mentioned before the closing date. If you did not apply, you can apply for the 2024 round closing in April.

https://apply.sundance.org/res/p/2023dfpfaq

The Sundance Institute was funded by the MacArthur Foundation.

If you have a film festival with a film institute or foundation, you can apply for the establishment.

We need a Nollywood Museum for the Nigerian film industry from the making of the first feature, "Palaver" of 1926 to date.

See details on The MacArthur Foundation grants.

100&Change, our competition for a single $100 million grant, is open to any proposed solution to any critical problem of our time. Nonprofit and qualifying for-profit organizations may apply. The competition cycle repeats every three years.

https://www.macfound.org/info-grantseekers/

PS:

Please, don't apply for funds to misappropriate the money to enrich yourselves. If you do so, I will also report the misappropriations of the funds which I have done before as a national Program Consultant for the UNICEF in Nigeria for NGOs.

We cannot point accusing fingers at the government for corruption when we are not innocent of corruption. 

Corruption is corruption; from the closet to the Office of the President; from the bedroom to the boardroom.

I have seen greedy filmmakers in Nollywood who misappropriated hundreds of thousands to millions of naira given to them for film and TV productions. And the funders have been disappointed and discouraged from supporting Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,.

The  Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,

The first book on Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry since 2013. Distributed by Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other booksellers.

Women Are the New Game Changers in Nollywood

Yesterday I was at the Glover Memorial Hall on the Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria on Wednesday afternoon,  JULY 19, 2023.

I met with some of the leading key members of the Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) in Nigeria who are major stakeholders in Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry who have been committed in the overall capacity development of the film and TV industry since the 1980s to date.

We discussed the Big Picture of the future of the Nigerian film industry in view of the great prospects.

The female filmmakers in Nigeria have produced the most highest grossing movies in Nollywood since 2010 to date. The most recent movies include the following:

Battle on Buka Street (2022): (₦668,423,056) by Funke Akindele.

Omo Ghetto: The Saga (2020): ₦636,129,120 by Funke Akindele.

The Wedding Party (2016): ₦452,288,605 by Kemi Adetiba.

Ijakumo (2022) ₦278,496,384 by Toyin Abraham

King of Boys (2018): be  ₦244,775,758 by Kemi Adetiba

View the complete list of the highest-grossing Nigerian films  on Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_Nigerian_films

The highest grossing movies have been acquired by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other top OTT streaming services in the world.

These leading women making fantastic movies also have some of the best film and TV studios and film schools in Nigeria.

These outstanding women are changing the narratives of stereotypical views of women in Nollywood in the sociocultural, socioeconomic and sociopolitical perspectives on the Nigerian society.

More details will be published in the third edition of the NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series focusing on the notable Nigerian female filmmakers in Nigeria and the Diaspora and the most powerful women in Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOD MIRRORED® Series

In Her Eyes: Through Her Eyes Filmmaking Workshop For Women in Nigeria

In Her Eyes: Through Her Eyes Filmmaking Workshop For Women By Women Program in Nigeria

The Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI) in Nigeria are launching the first annual "In Her Eyes Through Her Eyes" Filmmaking Workshop For Women By Women Program in Nigeria for 100 women every year with the goal to increase the number of women professionals working in the Nigerian film industry.

About WIFTI in Nigeria 

https://www.spotlightinitiative.org/press/eu-un-spotlight-initiative-inaugurates-women-film-and-television-international-network-wifti

The maiden workshop will take place in October, 2023.

Facts about Women Making Movies in Nollywood

Do you know that Nigerian female filmmakers have produced the top three and most of the highest grossing Nollywood films so far?

1 Battle on Buka Street, 2022, ₦668,423,056 by Funke Ayotunde Akindele 

2 Omo Ghetto: The Saga, 2020, 

₦636,129,120[2 by Funke Akindele 

3 The Wedding Party, 2016, ₦452,288,605[3 by Kemi Adetiba

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_Nigerian_films

Female filmmakers in Nigeria have produced the highest grossing Nollywood movies, but they have only produced about 5 percent of the over 1, 000 movies produced annually in Nigeria, because they are about 10 percent of over 1, 000 filmmakers in Nigeria.

Imagine how much more in ROI we will have in the Nigerian film industry if we have more female filmmakers in Nollywood.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase the professional engagement of women among the filmmakers in the Nigerian film industry, because, there are not enough  women who are making films in Nigeria compared to the over 1,000 men making movies in the largest film industry in Africa.

I believe women are the best storytellers of their lives.

Can men tell what women go through in menstrual periods and travails of pregnancy more than women?

Can men explain the stigma and trauma of barren women more than women?

Can men know the depth of the loneliness of widows?

Do you know that widows in some tribes in Nigeria have been forced to drink the water used to bathe bodies of their husbands in rituals to swear that they were not responsible for their demise?

There are many untold stories of girls and women in Nigeria, because in several critical situations, it is taboo for them to speak out. 

The In Her Eyes: Through Her Eyes Filmmaking Workshop For Women By Women Program in Nigeria is open for partnership and sponsorship by local and international institutions and organizations.

Warner Bros. 100 Years of Storytelling

Warner Bros 100 Years of Storytelling

 By Mark A. Vieira

Foreword by Ben Mankiewicz

Description

In this official centennial history of the greatest studio in Hollywood, unforgettable stars, untold stories, and rare images from the Warner Bros. vault bring a century of entertainment to vivid life.

The history of Warner Bros.is not just the tale of a legendary film studio and its stars, but of classic Hollywood itself, as well as a portrait of America in the last century. It’s a family story of Polish-Jewish immigrants—the brothers Warner—who took advantage of new opportunities in the burgeoning film industry at a time when four mavericks could invent ways of operating, of warding off government regulation, and of keeping audiences coming back for more during some of the nation's darkest days.

Innovation was key to their early success. Four years after its founding, the studio revolutionized moviemaking by introducing sound in The Jazz Singer (1927). Stars and stories gave Warner Bros. its distinct identity as the studio where tough guys like Humphrey Bogart and strong women like Bette Davis kept people on the edge of their seats. Over the years, these acclaimed actors and countless others made magic on WB’s soundstages and were responsible for such diverse classics as Casablanca, A Streetcar Named Desire, A Star Is Born, Bonnie & Clyde, Malcolm X, Caddyshack, Purple Rain, and hundreds more.

It’s the studio that put noir in film with The Maltese Falcon and other classics of the genre, where the iconic Looney Tunes were unleashed on animation, and the studio that took an unpopular stance at the start of World War II by producing anti-Nazi films. Counter-culture hits like A Clockwork Orange and The Exorcist carried the studio through the 1970s and '80s. Franchise phenomena like Harry Potter, the DC universe, and more continue to shape a cinematic vision and longevity that is unparalleled in the annals of film history. These stories and more are chronicled in this comprehensive and stunning volume. 

Copyright © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Nigeria Daily: There is No Life Insurance Policy in Nollywood

 https://twitter.com/nigeriadaily/status/1658099965514661890?t=1oEgRQxxtcd8rGZ5ipGPSw&s=09

The last time I signed a contract as an actor with insurance was in 1996 for a Nigerian action movie. Segun Arinze, Regina Askia, Emeka Ike and other top actors were in the cast.

I have written and published an article on the importance of insurance policy for Nollywood.

Ibinabo Fiberesima addressed it during her tenure as the President of Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN). But I have not heard about it again.

There are no regulations for professional contracts for the cast and crew by both the AGN and Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN). So, they don't have any insurance policy.

There is too much opportunism in Nollywood and disregard for professionalism. And the opportunists feel offended and upset when you ask for professional ethics in the Nigerian film industry.

-  Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
Publisher/Editor,
NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series,

Five Outstanding Nigerians Invited To The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2022

Five outstanding Nigerians, including distinguished directors Newton Aduaka and Blessing Effiom Egbe, accomplished actors Funke Akindele-Bello and Daniel K. Daniel and notable talent agent Josiah Akinyele are among 397 New Members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in 2022. 

Membership selection is based on professional qualifications, with an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity. This year's class of invitees includes 71 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners.

See complete list of the new members on https://www.oscars.org/news/academy-invites-397-membership.

***

According to the Academy, the "membership process is by sponsorship, not application. Candidates must be sponsored by two Academy members from the branch to which the candidate seeks admission." 

NOLLYWOOD: How Can A So Called Booming Film Industry Be Full of Hungry Actors and Directors?

NOLLYWOOD: How Can A So Called Booming Film Industry Be Full of Hungry Actors and Directors?

Nollywood makes news headlines as a booming film industry, the second largest in the world after the Bollywood of India in the production of movies estimated to be worth over US$250 million annually which is less than the total budget of Avatar ($280 million), Tangled ($260 million), Spider-Man 3 ($258 million) or Pirates of the Caribbean sequels ($300 million).
See "Nollywood: The Nigerian Film Industry by Harvard Kennedy School on http://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/Student_Projects/Nigeria_Film_2008.pdf, which every literate person in Nigeria and others in the world should read

The realities in Nollywood are different from the booming headlines, because majority of the actors and directors are living in poverty from Lagos to Asaba.

Majority of the filmmakers are not well paid for their movies by the leading multinational cable TV network, MultiChoice Nigeria of the MultiChoice Group and many of them just wanted to have their movies on the DStv Channels of MultiChoice such as the Africa Magic for the publicity. Then only few of them smiled to the bank from the box office revenues of their movies distributed and exhibited by local film distributors and cinemas. The cinemas have not been making enough for a so called booming film industry without a film market. The highest grossing Nollywood movie from the box office in Nigeria, Funke Akindele- Bello's "Ọmọ́ Ghetto, The Saga" made less than N700 million which is not even up to the monthly incomes of the co-CEOs of Netflix, Reed Hastings who  earns more than $40.8 million annually and Ted Sarandos who  earns more than $38.2 million annually.
So, Nollywood is still far from the news headlines of a booming film industry.

#nollywood #bollywood #ceos #boxoffice #income #revenue
#film #netflix #filmmakers #africa #nigeria #network #india #school #bank #filmmarket #distribution #cinemas #actors #directors #spiderman #avatar #harvard #movies #dstv #multichoice #asaba #budget #hastings #sarandos #news #africamagic #piratesofthecaribbean

Nigerian Film Corporation, Show Us the Money!

 The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC). should be run by competent professional experts with proven knowledge of the film industry locally and globally and not by civil servants without any proven expertise and experience in the management of the Nigerian film industry.

As we speak, Nollywood and Kannywood are made up of independent film and TV studios, administratively challenged ad-hoc producers association; financially challenged guild of directors; administratively challenged actors guild; accredited and unaccredited film schools and film festivals doing their best without any competent government administration.
The NFC had a film festival two weeks ago and majority of Nigerians did not even know about it, because of the administrative incompetence of the corporation. The theme was "Show Us The Money" and there was no film market to attract international acquisition and distribution companies to show them the money.

 
- Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series.
@247nigeria Twitter.

#film #Nigeria #Nollywood #Kannywood #actors #producers #directors #guild #accredited #government #management #experience #money #schools #administration #civil #corporation #filmmarket #studios #filmschool #filmindustry #filmfestivals

The Importance of Location Managers and Real Estate Agents in Nolllywood and the Film Industry

Photo credit:  http://www.tadejznidarcic.com/nollywood

The Importance of Location Managers and Real Estate Agents in Nolllywood and the Film Industry

There is no film or TV production without a location manager. And every location manager needs the service of real estate agents in locating the appropriate and suitable locations for a film or TV production.

As already known:"The location manager handles the creative side of finding appropriate locations, but they also handle the logistics needed to make that location work, like paying the property owners, securing permits, and alerting neighbors about the film shoot. The location manager reports to the production designer, but collaborates frequently with the director. The location manager oversees and hires the entire location department."

Photo credit: Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima. Lagos in Motion. 2016.

The real estate agents help the location managers to secure the required property of lands and buildings from the property owners, facility managers and permits for shooting at particular locations.

Real estate includes the land along with any permanent improvements attached to the land, whether natural or man-made—including water, trees, minerals, buildings, homes, fences, and bridges.  

Photo credit:  http://www.tadejznidarcic.com/nollywood.

Real estate agents in Nigeria have not realized that they are important to the production of movies, TV series, documentaries and music videos and they can contribute a lot to the advancement of Nollywood and the Nigerian film industry. They should have regular communication with location managers, production managers, production designers, producers and directors in film and TV productions.

Bankable stars in Nolllywood build or buy houses worth millions of naira.

The importance of real estate in Nolllywood and the Nigerian film industry can also be seen in gentrification. Gentrification in urban studies means the renovation and transformation of a neighborhood, previously occupied by the lower class to suit the tastes of the middle or upper class. (Atkinson and Bridge, 2005, smith 1996). It can also be seen as a lens through which to examine a variety of intersecting phenomena in a city or neighborhood context. (Lees et.al, 2008); which can be seen in various Nigerian movies and TV series showing the social class hierarchy of the Nigerian society with the actors playing personalities in the middle class and upper class either living in, building or acquiring palatial mansions and those in rags to riches stories shown relocating from the ghettos to upscale neighborhoods to keep up with the Joneses. In fact, several bankable stars in Nolllywood are often seen announcing acquiring new mansions or building houses on different locations in Nigeria and others have become brand ambassadors of popular real estate companies.

- By Jaiyesimi Olamide Yusuf,

Senior Features Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series.

Open Call For Directors and Screenwriters in Nigeria

Wednesday✌

Open Call For Directors and Screenwriters in Nigeria

Two newly launched cable TV channels in Nigeria need professional directors and screenwriters for the productions of original features and TV series.

A Yoruba director and Yoruba screenwriter are needed for the production of an epic on a Yoruba myth of a demigod.

An Igbo screenwriter is needed for the writing of a screenplay on a period war film set in the Eastern region.

An Igbo director and screenwriter are needed for the production of a period drama set in the 1940s in the Eastern region.

A Benin director and screenwriter are needed for the production of a biopic on an armed robber and his criminal gang in Benin, Edo state.

Directors and screenwriters are needed for the productions of a romance comedy set in Lagos and London and romantic drama set in Lagos.

Interested directors and screenwriters should send only your biography and filmography to my email address: ekenyerengozimichaelchima@gmail.com

PLEASE, NO PHONE CALLS AND NO TEXT MESSAGES.

Regards,

EKENYERENGOZI Michael Chima 

The CEO,

International Digital Post Network Limited,

Publisher/Editor, 

NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®Series 

247 Nigeria (@247nigeria) / Twitter

https://mobile.twitter.com/247nigeria

https://www.amazon.com/author/ekenyerengozimichaelchima

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelchimaeyerengozi.

PanAfrican Capital Plc appoints new Directors

PanAfrican Capital Plc appoints new Directors

PanAfrican Capital Plc, one of the emerging players in Investment Banking, in the nation’s Capital Market held its last Annual General Meeting on December 3, 2010 and ratified the appointment of three (3) Directors on its Board. They are Professor Peter Nwangwu, Mr. Lanre Odunlami, and Mr. Chuks Ekpunobi:




Professor Peter Nwangwu

A healthcare scientist with very strong inter-disciplinary academic and research preparation. He has significant research experience in both academia and industry; also has to his credit, history of productive and relevant research experience in both clinical research and basic laboratory research.


Professor Nwangwu has over 30 years of professional experience and 25 years of Senior Management experience which includes Director of Clinical Research at the University; Clinical Research Monitor at a multi-billion dollar, multi-national drug company, and President and CEO of companies in a variety of industrial sectors, including President and CEO of a drug manufacturing firm.


A warm-blooded Entrepreneur adept with new venture creation, and managing multiple tasks simultaneously, comfortably. He is endowed with excellent skill in strategic planning, complex contract negotiations with government agencies and industry. Passionate and an intense advocate of economic development activities.



Mr. Lanre Odunlami

A Chartered Accountant with vast experience in Accounting, Internal Controls, Strategy, Financial Reporting/Analysis and Performance Management. He is a First Class Accounting Graduate from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile - Ife. He was a pioneer member of the Financial Control Department of Standard Trust Bank (now UBA Plc).


He was, at various times, Senior Financial Officer; Head, Financial Control, Group Head, Strategy and Brand Development in Guardian Express Bank Plc and Head, Performance Management, Bank PHB. He has attended a number of technical and management courses including Executive Management courses at the Wits Business School, Johannesburg, South Africa and a Balanced Scorecard Certification Master Class in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Odunlami is presently the Chief Financial Officer of Spring Bank Plc and a Nominee of the Bank.




Mr. Chuks Ekpunobi

A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a Master Degree holder in Banking & Finance, University of Port Harcourt. He has vast experience that cuts across Accounting, Audit, Banking & Leasing. He was at various times Head, Internal Controls, Head of Inspection & Head, Financial Control of Institutions such as Ivory Merchant Bank, Metropolitan Bank & Fortune International Bank Limited. He also had varied experience in Leasing in Acquila Capital Limited where he worked as Assistant Vice-President. Ekpunobi is Chief Inspector of Spring Bank Plc and a Nominee of the Bank.