Nigerian movies goldmine,
By PETER ANOSIKE
Friday, July 22, 2005

Rev Chukwudi Peace Photo: Sun News Publishing

The saying that a fool does not value what he has until he loses it is applicable to the Nigerian government with regards to its non-challant attitude towards the movie industry.

That is why Revd Innocent Chukwudi Peace, producer of Winner Circle, said that the movie industry, if well harnessed and properly channelled, could earn more revenue for the country than oil.

Going into movie production
My journey into the movie industry started in 1999 when I started what I called Winners Circle on television.
As a fan of the Nigeria movie industry, I started promoting practitioners’ activities with my programme, telling people the reason why they should watch one movie or the other. I was equally inviting actors and actresses to my programme for chats. I continued this way until 2003 when I began to nurture the idea of producing one myself.

I got a story line and then got one of the best screen play writers - Mike Biose- to work with me. He did the screen play and I took the script around to some of the film producers and marketers and all of them wanted to buy it outright from me. I told myself that since they want to buy the film from me, it means that it is good, so I decided to produce it by myself. I kept on searching for sponsors while at the same time saving money. In 2004, I got some assistance from few of my friends and the movie was produced. It was titled Hammer, the good criminal. The film was released into the market last June.

Acting/producing
I have not really acted in any of the Nigerian movies but during my childhood days, I used to act in school plays and church drama. Though I intended acting in Hammer somewhere along the line, I discovered that it would not be easy producing and at the same time acting. It is true that some people combine both but I like to put everything into whatever I do, as I did not want to have divided attention.

Rating the movie industry
Without any bias, I rate the industry very high because apart from the reactions we have been getting from people all over the world, The New York Times, recently rated the Nigeria movie industry the third largest in the world. According to the Times, after Hollywood, you have Bollywood which is the Indian film industry, then Nollywood, which is ours. Recently too, when I granted interview to British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) correspondent, he told me that in the other African countries, that people decorate their rooms with posters of Nigerian movies.
In fact, it goes a long way to show that just like America colonised us with their movies in those days, Nigeria is currently colonising the rest of Africa with its own movies.

Piracy
Piracy has been a very serious issue in the entertainment industry. The reason is simply because government has not shown sufficientinterest in it. It is only paying lip service to the heinous crime. Recently a friend of mine, who is equally a producer, told me that his movie came out in VHS but before he released it in VCD, somebody called him from Port Harcourt and told him that he was watching his film on VCD. So how would the get back his investment? And the surprising thing is that the people who are doing this are not interested in producing movies. They will get what you have produced, replicate it and start selling them to the end users while the owner, who has the talent and wherewithal to produce the work, would go home empty handed.
The movie industry is a very powerful source of bringing in foreign exchange into the country but government is looking the other way. The money that could be realised from the movie industry, if well harnessed and properly channelled, would be more than what we are earning from oil. So why is the government keeping quiet? It should come into it and put the hoodlums out of their illicit business.

Banning of top artistes
I see the ban placed on top actors and actresses in two ways. I am fully in support of ban when indiscipline is the case because some of these actors and actresses could be very mean and naughty. You would pay them heavily, yet they would come and say they can only spend two days with you because other producers may be itching to have them even at higher fees.

Recently a producer complained to me of a well known actor whom he paid 50 per cent and he didn’t show up on set and when he demanded for the return of his money and the actor has refused to return it. All these cases are gross indiscipline which should not be tolerated. But when the issue is that they are asking exorbitant fees, I don’t think I quite agree with marketers. From whom much is expected, much should be given. Being a top actor or actress is never a one week affair.

They have laboured through the years to be where they are today, so that even their faces and names sell movies. They should be allowed to earn the fruit of their labour. Even the Bible says that the labourer deserves his wages.

As top actors and actresses, they are role models and as such, should live well to inspire the young ones. And the only way they can live well is to earn good money.

Movie industry in the next ten years
If piracy is controlled, I can tell you that in the next ten years, Nigeria movie industry will be at the same level with Hollywood. It will overtake Bollywood because today, how many people watch Indian movies? The thing about Nigerian movies is the story. Our story is very strong and appealing.
And we have a lot of it to tell, so what is captivating the world about Nigeria movies is the stories and a lot of them have not been fully explored.