Is Nollywood Documentary?
This is a special feature written by Femi Odugbemi exclusively for the maiden edition of NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® (Nollywood Reloaded) [Kindle Edition]. The following is an extract. The complete article is only published in NOLLYWOOD MIRROR®.

IS NOLLYWOOD DOCUMENTARY?

~ By Femi Odugbemi


In the last week of May to the first week of June this year, the "Nollywood Week Paris 2013" takes place in France with top contemporary Nigerian films and filmmakers on display. Films like Tunde Kelani's "Maami" Kunle Afolayan's "Phone Swap" Akin Omotoso's "Man On Ground" Mahmood Ali-Balogun's "Tango With Me" and Obi Emelonye's "Last Flight to Abuja" will be on showcase amongst others. It is another important milestone in the march of Nollywood to awareness and hopefully acceptance, in markets n ot traditionally that of Nollywood's erstwhile audiences.



What is remarkable as well is the fact that it will be one of the more authentic experiences of contemporary African life that many in the European audiences will know. Beyond entertainment, these films are important representations of an Africa unknown because the global information order continues to "mis-order" the representations of our continent such that its sustaining images in Europe especially are many decades out of step with reality. The visions of Africa that sustains in many minds of non-African audiences is one promoted by National Geographic - a jungle reeking of great dangers and lacking civilization.
It is a narrative preferred and carefully nurtured by global news organizations and it has permanently married the name of the continent with wars, disease, poverty and instability.

Yet the truth of the African experience today is different. It is by no means perfect but there is emerging a new order, identifying new voices and new leaders, propagating new values of creativity, enterprise, transparency, fair competition, social justice and economic empowerment. It is a revolution of significance that should bring optimism and pride about Africa's future. The question is who has been telling the story of Africa and its realities and from what perspective?

About Femi Odugbemi

Femi ODUGBEMI is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and photographer. Trained in Film & TV Production at Montana State University, Bozeman, United States, he worked as Film & Radio Producer at Lintas Advertising and later as Associate Creative Director at STB-McCann, Lagos. In these places, he wrote, directed and produced several documentaries, dramas and commercials. Since 1999, he has worked as an Independent Producer/Director. His screen credits include "Like father, Like son" (a TV sitcom) "Who do you Love?" (SFH talk show), "Who wants to be a Millionaire?" (Nigeria's most popular game show), the recent "Lagos Lottery TV Game show," the international documentary "Life in Lagos" for CFI in France, "Oui Voodoo"(a cultural documentary) "Metamorphosis" (a musical documentary on the life of the legendary Nigerian conductor Steve Rhodes) "Bar Beach Blues" a multiple-awards winning film, and "Maroko" a political full-length feature. In the last couple of years he has also produced "Mama Put" a New Direction short film and the critically-acclaimed documentary "Ibadan – Cradle of Literati." His current works includes "TINSEL," MNET's first soap-opera produced in sub-Saharan Africa, and his new documentary titled "Bariga Boy".

Between 2002 and 2006, Odugbemi was the President of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN). He also chaired the Lagos International Forum on Cinema, Motion Picture and Video in Africa, an international film festival that attracted participants and professionals from across the world. He is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Media and Communications (SMC), Pan African University, Nigeria. He is Co-Founder of iRepresent International Documentary Forum and CEO of DVWORX Studios Lagos.