You’re wrong.I started Nollywood
Posted on 21 March 2009 by admin
By Tony Ogaga Erhariefe
timbaleuk@yahoo.co.uk

Living in Bondage. Remember that Igbo movie? The year was 1992 and the nation was agog with the movie, which was shot on VHS camera format.
Within a couple of years, relying on the VHS camera format, the motion picture industry churned out an array of stars like Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde, Genevieve Nnaji, Segun Arinze, St Obi and Ramsay Noah among others.
However, as the industry transformed into a brand, a fresh controversy arose over its origin. While Okey Ogunjiofor, the producer of Living in Bondage is hailed as the pioneer of Nollywood in some quarters, veteran actor, Jide Kosoko strongly disagrees.
In a chat with National LIFE last year, he had described reports attributing the birth of Nollywood to Ogunjiofor’s Living in Bondage as an attempt to rewrite history. He buttressed his point by arguing that the same year Ogunjiofor produced Living in Bondage, he also released his own movie, Asiri Nla, which he claims displaced Living in Bondage.

Last week, Hi-Life stumbled on Ogunjiofor at the just concluded 6th edition of BOB TV in the nation’s capital, Abuja.
Ogunjiofor reacted to Jide kosoko’s statements.
“My brother, I don’t want to join issues with Jide Kososo. He is a man that I admire so much. He is a prince and I have great regard for his person. The reason I say so is because he has been in the industry for a long time and he is one of the finest actors we have. But when it comes to the issue of when movie industry started in this country, I am not going to claim that I started it. The Ogundes and Ola Baloguns of this world were there before us. However, the films that they did never translated to an industry such as we have now. It was my experiment with VHS that changed all that.
“Let’s look at Ashiri Nla, how many people saw it? But Living in Bondage was everywhere, so it dwarfed Asiri Nla. People copied the one that was visible. It was Living In Bondage that successfully experimented with this new cheap technology of making films that even people on the streets could now shoot movies. Those days of big formats and big budget films are over! Celluloid would die naturally globally. Digital video is here to stay. Weather they like it or not, celluloid is going. I trained in celluloid but it cannot sustain us,” he said.


Ripped-off
Egunjiofor sensationally disclosed that he got a miserly N1,500 as payment for producing Nollywood’s first movie.
“What I made was just N1, 500. That was all that was given to me by the man who sponsored the film. The agreement was that when he recouped his initial capital from sales, we would share the remaining money. But it wasn’t to be; you know the average Nigerian. I felt cheated for a very long time. Lawyers even came to me, advising me to sue him. But the name and the fame that came from the movie began to overwhelm me and I asked myself, why fight this man who gave me a chance when no one would? He believed in me and staked his money on my dreams and it turned out so well. So, what was the point in sueing him? I felt it was the prize I paid for breakfast.”
Once upon a hawker…
Like the popular saying goes, Neccessity is the mother of invention. Before he produced Living in Bondage, he was a hawker who sold women’s products across the length and breadth of Lagos.
According to Ogunjiofor, after he lost his job as Power Mike’s manager in the 1980s, he fell into hard times and so, he resorted to hawking as a way of raising money to pursue his dreams of making movies.
“When I left school, there was no platform to exploit what I really learnt in school which is film making. So I had to resort to hawking to raise money. After so many years of hawking women’s products on the streets, I finally met a man that believed in my dreams. I did not hawk as a nobody; I hawked as a graduate, as someone who had held an office with Power Mike Promotions as General Manager. When he relocated to the East, there was no other place I could work because those who studied film were seen as dropouts. So I said to myself instead of dying of hunger and pretending to be the big boy that I am not, how about finding a way around it.”
Nollywood


According to him, he never believed that Nollywood would become as successful as it is today: “I did not know it would be a force to reckon with,” he said waving his hands for emphasis. “If I tell you that I had it coming, I would be lying to you. But I knew that the film industry’s a very big one. I was doing something new and I did not really know its potentials. I did not know that we would become an international force to reckon with. I did not know that it would become a voice that would speak for Nigeria and Africa. I did not know that it would land us the third position in the world. I did not know that it would transform into a tool that could be used to re brand Nigeria. I was just doing it to survive.”


Despite the success of Living in Bondage, Ogunjofor has been consistently missing in action. Today, while pioneers like him have faded into the background, those who knew nothing about how Nollywood started are smiling to the banks. However, he took a philosophical position.
“It is a normal situation,” he rationalized. “ it’s a natural course. Sons would always be bigger than their parents. Any father who is not happy when his children are progressing is a witch! I am not one. I am a very happy man. Look at what is happening here to day. Its happening in The USA and UK and South Africa. People are talking about Nollywood. I don’t care whether they know that I am the one or not. I am happy. My joy is that God used me to do something that is so big and people are earning a living from it. I was once on the streets and I did not find it funny. It makes me happy that what I started has come this far.”
Current project


“What I am working on now is what I call the African Audio Visual Awards (AVAA). The award is all about sound and picture; perfect sound and perfect pictures. For the 17 years that our industry has been in existence, the only problem has been sound and pictures. I believe there is a need to up our game a little bit by instituting an awards through which Nigerian movies blazing a trail could be rewarded.
“Since Hollywood and Bollywood can shoot their videos digitally and still maintain good sound and pictures, then it is possible for us to do the same thing here. And the way we can jump start the process is by instituting an award. It would promote healthy rivalry among stakeholders.”
Fulfillment

17 years after the success of Living in Bondage, is he fulfilled: “Yes, I am fulfilled. But if you are predicating fulfillment on money then I must tell you that I don’t measure my fulfillment in terms of my account balance. I have made such a big name that even if I die today, I would be mentioned in the Book of Life. My name has gone into the history of this nation and film production as far as Nollywood is concerned, globally.”

http://thenationallife.com/?s=jide+kosoko&x=0&y=0

The saga continues. I don't know who started Ghanawood and hollywood?

Aloy.Emeka:

The saga continues. I don't know who started Ghanawood and hollywood?

I confess, it was I

I confess, it was I

what is your tribe then?

Is it complex or what that is disturbing jide kosoko?. I am sick and tired of that dude whining about Nollywood. I think he is looking for cheap popularity.

iReport:

Is it complex or what that is disturbing jide kosoko?. I am sick and tired of that dude whining about Nollywood. I think he is looking for cheap popularity.

Excatly . . . . does it really matter who started it

This is neither his first nor second stupid interview with the press over this nollywood. He sounds more pathetic by the day and any neutral party will perceive jealousy and frustration from his continuous whining.  Who discovered cars, electric bulbs, cell phones, cameras etc. who cares anymore about Alexander Graham Bell?. Read the response below and see how the Living in bondage guy carefully avoided that fat fools comment.

Ogunjiofor reacted to Jide kosoko’s statements.
“My brother, I don’t want to join issues with Jide Kososo. He is a man that I admire so much. He is a prince and I have great regard for his person. The reason I say so is because he has been in the industry for a long time and he is one of the finest actors we have. But when it comes to the issue of when movie industry started in this country, I am not going to claim that I started it. The Ogundes and Ola Baloguns of this world were there before us. However, the films that they did never translated to an industry such as we have now. It was my experiment with VHS that changed all that.
“Let’s look at Ashiri Nla, how many people saw it? But Living in Bondage was everywhere, so it dwarfed Asiri Nla. People copied the one that was visible. It was Living In Bondage that successfully experimented with this new cheap technology of making films that even people on the streets could now shoot movies. Those days of big formats and big budget films are over! Celluloid would die naturally globally. Digital video is here to stay. Weather they like it or not, celluloid is going. I trained in celluloid but it cannot sustain us,” he said.

I looked and I dont see Jide's statement

Aloy.Emeka:

what is your tribe then?

my tribe name & description is complicated just trust and take my word for it. Na me start hollywood

This thread was stared by an Igbo so naturally i doubt the source.

just trust and take my word for it. Na me start hollywood

Another pioneer is registering her claim to Nollywood. The question right now is, who started/found hollywood?

But a lot of people believe that Living in Bondage by NEK Productions is the pioneer…

That is not correct. Living in Bondage was done in 1993; the same year I did Asiri Nla. I don’t want us to dwell on that. Even before Living in Bondage, NEK participated in the production of some Yoruba films. If people want to talk about stepping up, using special effects, Living in Bondage was a step up technologically. There is no doubt about that. I remember that Asiri Nla, which I produced in 1993, sold well over 160,000 copies without publicity. You know what that means?

http://nigeriafilms.com/content.asp?contentid=2562&ContentTypeID=2

Why argue over sh!t or who 'sh!ted first. Just clean up the sh!t. Nollywood is sh!t.

Why argue over sh!t or who 'sh!ted first. Just clean up the sh!t. Nollywood is sh!t.

Why not channel your complaint to fat toad Kosoko?

@poster i dont see what the whole controversy is about,jide kosoko says he produced the first movie asirinla and the other guy didnt dispute that,all he said in his retort was that living in bondage was more popular and accepted that asiri nla and that was why people tended to identify with living in bondage as the first nollywood movie,in my own personal opinion both of them are right so stop stoking up tribal sentiments

Very condescending of him to say no one has seen Asiri Nla btw. How offensive. That movie was huge in the 90s and "Alade" became a household name for most people.

these so called veterans can be stupid at times.
just because you've been around for a long time doesnt mean you can chat rubbish.

anyways, i like the way the 'living in bondage' guy chose not to dwell on the matter. the fact is nobody knew and talked about the other movie until baba kosoko mentioned it.

OMO IBO:

these so called veterans can be stupid at times.
just because you've been around for a long time doesnt mean you can chat rubbish.

anyways, i like the way the 'living in bondage' guy chose not to dwell on the matter. t[b]he fact is nobody knew and talked about the other movie until [/b]baba kosoko mentioned it.

Never heard about the other movie until I read the same interview in Naijarules two days ago.

You people are mad dumb

grafikdon:

Never heard about the other movie until I read the same interview in Naijarules two days ago.

maybe you havent,but it was a massive hit among the demographics it was made for at the time i.e yorubas, if you dont watch yoruba movies then it stands to reason you wouldnt have heard about it, having said that historically and looking at this strictly chronologically,the yoruba movie of the man came before living in bondage,simple.

ThiefOfHearts:

You people are mad dumb

language pls,was this necessary?

lucabrasi:

maybe you havent,but it was a massive hit among the demographics it was made for at the time i.e yorubas, if you dont watch yoruba movies then it stands to reason you wouldnt have heard about it, having said that historically and looking at this strictly chronologically,the yoruba movie of the man came before living in bondage,simple.

i think the guy you quoted was referring to 'living in bondage'.

was jide kosoko trying to say the movie he produced was bigger and better than 'living in bondage'? or are you the one trying to make the point?either way, who ever thinks jide kosoko's movie was any better don miss road.

i cant say who started nollywood but 'living in bondage' without the shadow of a doubt threw the gates open.
like i said in my previous post, Okey Ogunjiofor did well not to dwell on who started nollywood. it would have been pointless.

lucabrasi:

simple.language pls,was this necessary?

Would you like for me to post the many times you've been guilty of "language". Please dont start, thanks

OMO IBO:

i think the guy you quoted was referring to 'living in bondage'.

was jide kosoko trying to say the movie he produced was bigger and better than 'living in bondage'? or are you the one trying to make the point?either way, who ever thinks jide kosoko's movie was any better don miss road.

It's embarrassing how little you know

First off Asiri Nla is NOT a jide kosoko movie, it's Muyideen Alade Aromire production.

Secondly as for one being better than the other, how the hell would you know? Have you even seen Asiri Nla? You already said you never heard of it so how would you know which is the better movie

People just dey yan dust all in the name of tribal loyalty. Nonsense.

OMO IBO:

i think the guy you quoted was referring to 'living in bondage'.

was jide kosoko trying to say the movie he produced was bigger and better than 'living in bondage'? or are you the one trying to make the point?either way, who ever thinks jide kosoko's movie was any better don miss road.

i cant say who started nollywood but 'living in bondage' without the shadow of a doubt threw the gates open.
like i said in my previous post, Okey Ogunjiofor did well not to dwell on who started nollywood. it would have been pointless.

well,saying a movie is better is relative,if you ask me both movies are not up to standard so i personally wouldnt say they are "bigger and better"
what jide kosoko was saying is that he produced the first nollywood movie,i agree living in bondage appealed to more wider demographics but i dont agree it was better,neither do i agree it threw the gates open,nollywood as a concept is the issue between jide kosoko and by extension the yoruba speaking movie industry and the living in bondage guy and by extension the ibo speaking side, and it is as clear as day that the alade aromire/jide kosoko movie was the very first nollywood movie in nigeria

ThiefOfHearts:

Would you like for me to post the many times you've been guilty of "language". Please dont start, thanks

well i v turned a new leaf,you should as well

No.

damn, did i step on someone's toe?
first of all, there is/are no tribal sentiments in my statement. if you think otherwise then thats ur headache.

secondly, asiri nla was more or else unknown. there is/are no basis for comparison as 'living in bondage' did far better than asiri nla in every single way you can think of.

'First off Asiri Nla is NOT a jide kosoko movie, it's Muyideen Alade Aromire production'
My response to the above comments are as follows:
what jide kosoko was saying is that he produced the first nollywood movie,
please see lucabrasi's post for confirmation.

also, Living in Bondage was done in 1993; the same year I did Asiri Nla
please have a look at my previous with the link for confirmation.

i churn out facts and you think im a tribalist? give it a rest.
if something is appealing then it is likeable, attractive etc etc. . . . . . . . . . . .this is where asiri nla FAILED WOEFULLY!

Still mad dumb.

if something is appealing then it is likeable, attractive etc etc. . . . . . . . . . . .this is where asiri nla FAILED WOEFULLY!

Once again, have you watched the movie to say which is better?

and you people are just yarning dust. I would like to see Jide's statement.

ThiefOfHearts:

Still mad dumb.

Once again, have you watched the movie to say which is better?

and you people are just yarning dust. I would like to see Jide's statement.

geeez, im still dumb even with the facts i posted? and you havent even read jide's comments as to who produced the 'asiri nla' movie? yet, i'm dumb? DAMN!

gosh, i must be striking a nerve.

anyways, dont take it personal. there are just no basis for comparison between both movies.

Which movie is asiri nla

OMO IBO:

geeez, im still dumb even with the facts i posted? and you havent even read jide's comments as to who produced the 'asiri nla' movie? yet, i'm dumb? DAMN!

gosh, i must be striking a nerve.

anyways, dont take it personal. there are just no basis for comparison between both movies.

where's jide's comment?

hahahahahahahah, this woman must be a joker.
now, you are struggling to find jide's comment even after i post his comment and the link above?the last time i checked both the link and his comment are still there.

anyways, since you are struggling to find the link or the comment then this chit chat is over.
good night ma'am!