There exist a drastic change in every aspect and facet one applies to what is obtainable in Kano today compared to the previous year. Indigenes cry for the lost glory, the hubbub of business, the general buzz, the clamor, the visitors, the free movement, the security, every other thing that had made Kano what it was- the nerve centre of commerce and industry. Not anymore. Hopefully, for a temporary period of time.

The vibrancy of Kano as a city state gave rise to the film industry due to the fact that anything sells in Kano, provided one knows how to peddle it. Notably, the contribution of the film industry towards providing gainful employment, and in essence, a contribution to the national grid cannot be overemphasized.

Source: http:///popwrn

Therefore, Kano, a flexible commercial state welcomed and embraced the growth of the film industry, producing home videos that are widely circulated within Nigeria and beyond, carving a niche for the youth to stand on their feet in this wondrous world of show business and theatre arts. To many, the film industry is a means to put meals on the table, therefore a means of livelihood.

But then, the security challenges faced by Kano of recent seems to take its toll on this new establishment so much so that an atmosphere of doom seems to hover over it; from marketers to producers, directors and technicians, artiste and all others whose very existence depends to a large extent on this industry, all are not happy with the current security challenges, and are particularly worried on its effect on the film industry. They were loud in the expression of their grievances.

Alhaji Musa Na Saleh who is the current President of Film Marketers Association related the challenges faced by the Film industry today to the deteriorating security apparatus in the state. He also described the current fog in the market to the same challenges faced by the state, security wise.

“The current security situation in the state has so affected the marketability, and to a large extent the production of films in Kano. This is largely hinged on the fact that this market depends on visitors to sell its goods, and now that movements are restricted and hindered, the market isn’t bursting with activities anymore. Successful films used to reign in the market for months, making sales that may extend up to three months (with the film still in demand).

This is not the case now. Presently, a film may go stale from the first week, which signifies a drastic failure in our business, and all due to lack of visitors who buy the films in bulk. We used to pride ourselves with the copies of films we could produce. We could produce 50,000 copies of a film, if it were really good. But now, that would be suicidal.

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The most one could produce is 5,000 and selling that could pose a problem. Ultimately, this leads to running the business on loss”, he said. Na saleh added that “coupled with this, the fact remains that some artistes are still expensive, due to an unprecedented popularity, which he implied raised the cost of production.

Another person whose complaint is central to the cost of production is Hamisu Lamido Iyantama, a veteran Producer and an Actor, who incidentally had been a onetime gubernatorial aspirant. He expressed the importance of the film industry to the Kano State and Federal Governments as a source of revenue generation. However, he lamented the cost of production, which, he said, have been on the increase for a while.

On the reasons why film budgets have risen, Iyantama has this to say: “Film budgets have hiked because the people who now populate the film industry have began to understand the importance of utilizing skilled labour and excellent equipment, and how these contribute to the overall success of a film”.

“The greatest challenge the film industry is facing today is not so much related to the security challenges in Kano. We have one other problem that surpasses by far that of security. That problem is piracy. We operate on large budgets now, and it is our hope to make some profit from our efforts.

But pirated copies of our production does not help the business in any way. Despite concerted effort by Kano State Government to contain this menace, piracy has persisted and we are at a loss on how to tackle it.

Iyantama cited an example with his yet to be released movie, Kurkuku which he said, he produced at an estimated cost of N4.8 million, and what his expectations are for the film. “But all these expectation could come to nothing due to piracy”.

So you see, this is the biggest challenge in the Hausa film industry today. Still, whether the film made profit in the market or not, I believe it is a success. Because during its production, I have been able to provide jobs to almost 300 people. This is the most fulfilling aspect of a film career”, he concluded.

Hamisu Iyantama is not the only person who believed piracy poses more danger to the film industry than the current security challenges. Alhaji Tukur, the current Public Relations Officer (though of an Interim Management Government) of the Marketers association, expressed similar fears, even though he is of the opinion that the current security problem in the state has aggravated the matter.

“Marketers are really concerned about the current trend in piracy which is an infringement on copyrights. To curb the menace, a routine inspection is carried out by a joint effort of marketers and film makers, where in most cases, pirated films are seized.

Towards curtailing this shoddy business, we contacted the national copy right commission and they gave us assurance on their support. But the security situation does not make it easy to travel. As a result, we have to suspend that effort, until such a time when things have improved. Then we will continue to pursue the issue”.

Ahmad Alkanawy, a veteran producer, Director and Script Writer, expressed dismay at the turn out of events, particularly related to the industry. However, he sees the problems bedeviling the film industry today from a different perspective.

For unlike the marketers who believe the current security challenges are not visitors-friendly and consequently contributed to low sales, Alkanawy believes that may not necessarily be a problem. To him, the biggest problem the film industry faces today is power outage.

“The north is challenged with a power outage that is inexplicable. When we apply this to the film making parlance, it translates into high cost of production because we need light in every stage of film production. And a more dangerous trend that cripples our effort is that viewers do not get the opportunity to watch our films, unless the privileged few who can afford a power generating set.

Well, so far, the security challenges in Kano have impacted negatively on the film profession and a lot other businesses which prior to this situation, had been at least booming if not doing well

Source: http:///popwrn

na wa o, its crazy