In 1972, concerned about the influx of foreign culture into Nigeria, the Indigenization Decree was issued by the then head of state Yakubu Gowon; which demands the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres in the country from their foreign owners to Nigerians.[10][6][17] Also, more Nigerians started playing active roles in cinema establishment; notable examples of this include: Metro cinema and Rivoli Cinema, which was owned by Chief Lisabi, and Danjuma Cinema by Alhaji Danjuma.[11] This transfer also resulted in the emergence of Nigerian playwrights, screenwriters and film producers; popular literature and theatre works were adapted into motion picture. One of the most popular film people in this new wave was Hubert Ogunde, mainly because he promoted indigenous Nigerian language, arts and culture through his works.[10][17]
The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria. The presence of foreign investments led to the erection of several cinema complexes. In 1976, The 5000-capacity National Arts Theatre, Iganmu was constructed in Lagos. The theatre was incorporated with two cinemas, each having a capacity of over 700 people.[11] At this time cinema business had become a notable employer of many people and also served as an important social function, as Nigerians visited cinemas for relaxation and entertainment purposes.[11][20] The increased purchasing power in Nigeria also made a wide range of citizens to have extra money to spend on cinema going and on home television sets.[4]
Some foreign producers and directors also worked in Nigeria to make films in Nigeria, as a result of this boom, including people like Ossie Davis who directed Kongi's Harvest, a film based on the novel of the same name by Wole Soyinka, which was released in 1970. The film was adapted to screen by Soyinka, produced by Francis Oladele under the Calpenny Nigeria ltd production company.[4][19] However, Ola Balogun's post-Civil War film, Amadi (1975) was one of the first notable Nigerian historical films on celluloid, which reflected on the Nigerian pre-Civil War days when Nigerians were very united.[4] Balogun subsequently directed Ajani Ogun in 1976, a film which grew to become very popular,[4] and is widely regarded as the first "commercial" Nigerian film, due to its success.[21] Another film released after Ajani Ogun was Bisi – Daughter of the River (1977), which reflected Nigerian culture on film. Other popular films released in this era include: Bull Frog in the Sun (1974), Dinner with the Devil (1975); directed by the duo Sanya Dosunmu and Wole Amele, Ogunde's Aiye (1979), Jaiyesimi (1980), Cry Freedom (1981), and Eddie Ugbomah's The Great Attempt (1989); which was censored upon release, amongst others.[10][11]
Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya has been reported as the first Nigerian blockbuster, grossing approximately ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44.2 million) in five days. Before then, Papa Ajasco (1984) by Wale Adenuga was reported to have made about ₦61,000 (approx. 2015 ₦21.5 million) in three days.[11] The success of films has been attributed to the fact that the faces of actors were already known from the once popular travelling theatre groups and the audiences were already familiar with the stories; Adesanya states that the "involvement of the Yoruba travelling theatre practitioners in motion picture production was perhaps the most auspicious single factor in the evolution of an indigenous cinema in Nigeria"[6] Much later, Hubert Ogunde featured in Bruce Beresford's Mister Johnson (1990). It was the first American film shot on location in Nigeria[22] and was criticized for its ridiculous perception of Africans and dark skinned people as a whole; a perception prevalent with several other western films at the time.[10]
This boost was however not limited to only films, as this era was generally a period when Nigerian entertainment experienced major boost all round; Nigerian music also became popular and prolific during this period.[19] The Nigerian nightlife scene came alive and highlife music was predominant. Musicians who reigned in this era include: Koola Lobitos, The Oriental Brothers, I. K. Dairo, Rex Jim Lawson, E. T. Mensah, and Victor Olaiya.[10] In 1979, the Nigerian Government recognized the importance of film and its relationship to the Nigerian cultural identity; as a result, the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) was established; the corporation was created under Shehu Shagari's military regime, as a standalone government agency to help develop the film industry.[17] The agency had the primary responsibility of regulating exhibitions of films, and censoring films shown at the cinemas - a responsibility later transferred to the National Films and Video Censor Board (NFVCB).[11][20]
Armaggedon: of course that is the truth. The discipline "theatre arts" as it were was mainly an academic stuff that prepared it's graduate civil service and related corporate field. nollywood made acting career lucrative and gave a lot of theatre arts professionals a niche. Its one of pillars of Nigerian economy. Many choose to study theatre arts today because they prefer an acting career.
That's not true. Theater art was already a big and lucrative industry as far back as late 1940s, that is long before Nollywood was coined.
Noneroone: Living in bondage gave birth Nigerian movie industry which changed to nollywood. It is easy to call those ones shot on celluloid and stage performances movies but it is doubtful whether movie making of the era possess requisite characteristics that will make one to brand it a "movie industry". It is also okay to trace the background of nollywood to the stage performances of the 60/70s and the tv drama series of the 80s, but to outrightly brand them nollywood is a bit of a disservice to history. The productions of the 70s and 80s were done by which company? which marketing company distributed them?
Can you have a movie industry without home video?
Most of these were absent which was why nobody knew about them and the actors. They relied on cinema and TV sponsorship to reach their audience. is that one an industry?
To me, a virile movie industry needs three key things finance (production) creativity (directors, actors, video effects etc) Marketing
Living in bondage brought these. Nollywood didn't start because of Nta issues with producers, it started when a Vhs importer couldn't sell off his goods and decided to try production. it was successful as he made more than three times the expected profit. other businessmen had to key into that using production companies. wealthy and popular actors, producers, directors and markers were born. Nice movies were made too and lucrative industry which later became known a nollywood was born.
Oga, Living in Bondage was not Kenneth Nnebue first film. He had produced a film before Living in Bondage on the VHS and it was a Yoruba film.
These were very low budget films: the first of them, Aje Ni Iya Mi (1989) he made for N2,000 (about $200); it was shot on an ordinary VHS camera and edited on two VCRs.
Sustainability is what makes the developed world better than us in business as the govt put strong protective measures to protect the business even if the owner is deceased. Kenneth nnebue NEK video link should be competing with some Hollywood studios and collaborating or buying up smaller studios to make NEK a conglomerate.
We really don't know how to run business. Thanks to poor govt for sight and lacklustre attitude.
The same applies to other businesses out there too.
This is an article from 2016 and it features Dr Ola Balogun's views about Nollywood. I don't agree with his views, but I find them to be quite funny and entertaining.
Dr Balogun made 2 exceptions in his speech and I suspect that he included Amaka Igwe in his list of exceptional Nollywood film makers because of discussion programme that I watched in the early 2000s.
Dr Balogun was the main guest on the show, but since the producers of the show knew that he would rant against Nollywood, the brought some people from Nollywood to defend their craft. Amaka Igwe was one of the people from Nollywood.
Dr Balogun said that the people in Nollywood did not know how to act and that they did not know how to produce movies. He brought a clip of a movie that Julia Roberts acted in to show them what proper acting was like. He said that the people in Nollywood had no subtlety and he also said that Nollywood was not an industry. The presenter asked him what could be done to improve Nollywood and Dr Balogun replied that Nollywood could not be improved and that the whole thing should be shut down. The presenter told him that Nollywood movies are watched around the world and Dr Balogun replied that people outside Nigeria watch Nollywood movies to laugh at us and make fun of us. He also complained about the fact that they shot their movies on VHS, rather than celluloid.
Amaka Igwe replied that she had shot on celluloid and she also took Dr Balogun to task. Dr Balogun replied that he wasn't referring to her.
I believe that he included Tade Ogidan in his list of exceptions because he had worked with Tade Ogidan in the 1980s.
Drama as Ola Balogun storms out of premiere over ‘attack’ for condemning Nollywood
On May 13, 2016
8:40 pm
By Benjamin Njoku
Popular film maker and musician, Dr. Ola Balogun, who belongs to the first generation of Nigerian film makers in the likes of the late Chief Hubert Ogunde, Jab Adu, the late Ade Afolayan (Ade Love), Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala), Eddie Ugbomah among others, felt embarrassed and disappointed Monday night, when he stormed out of the premiere of his new documentary film, “River Niger, Black Mother” in anger.
The documentary film, premiered at Freedom Park in Lagos Island, attracted a sizeable number of young film makers and critics.
After the screening of the documentary which he said took him about 10 years to produce, the legendary film maker was put on the spot, as he answered some questions from the audience bordering on his career as a film maker and the state of the nation’s film industry.
“In my opinion, the present day film makers are not interested in making quality films.
According to him, “80 percent of would-be-film makers do not want to learn the art of film making.”
In the past forty years, he said, “none of them have ever come to tell us to mentor them. I can’t go about looking for who I would mentor. They don’t want to learn anything, rather they are interested in making money.”
“There are some professionals in Nollywood such as Tade Ogidan and late Amaka Igwe. The issue is this, the young musicians usually come to me and we play music together. That’s why they are setting a high standard now. But the film makers are not interested in making good films. They have not seen any good film before, and they are not interested in making quality films.
“Film making is a profession and the present generation of film makers do not want to approach it as a profession. The so-called actors in Nollywood are horrible. I can only refer to them as stars, not actors. There are only three actors in Nollywood. One of them is called Mercy Johnson, she’s a very good actress. The other one is Liz Benson. Actresses such as Ini Edo, among others, are not actresses, yet they make a lot of money.”
Shortly after Ola Balogun’s presentation, a young female film maker, Emmra, who said she studied Computer Science at Ogun State University before venturing into film making, took on the veteran film maker-turned-musician following his outright condemnation of works of the present generation of Nigerian film makers.
“I feel there is a big disconnect between the older generation and the younger generation of film makers in the country. I am going to relate my experience. Like you said, we are victims of the society not just the older generation alone. I studied Computer Science in Ogun State university and I never saw one computer throughout my undergraduate days. After my graduation, I started as an intern with Clarion Peters even though I knew I wanted to go into film making.
“During that period, I was able to save some money as I proceeded to New York Film Academy to study the art of film making for one and half years. So, when you tell me that I don’t know what I am doing, it hurts. When you tell me that I am not interested in learning the art of film making, it makes me not even want to meet with you to ask you some questions. It shuts that door for me. Yes, our work might not be as good as that of your generation. But there are lot of people who are out there struggling to make a good film. Whether you like it not, Nollywood has brought global attention to this country. And these are the people you say they do not know anything. If you talk like this, I don’t want to come near you,” the young girl fumed.
However, feeling embarrassed and visibly disappointed, Ola Balogun lost his cool as he stormed out of the venue, muttering “I am not going to come here and talk again. I have not seen anything you have done. I have a new documentary here. It is called River Niger, Black Mother. It took me about ten years to produce the documentary. You cannot learn to make film by going to film school, it’s a waste of time. You make film by watching films. I am going away from here,” the legendary film maker thundered, storming out of the place angrily.
naptu2: This is an article from 2016 and it features Dr Ola Balogun's views about Nollywood. I don't agree with his views, but I find them to be quite funny and entertaining.
Dr Balogun made 2 exceptions in his speech and I suspect that he included Amaka Igwe in his list of exceptional Nollywood film makers because of discussion programme that I watched in the early 2000s.
Dr Balogun was the main guest on the show, but since the producers of the show knew that he would rant against Nollywood, the brought some people from Nollywood to defend their craft. Amaka Igwe was one of the people from Nollywood.
Dr Balogun said that the people in Nollywood did not know how to act and that they did not know how to produce movies. He brought a clip of a movie that Julia Roberts acted in to show them what proper acting was like. He said that the people in Nollywood had no subtlety and he also said that Nollywood was not an industry. The presenter asked him what could be done to improve Nollywood and Dr Balogun replied that Nollywood could not be improved and that the whole thing should be shut down. The presenter told him that Nollywood movies are watched around the world and Dr Balogun replied that people outside Nigeria watch Nollywood movies to laugh at us and make fun of us. He also complained about the fact that they shot their movies on VHS, rather than celluloid.
Amaka Igwe replied that she had shot on celluloid and she also took Dr Balogun to task. Dr Balogun replied that he wasn't referring to her.
I believe that he included Tade Ogidan in his list of exceptions because he had worked with Tade Ogidan in the 1980s.
The man is just pained! People all over the world watch nollywood movies. It's shown on cable, they are now a brand, they have some good actors. Man is just pained because what took him a degree and PhD to achieve others did it with less and gone are those days you need to study theatre arts to know how to act. Some popular Hollywood actors did not study theatre arts, can he say they are not good actors?
The man is just pained! People all over the world watch nollywood movies. It's shown on cable, they are now a brand, they have some good actors. Man is just pained because what took him a degree and PhD to achieve others did it with less and gone are those days you need to study theatre arts to know how to act. Some popular Hollywood actors did not study theatre arts, can he say they are not good actors?
You know the funny thing for me? At the time that he said that people outside Nigeria only watch Nollywood to laugh at it, I had heard a BBC documentary in which they stated that Nollywood was very popular in East Africa. In fact, they said that children in Uganda were trying to sound like Nigerians because of all the Nollywood movies that they had watched.
My opinion is similar to Eddie Ugbomah's opinion before he died. Initially Eddie Ugbomah hated Nollywood as much as Ola Balogun did, but he later changed his mind and believed that this is what we have, so we should encourage it to get better.
For example, I agree with the presenter of that discussion programme. The fact that people around the world are watching Nollywood movies and that it is making money means that there is something in it that appeals to the audience. That to me is a mark of success. I don't think that he is pained because he had to study movie making, rather, I think he is shocked that people are not making movies the way he made them in the past. Nollywood is quite a shock to a lot of people and he is not the only one that is shocked. The biggest film festival in Africa is FESPACO, which takes place in Burkina Faso and the organisers of the festival did not rate Nollywood highly in the beginning because they thought that it lacked quality. However, like I said, the fact that people all over the world watch Nollywood movies and that it is commercially successful is a mark of success. Instead of trying to kill Nollywood, it's much better to think of ways to make it better.
But seriously I don't believe this is needed. The VP himself is a Yoruba man so there should be no big deal about that. The strengths of every society is different. The idea of using other people's humiliation as one's trophy is demonic in all ramifications. In a country with rich tribal diversity like Nigeria, our strength should be in our diversity so as to complement each other's weaknesses.
Every one is great in their own rights. If you see something great just salute it. You don't have to be tribalistic about it.
How the heck can you say that " it is doubtful whether movie making of the era possess requisite characteristics that will make one to brand it a "movie industry". There were cinema chains, Ogunde owned a Film Village, there were distributions channels that moved the films to cinemas all over the country like La Scala cinema, Odeon Cinema, etc.
Dr Ola Balogun owned the Afrocult Film Company that produced his own films and also produced Hubert Ogunde's films and Moses Olaiya's films. He had studied movie making in France (up to Phd level) and had also worked at the Nigerian Film Corporation. Do you know the number of people that were employed at the hundreds of cinema houses across the country? You might say that you are not aware of how the film industry was back then, but don't say that there was no film industry. It was a big deal in Nigeria back in the day (before the economic crisis of the 1980s).
You're still saying the same thing. It's not all about academic qualification, cinemas and film village, its about how money spinning it is. I'm inclined to believe it wasn't otherwise it would have been continued and expanded by subsequent generation of film makers. Don't even give me the economic recession excuse. of course movie production has been around way before living in bondage but my point is whether it could really be called an industry. That's why I asked whether you can have a movie industry without home video.
Nollywood changed all that. It gave birth to a movie industry in its true sense. Direct to home movies gave marketers and producers big returns, directors and writers made money and actors became popular and richer. more returns meant more and more movies. Actors formed their guild, video clubs began to boom and the government even had to establish the national films and video censors board to censor and control movies in the new industry. That is a huge different.
Coming to the original question asked by the op, yes! nollywood is Igbo. The different segments of the Nigerian movie industry evolved separately owing to cultural peculiarities, different norms and challenges. Northern segment now called kannywood has its history and style. You hear them sanctioning actresses for photoshoots adjudged indecent. In fact sometimes their movies look like Bollywood. Yoruba's have their own history. In fact the story of ola balogun, ogunde etc tell the history of Yoruba film making. Igbos also have their own history preceding the 90s. There was "things fall apart" and some other popular series before "living in bondage". It is the Igbo segment which later incorporated English language for wider reach that was branded Nollywood. It is Nollywood that most people know as the Nigerian film industry because of it's wide reach and revenue.
Noneroone: You're still saying the same thing. It's not all about academic qualification, cinemas and film village, its about how money spinning it is. I'm inclined to believe it wasn't otherwise it would have been continued and expanded by subsequent generation of film makers. Don't even give me the economic recession excuse. of course movie production has been around way before living in bondage but my point is whether it could really be called an industry. That's why I asked whether you can have a movie industry without home video.
Nollywood changed all that. It gave birth to a movie industry in its true sense. Direct to home movies gave marketers and producers big returns, directors and writers made money and actors became popular and richer. more returns meant more and more movies. Actors formed their guild, video clubs began to boom and the government even had to establish the national films and video censors board to censor and control movies in the new industry. That is a huge different.
Coming to the original question asked by the op, yes! nollywood is Igbo. The different segments of the Nigerian movie industry evolved separately owing to cultural peculiarities, different norms and challenges. Northern segment now called kannywood has its history and style. You hear them sanctioning actresses for photoshoots adjudged indecent. In fact sometimes their movies look like Bollywood. Yoruba's have their own history. In fact the story of ola balogun, ogunde etc tell the history of Yoruba film making. Igbos also have their own history preceding the 90s. You have things fall apart and some other popular series before living in bondage. It is the Igbo segment which later incorporated English language for wider reach that was branded Nollywood.
It's quite obvious that you've made up your mind and you won't let facts get in the way of what you've already decided. Everything that you keep saying is devoid of facts. It's just your opinions and speculations. Read the 3 posts after the posts that you quoted and see the facts in them. If it wasn't financially viable, would foreigners invest in the cinemas? Would foreigners come here to make movies? Anyway, the actual takings from the movies were stated in those posts.
Your opinions are unimportant and irrelevant. What you think is unimportant and irrelevant. What's important are historical facts and they are stated there.
Your opinions are unimportant and irrelevant. What you think is unimportant and irrelevant. What's important are historical facts and they are stated there.
That's exactly what someone without strong argument would say.
Noneroone: That's exactly what someone without strong argument would say.
You haven't produced 1 single argument or fact in your attempt to rubbish the golden age of Nigerian Cinema. All you've said is, "I don't think it was an industry". Where is your proof that it was not an industry? None. "I don't think it was successful", where is your proof? None. "I don't think there was any production company". Where is your proof that there was no production company? None. IIt's not about what you think, it's about facts! Provide facts. I have provided more than enough facts and you have provided none.
Golden Age or Golden era are terms used in Nigerian film history to designate the motion picture industry of Nigeria from the late 1950s to the late 1980s.[1] It captures the mode of visual and sound production, as well as the method of distribution employed during this period. This period began with the formal recognition of the Nigerian Film Unit as a sector in 1954,[2] with the first film entirely copyrighted to this unit being Fincho (1957) by Sam Zebba.
After Nigeria's independence in 1960, the cinema business rapidly expanded, with new cinema houses being established.[3] As a result, Nigerian content in theatres increased in the late 1960s into the 1970s, especially productions from Western Nigeria, owing to former theatre practitioners such as Hubert Ogunde and Moses Olaiya transitioning into the big screen.[4][5] In 1972, the Indigenization Decree was issued by Yakubu Gowon, which demanded the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres from their foreign owners to Nigerians, which resulted in more Nigerians playing active roles in the cinema and film.[6]
The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 also contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria, as the increased purchasing power in Nigeria made a wide range of citizens to have disposable income to spend on cinema going and on home television sets.[4] After several moderately successful films, Papa Ajasco (1984) by Wale Adenuga became one of the first Nigerian Blockbusters, reportedly grossing about ₦61,000 (approx. 2015 ₦21.5 million) in three days. A year later, Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya also grossed ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44.2 million) in five days.[7] The 1980s was also the period of major boom in the television industry, with several books from notable authors being adapted into television series.[8] Many of these television productions were later released on video and as a result, a small scale informal video trade developed, which led to the emergence of the Video boom in the 1990s.[9]
The Golden Age began to face a major gradual decline in the late 1980s; This decline has been attributed to several factors, including the reduction in the value of Naira, lack of finance and marketing support, lack of standard film studios and production equipment, frequent Government structural adjustment programmes due to military dictatorships,[4] as well as inexperience on the part of practitioners.[10][11][12] It is also generally believed by stakeholders that the decline in this era was due to negligence as a result of the oil boom, which affected other sectors of the Nigerian economy as well.[10][6] It has also been noted to be as a result of increase in the ownership of television sets across the country; the films produced during this era usually screened over a single weekend and are released on video the following week, it no longer made sense anymore to visit the theatres and most families preferred to wait a few days to get their hands on the VHS copies.[12][13] In the early 1990s, only a few of the once vibrant cinema houses were still in operation, and all had collapsed before 1999.[11] However, as at 2009, there's an emerging movement in the film industry, which is rapidly reviving the cinema culture of Nigerians once again.[14][15][16]
In 1954, before Nigeria's independence, the Nigerian film industry became formally recognized as a sector and was grouped as a unit in the information department of the then Ministry of Information.[17] This unit was a re-organized local unit, which united the broader term 'Nigerian Film Unit' which had been established in 1949;[2] the function of this film unit was to produce documentary films and newsreels on local events of great importance, leading to the dominance of educative films in Nigerian theatres in the late 1950s[17] As at 1954, mobile cinema vans played to at least 3.5 million people in Nigeria, and films being produced by the Nigerian Film Unit were screened for free at the 44 available cinemas.[2] The first film entirely copyrighted to this unit is Fincho (1957) by Sam Zebba; Fincho is also known as the first Nigerian film to be shot in colour.[18]
Post-Independence
After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the cinema business rapidly expanded, with new cinema houses being established.[11] However, there came a significant influx of American, Indian, Chinese and Japanese films; posters of films from these countries were all over theatre halls and actors from these industries became very popular in Nigeria. It was reported that Nigerian kids began to know more on "travails of American Indians than they did about the Wole Soyinka-led Mbari Mbayo cultural group, or the socio-cultural history of Nigeria".[10][17] However, in the late 1960s and into the 1970s Nigerian productions in theatres increased gradually, especially productions from Western Nigeria; this was basically due to former theatre practitioners such as Hubert Ogunde, Moses Olaiya, Jab Adu, Isola Ogunsola, Ladi Ladebo, Sanya Dosumu and Sadiq Balewa amongst others, who transitioned into the big screen.[4][5][17] Latola Films, which started the production of motion pictures since 1962, has often been noted as the earliest Nigerian indigenous film production company.[19] Television broadcasting in Nigeria also began in the 1960s and received much government support in its early years.[9]
In 1972, concerned about the influx of foreign culture into Nigeria, the Indigenization Decree was issued by the then head of state Yakubu Gowon; which demands the transfer of ownership of about a total of 300 film theatres in the country from their foreign owners to Nigerians.[10][6][17] Also, more Nigerians started playing active roles in cinema establishment; notable examples of this include: Metro cinema and Rivoli Cinema, which was owned by Chief Lisabi, and Danjuma Cinema by Alhaji Danjuma.[11] This transfer also resulted in the emergence of Nigerian playwrights, screenwriters and film producers; popular literature and theatre works were adapted into motion picture. One of the most popular film people in this new wave was Hubert Ogunde, mainly because he promoted indigenous Nigerian language, arts and culture through his works.[10][17]
The oil boom of 1973 through 1978 contributed immensely to the spontaneous boost of the cinema culture in Nigeria. The presence of foreign investments led to the erection of several cinema complexes. In 1976, The 5000-capacity National Arts Theatre, Iganmu was constructed in Lagos. The theatre was incorporated with two cinemas, each having a capacity of over 700 people.[11] At this time cinema business had become a notable employer of many people and also served as an important social function, as Nigerians visited cinemas for relaxation and entertainment purposes.[11][20] The increased purchasing power in Nigeria also made a wide range of citizens to have extra money to spend on cinema going and on home television sets.[4]
Some foreign producers and directors also worked in Nigeria to make films in Nigeria, as a result of this boom, including people like Ossie Davis who directed Kongi's Harvest, a film based on the novel of the same name by Wole Soyinka, which was released in 1970. The film was adapted to screen by Soyinka, produced by Francis Oladele under the Calpenny Nigeria ltd production company.[4][19] However, Ola Balogun's post-Civil War film, Amadi (1975) was one of the first notable Nigerian historical films on celluloid, which reflected on the Nigerian pre-Civil War days when Nigerians were very united.[4] Balogun subsequently directed Ajani Ogun in 1976, a film which grew to become very popular,[4] and is widely regarded as the first "commercial" Nigerian film, due to its success.[21] Another film released after Ajani Ogun was Bisi – Daughter of the River (1977), which reflected Nigerian culture on film. Other popular films released in this era include: Bull Frog in the Sun (1974), Dinner with the Devil (1975); directed by the duo Sanya Dosunmu and Wole Amele, Ogunde's Aiye (1979), Jaiyesimi (1980), Cry Freedom (1981), and Eddie Ugbomah's The Great Attempt (1989); which was censored upon release, amongst others.[10][11]
Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya has been reported as the first Nigerian blockbuster, grossing approximately ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44.2 million) in five days. Before then, Papa Ajasco (1984) by Wale Adenuga was reported to have made about ₦61,000 (approx. 2015 ₦21.5 million) in three days.[11] The success of films has been attributed to the fact that the faces of actors were already known from the once popular travelling theatre groups and the audiences were already familiar with the stories; Adesanya states that the "involvement of the Yoruba travelling theatre practitioners in motion picture production was perhaps the most auspicious single factor in the evolution of an indigenous cinema in Nigeria"[6] Much later, Hubert Ogunde featured in Bruce Beresford's Mister Johnson (1990). It was the first American film shot on location in Nigeria[22] and was criticized for its ridiculous perception of Africans and dark skinned people as a whole; a perception prevalent with several other western films at the time.[10]
This boost was however not limited to only films, as this era was generally a period when Nigerian entertainment experienced major boost all round; Nigerian music also became popular and prolific during this period.[19] The Nigerian nightlife scene came alive and highlife music was predominant. Musicians who reigned in this era include: Koola Lobitos, The Oriental Brothers, I. K. Dairo, Rex Jim Lawson, E. T. Mensah, and Victor Olaiya.[10] In 1979, the Nigerian Government recognized the importance of film and its relationship to the Nigerian cultural identity; as a result, the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) was established; the corporation was created under Shehu Shagari's military regime, as a standalone government agency to help develop the film industry.[17] The agency had the primary responsibility of regulating exhibitions of films, and censoring films shown at the cinemas - a responsibility later transferred to the National Films and Video Censor Board (NFVCB).[11][20]
You haven't produced 1 single argument or fact in your attempt to rubbish the golden age of Nigerian Cinema. All you've said is, "I don't think it was an industry". Where is your proof that it was not an industry? None. "I don't think it was successful", where is your proof? None. "I don't think there was any production company". Where is your proof that there was no production company? None. IIt's not about what you think, it's about facts! Provide facts. I have provided more than enough facts and you have provided none.
In all your posts you speak of 'indigenization' 'purchasing power' 'oil boom' etc which suggest an industry that is over reliant on foreign stakes and excessive government intervention to survive rather that the business ingenuity of the local stake holders. most of those cinemas were own by foreigners, the then govt concerned there wasn't truly a 'Nigerian movie industry' as the bulk of the profits was going to cinema owners, handed ownership of the cenimas to Nigerians who ran it aground. if it was a self sustaining industry, the govt would only regulate not intervene. You can't run a business without a viable and efficient marketing network that gives you return on investment. Those who produced for cinema went out of job during economic recession because the cinema was expensive and wasn't really viable, at least in the Nigerian business environment. They had to run to govt owned channels to provide them content and beg for sponsorship. Nollywood brought it's own channel of marketing, building an empire where the govt was the regulator not interventionists. we've had several recessions since then yet the industry still grows.
Noneroone: In all your posts you speak of 'indigenization' 'purchasing power' 'oil boom' etc which suggest an industry that is over reliant on foreign stakes and excessive government intervention to survive rather that the business ingenuity of the local stake holders. most of those cinemas were own by foreigners, the then govt concerned there wasn't truly a 'Nigerian movie industry' as the bulk of the profits was going to cinema owners, handed ownership of the cenimas to Nigerians who ran it aground. if it was a self sustaining industry, the govt would only regulate not intervene. You can't run a business without a viable and efficient marketing network that gives you return on investment. Those who produced for cinema went out of job during economic recession because the cinema was expensive and wasn't really viable, at least in the Nigerian business environment. They had to run to govt owned channels to provide them content and beg for sponsorship. Nollywood brought it's own channel of marketing, building an empire where the govt was the regulator not interventionists. we've had several recessions since then yet the industry still grows.
HALLELUYIA, PRAISE GOD!!!
We have made progress. You have now admitted that it was an industry! One by one we will break down your attempts to rubbish the industry.
Your first mispeak was that it was not an industry.
Do you have any comments about your second statement that there were no production companies? (I'm sure you've seen the names of the production companies in my reply).
What about your third statement that it wasn't making any money (I'm sure you've seen the box office takings in my reply)
(I have noticed that anytime you make a false allegation and I disprove it, you never ever admit that you were wrong. You simply move on, shift the goalpost and make another false allegation).
Firstly, you said that the movie industry was not known beyond Nigeria and did not get any foreign input and now you say that it was reliant on foreign stakes?? That shows that you have no idea what you are talking about.
The industry was reliant on takings from the cinema business. When the economic crisis occurred and armed robbery became a big issue, people did not want to go to the cinemas for fear of being attacked at night. That's why home video became popular, because you can watch it in your house without being attacked.
Secondly, there were Nigerian owned cinemas before the indigenisation decree and that was stated in my reply, so don't try to make it seem like it was government that created the Nigerian owned cinema. The indigenisation decree was significant because it ensured that 300 foreign owned cinemas were transferred to Nigerians. There were over 300 cinemas in Nigeria at the time and yet you say that it wasn't an industry??
Thirdly, in case you don't know, the indigenisation decree was not a decree about movie theatres specifically. The decree mandated that the controlling shares of all companies in Nigeria must be in the hands of Nigerians. It was this decree that led to the Nigerianisation of Union Bank, First Bank and all such other companies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Enterprises_Promotion_Decree
Fourthly, I'm not going to play your game. You are trying to turn this into a battle between Nollywood and the Golden Age of Nigerian Cinema because you've seen that all your attempts to rubbish the Golden Age have failed. I am proud of Nollywood and I have repeatedly said so here. What I won't accept is people trying to say that there was no movie industry in the 1950s, '60s, 70s and 1980s, like you tried to do. That is patently false. It is also false to say that the movie industry only consisted of selling TV series, as you tried to assert. There were epic movies that were made like Kongi's Harvest, Bullfrog In The Sun (Things Fall Apart), Death of a Black President, Mosebolatan and others.
Besides, your latest attempts to shift the goalpost won't work. All industries have flaws and industries come and go. Your attempt to say that because the Golden Age ended in the 1980s therefore it was not an industry is laughable. Once upon a time coal was the major means of powering machines. It is no longer the major means of powering machines and the coal industry has gone into decline. Should we then say that there was nothing like a coal industry? Petroleum products are currently being used to power machines, but people are currently frantically looking for alternatives to petroleum (look at Tesla). If they succeed would we then say that there was never a petroleum industry because it went into decline? That doesn't make any sense. An industry is defined as a sector that produces goods or related services within an economy. The film industry produced services and related goods in the 1950s, '60s, 70s and '80s and it was an industry.
There was a film industry in Nigeria, it was recognised worldwide, it was profitable to the extent that foreigners invested in it, it employed a large number of people and made famous movies and anybody that tries to deny these facts does not know what he is talking about. Period!
This is why history should be documented so that people who come later will not try to rewrite it. Maybe the stories aren't being told enough by people in the know.
Even without knowing the particular history of Nigerian filmmaking, it was immediately absurd to me that anyone would defend Living in Bondage as the beginning of Nollywood.
We have made progress. You have now admitted that it was an industry! One by one we will break down your attempts to rubbish the industry.
Your first mispeak was that it was not an industry.
Do you have any comments about your second statement that there were no production companies? (I'm sure you've seen the names of the production companies in my reply).
What about your third statement that it wasn't making any money (I'm sure you've seen the box office takings in my reply)
(I have noticed that anytime you make a false allegation and I disprove it, you never ever admit that you were wrong. You simply move on, shift the goalpost and make another false allegation).
Firstly, you said that the movie industry was not known beyond Nigeria and did not get any foreign input and now you say that it was reliant on foreign stakes?? That shows that you have no idea what you are talking about.
The industry was reliant on takings from the cinema business. When the economic crisis occurred and armed robbery became a big issue, people did not want to go to the cinemas for fear of being attacked at night. That's why home video became popular, because you can watch it in your house without being attacked.
Secondly, there were Nigerian owned cinemas before the indigenisation decree and that was stated in my reply, so don't try to make it seem like it was government that created the Nigerian owned cinema. The indigenisation decree was significant because it ensured that 300 foreign owned cinemas were transferred to Nigerians. There were over 300 cinemas in Nigeria at the time and yet you say that it wasn't an industry??
Thirdly, in case you don't know, the indigenisation decree was not a decree about movie theatres specifically. The decree mandated that the controlling shares of all companies in Nigeria must be in the hands of Nigerians. It was this decree that led to the Nigerianisation of Union Bank, First Bank and all such other companies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Enterprises_Promotion_Decree
Fourthly, I'm not going to play your game. You are trying to turn this into a battle between Nollywood and the Golden Age of Nigerian Cinema because you've seen that all your attempts to rubbish the Golden Age have failed. I am proud of Nollywood and I have repeatedly said so here. What I won't accept is people trying to say that there was no movie industry in the 1950s, '60s, 70s and 1980s, like you tried to do. That is patently false. It is also false to say that the movie industry only consisted of selling TV series, as you tried to assert. There were epic movies that were made like Kongi's Harvest, Bullfrog In The Sun (Things Fall Apart), Death of a Black President, Mosebolatan and others.
Besides, your latest attempts to shift the goalpost won't work. All industries have flaws and industries come and go. Your attempt to say that because the Golden Age ended in the 1980s therefore it was not an industry is laughable. Once upon a time coal was the major means of powering machines. It is no longer the major means of powering machines and the coal industry has gone into decline. Should we then say that there was nothing like a coal industry? Petroleum products are currently being used to power machines, but people are currently frantically looking for alternatives to petroleum (look at Tesla). If they succeed would we then say that there was never a petroleum industry because it went into decline? That doesn't make any sense. An industry is defined as a sector that produces goods or related services within an economy. The film industry produced services and related goods in the 1950s, '60s, 70s and '80s and it was an industry.
There was a film industry in Nigeria, it was recognised worldwide, it was profitable to the extent that foreigners invested in it, it employed a large number of people and made famous movies and anybody that tries to deny these facts does not know what he is talking about. Period!
movie production wasn't a money spinning business prior to Nollywood. You know it is the truth that's why you are running around the thread reposting comments.
Noneroone: movie production wasn't a money spinning business prior to Nollywood. You know it is the truth that's why you are running around the thread reposting comments.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
This is getting comical. I have posted so much fact, but you don't post any facts, you simply appear and post your own opinion as if that means anything. The box office takings for Mosebolatan and other movies are in my previous post to you but you can't address that because you don't know what you are talking about. You are the one running around this thread going in circles.
You are probably too young to know that there was a movie industry during the golden age. You rushed into this thread to spew ignorance. You were confronted with facts that you did not know and your only response is to keep running around and posting your opinions as if they are facts.
If it was not a money spinning business, then you should at least tell us what the box office receipts were that made it not to be successful. This is getting to be like comedy. Just look at your response to all the facts I dropped.
This is getting comical. I have posted so much fact, but you don't post any facts, you simply appear and post your own opinion as if that means anything. The box office takings for Mosebolatan and other movies are in my previous post to you but you can't address that because you don't know what you are talking about. You are the one running around this thread going in circles.
You are probably too young to know that there was a movie industry during the golden age. You rushed into this thread to spew ignorance. You were confronted with facts that you did not know and your only response is to keep running around and posting your opinions as if they are facts.
If it was not a money spinning business, then you should at least tell us what the box office receipts were that made it not to be successful. This is getting to be like comedy. Just look at your response to all the facts I dropped.
Evening, I think I understand you. However if I'm correct I think the Nigerian film and video censors board came into being in 1993 to handle regulation of the video format if I'm correct. The Nigerian film commission was created in the 70s to handle film/ cinema if I'm correct. Like you have said , not all movies made in America are Hollywood movies which is correct . I once heard Kenneth okonkwo speak on this issue and his point was that prior to living in bondage there was no structure for video format movies hence the creation of the Nigerian film and video censors board in 1993 after the release of living in bondage. He also said that membership association and structures came into being after this period of living in bondage. I know one or two directors who don't like to classify their movies or films as nollywood. The funny thing is even the living in bondage released in 1992 was not the first movie released on VHS or popularised through VHS. I know a movie released by late alade aromire that was released in 1989 on VHS format.
All in all, I think people can only see what they want to see regardless of facts. There was a thriving film and cinema industry before 1992 whether they believe it or not.
Evening, I think I understand you. However if I'm correct I think the Nigerian film and video censors board came into being in 1993 to handle regulation of the video format if I'm correct. The Nigerian film commission news created in the 70s to handle film/ cinema if I'm correct. Like you have said , not all movies made in America are Hollywood movies which is correct . I once heard Kenneth okonkwo speak on this issue and his point was that prior to living in bondage there was no structure for video format movies hence the creation of the Nigerian film and video censors board in 1993 after the release of living in bondage. He also said that membership association and structures came into being after this period of living in bondage. I know one or two directors who don't like to classify their movies or films as nollywood. The funny thing is even the living in bondage released in 1992 was not the first movie released on VHS or popularised through VHS. I know a movie released by late alade aromire that was released in 1989 on VHS format.
All in all, I think people can only see what they want to see regardless of facts. There was a thriving film and cinema industry before 1992 whether they believe it or not.
The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board came into being as part of President Babangida's liberalisation and regulation policy. That administration had a lot of brilliant people who created a lot of brilliant policies, but the problems were in the implementation.
Basically, the government (on paper) wanted to liberalise the economy and create other sources of income apart from crude oil. In order to create new sectors it needed a lot of regulatory agencies to monitor these sectors. If you look back, you'll notice that a lot of these regulatory agencies were created at the same time: Nigerian Boradcasting Commission, Nigerian Film and Video Censor's Board, National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, etc.
The National Film and Video Censor's Board didn't really create a structure when it was initially created. It's main role was to prevent the production of movies that the government did not like. Like I wrote earlier, a lot of those sectors were not really regulated. Would you believe that I watched scenes that contained nudity on the NTA in the late 1980s and early 1990s? There was no government agency to prohibit that. Actions were usually taken after the fact and they were taken arbitrarily. Similarly, drugs were sold anyhow before the creation of NAFDAC. Most of the chemists had no pharmacists. So the censor's board was created to ensure that pornography and other such movies that the government did not want were not produced.
A structure existed during the cinema era. In fact, that was one of the criticisms of Nollywood in its early days, that it did not have a structure, unlike the golden age cinema industry. Movies weren't released anyhow during the golden age. A movie must have its cinema run. It must have its premiere. There was a system for producing and releasing movies back then. That system began to break down in the early 1980s. I'll tell you how it broke down at the end of this post.
As you rightly said, home videos existed before Nollywood was created. I watched the popular and amazing movie "Evil Encounter" (the Cult of Natas) on video in 1983 or 1984. This was the period that the cinema culture began declining. People were afraid to go to the cinema at night because of violent robberies. The swinging Lagos night club scene was also affected. Therefore, people like Jimi Odumosu decided that it made more sense to produce their movies on VHS and sell directly to people.
This also affected the cinema culture in a terrible way. Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) was used to making a lot of money from the cinemas. That was when the structure was still in place. This meant that he could invest a lot of money into movie making and reap his profits afterwards. However, the early 1980s was a different kettle of fish. People had started realising that you could sell video cassettes and make your money back quickly. Baba Sala released Orun Mooru, but before it could make money for him on the cinema scene, people had pirated it and were selling it on video cassettes. This was the first time that he lost money in the movie industry. He lost a lot of money. The structure had broke down.
The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board came into being as part of President Babangida's liberalisation and regulation policy. That administration had a lot of brilliant people who created a lot of brilliant policies, but the problems were in the implementation.
Basically, the government (on paper) wanted to liberalise the economy and create other sources of income apart from crude oil. In order to create new sectors it needed a lot of regulatory agencies to monitor these sectors. If you look back, you'll notice that a lot of these regulatory agencies were created at the same time: Nigerian Boradcasting Commission, Nigerian Film and Video Censor's Board, National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control, etc.
The National Film and Video Censor's Board didn't really create a structure when it was initially created. It's main role was to prevent the production of movies that the government did not like. Like I wrote earlier, a lot of those sectors were not really regulated. Would you believe that I watched scenes that contained nudity on the NTA in the late 1980s and early 1990s? There was no government agency to prohibit that. Actions were usually taken after the fact and they were taken arbitrarily. Similarly, drugs were sold anyhow before the creation of NAFDAC. Most of the chemists had no pharmacists. So the censor's board was created to ensure that pornography and other such movies that the government did not want were not produced.
A structure existed during the cinema era. In fact, that was one of the criticisms of Nollywood in its early days, that it did not have a structure, unlike the golden age cinema industry. Movies weren't released anyhow during the golden age. A movie must have its cinema run. It must have its premiere. There was a system for producing and releasing movies back then. That system began to break down in the early 1980s. I'll tell you how it broke down at the end of this post.
As you rightly said, home videos existed before Nollywood was created. I watched the popular and amazing movie "Evil Encounter" (the Cult of Natas) on video in 1983 or 1984. This was the period that the cinema culture began declining. People were afraid to go to the cinema at night because of violent robberies. The swinging Lagos night club scene was also affected. Therefore, people like Jimi Odumosu decided that it made more sense to produce their movies on VHS and sell directly to people.
This also affected the cinema culture in a terrible way. Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala) was used to making a lot of money from the cinemas. That was when the structure was still in place. This meant that he could invest a lot of money into movie making and reap his profits afterwards. However, the early 1980s was a different kettle of fish. People had started realising that you could sell video cassettes and make your money back quickly. Baba Sala released Orun Mooru, but before it could make money for him on the cinema scene, people had pirated it and were selling it on video cassettes. This was the first time that he lost money in the movie industry. He lost a lot of money. The structure had broke down.
Baba Sala's son explained what actually caused the first major case of movie piracy in Nigeria.
Movies were shot on celluloid film during the Golden Age of Nigerian Cinema and they were shown at cinema theatres. There was a distribution structure in place at that time. There were cinema theatres all over Nigeria and these theatres paid the movie makers a license fee in order to show their movies. Video cassette recorders did not become popular in Nigeria until the late 1970s and it was mainly the wealthy that could afford such VCRs, so people usually went to the cinema theatres in order to watch the latest movies.
Baba Sala made the movie Orun Mooru in 1982. It featured a cameo appearance by King Sunny Ade. However, a problem occurred very early in its cinema run.
The movie was given an award in the United States, so Baba Sala travelled to attend the award ceremony. He took a copy of the film reel, in order to show the movie in the US. There was another copy that was left at his office in Ibadan.
A very wealthy man showed up at Baba Sala's house while he was in the US. The man was a Muslim. He told Baba Sala's family and workers that his wives could not watch the movie because they were in Purdah and therefore they could not go to the cinema. He said that he wanted to give his wives a treat during the Eid holidays and he appealed to Baba Sala's family and workers to come and show the movie in his house. He said that he was ready to pay any amount that they asked for and he was ready to pay on the spot.
Baba Sala's staff felt that this was a great opportunity to impress their boss by making some money in his absence. They took the film and projectors and showed the movie at the wealthy man's house. What they didn't know was that the man had a hidden camera at the back and he was recording the movie as they were showing it.
Baba Sala's workers went home satisfied, but a few days later pirated copies of the movie appeared on the streets and some cinema theatres began showing the movie even though they were not licensed to show it. Baba Sala made a huge loss on that movie.
3 years later (in 1985), Baba Sala made the blockbuster movie Mosebolatan. It was directed by Ade Afolayan and cinematography was by Tunde Kelani. The movie made ₦107,000 (arround ₦44.2 million in 2015 naira) in its first five days at the cinemas.
