₦airaland Forum

I agree with you, Seun.

But let us all contribute toward sending these so-called "actors and actresses" and also their "producers/directors" back to college, so they can learn the real arts of acting and filmmaking.

I have not digressed at all; I'm still on point. In a forum such as this the truth always comes out. If you cannot stand the heat don't go to the kitchen. We are Nigerians and these so-called "actors, actresses, directors, and producers" go around the world, representing us. Talking about sarcasm. Is it sarcasm or the truth when that American cinematographer said that we should be ashamed of ourselves for naming our "Film Industry" "Nollywood"? Or, do you need any one to teach you that Hollywood is the name of a town in Los Angeles county? The guy even suggested that we might be better off calling it Lagos since that's where most of the "movies" are made. Since people go about the world (without shame), saying they are members of the "Nigerian Film Industry," I, as a proud Nigerian, deserve and, has the right to demand the best from them. Or you would rather I don't "treat with sarcasm and disdain" and join you and others in your childish discussion of "Omotola is more beautiful than Genevieve" and so on? C'mon! We can do better than that. I know it's nice to be optimistic and patriotic. Optimism and patriotism, when you know you are deceiving yourselves? Give me a break!

@Omon, don't even try to go there! Wole Soyinka has contributed his own quota. The man has written, produced, and directed some wonderful plays in his time. He's left a great impact for the posterity. He's done! Chinua Achebe is now on wheelchair and is still effective! Dr. Ayodele Awojobi together with the geniuses of people like Wole Soyinka helped changed Nigeria's driving (road) direction from right (British) to left (American), Emeagwali is younger and vibrant, but he's really busy kicking white man's behind in America in the areas of computer, engineering, mathematics, and technology. These are men of parts. They didn't want to make movies (with the exception of Soyinka whose film, "The Prodigals," was seized by the Buhari/Idiagbon administration). So, my point is, those who know they want to embark upon a particular profession should try and excel in it. Don't make excuses! That's why Nigeria is still the way it is. Look at how great that nation could have been -- I don't know if you're old enough to remember the eighties; then every idea brought forward by some of our great minds was either shut down or rubbished by mediocres in govt. A good example will be when the leader of the opposition Chief Obafemi Awolowo suggested that Nigeria should build a nuclear power reactor to generate elctricity and other energies. Shehu Shagari and his ilks said no! Why? Because they thought we were OK with that dillapidated Kainji Dam! Look at us today, a nation boasting to be the giant of Africa can not even generate adequate electricity for her masses. What a shame! we always believe in the status quo -- we don't like change.

@OmegeNikky, thank you. That's what I'm talking about!

@Omon. Please! Who cares if the British govt. is not supportive of the "industry"? How many governments of the world are supporting our doctors, engineers, lawyers, computer experts etc ? And we're some of the best in the world! Nigerian scientists are kicking butts in America and Europe. Have you ever heard of Philip Emeagwali? This guy is popularly referred to as "a father of the Internet." He created a Supercomputer with a 3.1 billion calculations per second. My point is, Nigerians are intelligent. If we can produce the likes of Wole Soyinka, Ayodele Awojobi (the late engineer/physicist who attained a science doctorate at the age of twenty), Philip Emeagwali and so on, why do we have to make excuses for people who are just out there to make money and wait for Tony Abulu and his cohorts to take them around the African community in Washington and New York, so they can deceive themselves that they're now STARS? Or you hink by being accepted in Ghana and Cameroon is enough? Please, let's speak the truth! These people need to go back to school, period!

@Omon, are you kidding me? Lately, production costs are greatly being reduced; you can take a low budget and produce an outstanding picture of an acceptable quality. These guys (Nigerian "directors and producers" are just lazy andso quack that they don't seem to know what they're doing. And the players? Oh, my! They are absolutely pathetic and arrogant! Imagine that Genevieve writing an article saying she is better than most talents in Hollywood -- what an outlandish thing to say! I also read an article where one "jeko jeko" Nigerian "producer" was comparing himself to Spielberg. Not only did he think he should have won awards like Spielberg, he even believed he was the better of the two. Look, I'm a Nigerian, only when we're this blunt and intolerable about these anomalies can they improve on their performances and production values. And it's people like you that give in to half-baked, second-rate abilities, and averageness. That's why we can't compete internationally -- please, hit the nail on the head, man!

Hello, folks! I personally agreed with everything this American cinematographer had to say about the so-called "Nigerian Film Industry." I have always believed that the "NFI" is nothing, but mediocrity. And instead of calling a spade a spade, we tend to celebrate these mediocres (actors, actresses, directors, who themselves need to be directed, producers, who put rubbish out because of money, and just about everybody in this non-existing "industry"; I believe they can do better! What say you all?
********************************************************************
Americans don't watch Nigerian movies, says Wishengrad
* Faults the name Nollywood
JUST when practitioners of the nations home video sector popularly called Nollywood are rolling out drums in celebration of the perceived success of Nigerian movies in places like the United States and Europe, they may be taken aback with the information that Americans don't watch our local movies!

Marc Wishengrad, Emmy nominated Director of Photography, one of the resource persons at the just concluded SHOOT 2005, a cinematography workshop organised by the Nigerian Film Corporation in collaboration with UK based Refuge Island Media and sponsored by FujiFilm International, in his rather blunt manner declared at the Hill Station Hotel, Jos, Plateau State, where he stayed during the workshop, that "an average American does not give a damn about Nigerian movies. They don't watch your movies and that is the truth."

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/arts/article02/040805