Pandemic cripples Nigeria’s film industry
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AS COVID-19 shuts down businesses around the world and forces billions to stay home, Nigerian director Obi Emelonye came up with an innovative way to continue filming.
Inspired by his wife’s teleconferencing calls during the lockdown in Britain, he wrote and put together a short film about a couple separated between London and Lagos.
There was just one day for rehearsals and two days for shooting, so Emelonye’s relatives filmed the actors in their homes on two different continents using mobile phones.
“I said to myself, ‘What if I shoot a film remotely? I can direct my actors and produce it from home, and it will cost nothing,’” said the well-known 53-year-old director. “I wanted to show young people that despite the countless difficulties of our profession, despite the coronavirus, you can make a film without funding, without even a real camera.”
Innovation has always been a hallmark of Nigeria’s Nollywood — the second most prolific film industry in the world — as it has risen from shaky homemade movies to slickly produced blockbusters.
But now, in the face of the pandemic that has seen social distancing rules shut down movie productions and close cinemas, the industry beckons for a spirit of ingenuity more than ever.
“We are an endangered species, we have to be innovative and push the boundaries,” said Emelonye, whose short film “Heart 2 Heart” was released for free on YouTube last month. “Things are very bad? You can make them better!”
Difficult times
The Nigerian film industry is riddled with contradictions.
On the surface are the red carpets, glitz and glamorous stars with millions of Instagram followers.
But underneath, much of the industry is poorly funded, salaries are miserly and rampant piracy robs it of crucial revenues.
The arrival of the coronavirus has dealt a major blow just as producers try to focus on higher-quality movies, cinema audiences grow and giants like Netflix push to tap into the country of more than 200 million, the most populous in Africa.
Moses Babatope watched in dismay as a government order to close the Filmhouse, a cinema chain he co-founded in 2012, annihilated income over the past three months.
“We’ve been through other difficult times, but this crisis is even worse,” he said.
Babatope estimates losses for his sector exceed US$9 million so far due to the virus.
Dozens of film shoots have been put on hold or scrapped entirely, and the legion of industry workers — from makeup artists to technicians to ushers — is going unpaid.
Netflix has suspended filming for its first original series made in Nigeria, and French media giant Vivendi has delayed the opening of its first cinema in the capital Abuja.
Distributors estimate 50,000 jobs are under threat as the shutdown wears on.
“It’s going to take a while before it really starts up again,” Babatope said.
To navigate through the downturn, the industry has begun pushing its boundaries. Producer Charles Okpaleke teamed up with two local cinema chains, Genesis and Silverbird, to launch open-air drive-in theaters.
The first screening in Abuja last month sold out in just a few hours as viewers flocked to see his film “Living in Bondage” from the comfort of their own cars.
“COVID-19 forces us to rethink our habits, but it is also an opportunity to try new experiences,” Okpaleke said.
Producers and directors are also looking to release their films via online streaming services like Netflix and its local competitor Iroko TV.
And even up-and-coming industry hopefuls have been given the opportunity to hone their skills despite the disruptions.
French startup LAFAAC has partnered with Femis cinema school and Nigerian television channel Wazobia to offer online training to aspiring scriptwriters via a mobile app.
“Nowadays there’s a huge demand for series from sub-Saharan Africa despite a relative lack of training,” said LAFAAC co-founder Francois Catala.
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