Oscar Awards: Nollywood is Standing Tall without Nominations -By Emeka Chiakwelu

Posted by admin Articles, Columnists, Emeka Chiakwelu, NNP Columnists, Nollywood (Film Industry) Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

By Emeka Chiakwelu / NNP / Feb. 6, 2013 – When Hollywood announced its 2013 Oscar Award nominations earlier this
month, it was said that many Nollywood stars braved the time difference
and were wide awake to hear the nomination row-call. When it came to
nominations for Best Foreign Language Films, no single Nollywood or
Nigerian movies were nominated. Some of the Nollywood stars were said to
be little disappointed by Hollywood for not giving Nollywood its due
respect or ‘props’ as she mightily deserved.

Nollywood should recognize that Oscar’s Academy Award is in the business
of promoting Hollywood and swelling the bank account of its people.
Nollywood has been phenomenal, within a span of ten years it has replaced
Hollywood as the second largest movie producers, while Bollywood of India
continued to take the first place. Nollywood is gradually but steadily
becoming a business competitor to Hollywood in Africa, if not beyond.

In profitability and superb organizational structure, Hollywood runs
supreme. As noted by Slate: In 2004, the six major studiosDisney, Fox,
Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, Sony, and their subsidiarieshad total
revenues of $7.4 billion from world box-office sales, $20.9 billion from
world video sales, and $17.7 billion from world television licensing.
Hollywood is very profitable and entertaiment industry gives United States
its second largest foreign revenue. And Hollywod cultural influence, as a
leverage for soft power cannot be overemphasised.

In comparison, Nigerias Nollywood is the third largest film industry
worldwide right behind Hollywood in the US and Indias Bollywood. Its
filmmakers have mastered the art of producing entertaining popular media
with low production costs and high revenue gains. According to Black
Enterprise, Nollywood produces more than 2000 moves each year and brings
in $250 million in profit. as Charlotte Young wrote in Madamenoire.
Nollywood has the potential to be a global juggernut akin to Hollywood but
more work must done in establishing legal frameworks and entertaiment
infrastructures including copy write laws, protection of intellectual
property and adequate distribution centers.

First of all, it makes sense to explain how foreign movies are nominated
for Oscar awards. The first thing to do is to submit a movie or movies for
nominations. Secondly, lobby the Academy Board for selection and when
nominated go further and intensify the lobbying to get the voters to
support the movie. The later may require hiring a Hollywood agent in order
to make it possible.

Without any inquiry and probing, I have the hunch that energetic
Nollywood film makers will definitely submit movies for consideration.
For now that is good enough for Nollywood for only time will take care of
being part of the nominations and winners.

Nollywood film will never be selected or win Oscar award unless it has a
Hollywood connection and by this I mean financial or monetary interest.
Nollywood has not even recognized how powerful she is becoming, for
Nollywood poses a business threat to Hollywood especially in Africa and
developing nations. What Nollywood did in Africa and beyond was to
displace Hollywood by telling the stories average Africans can identify
with and not some tinseltown stories that are quite far away from African
experience and cultural make-up.

Nollywood has captured the spirit and soul of Africa on a motion picture.
The Nollywood is antithetical to the Hollywood early movies that make
mockery of Africa by distorting her humanity with comical and disparaging
projections. The Nollywood experience is a resourceful mouthpiece for the
old and new Africa – the good, bad, rich, poor, and of course the
authentic Africa which is rooted on African perspective. Nollywood stands
for something beyond just making movies but a movement that illustrates,
defines and captures Africa’s sense and sensibility without seeking for
permission or apology unlike African polity.

The introduction of the category for Oscar nomination for Best Foreign
Language Film started in 1956. The much older and established Bollywood
has been submitting their movies from 1957 to the present day. With all
the movies submitted, Bollywood has only been nominated for three movies
and none has ever won.

Nollywood has every attribute just like Hollywood to give it an
international acceptance. Nollywood have the glitz, gossip, brains and
beauty; and Nollywood stars are gaining name recognition in the world. The
works of and faces like Genevieve Nnaji, Nkem Owoh are gaining a growing
acceptance in the film world. In nearest future many Nollywood stars will
be invited to become part of Hollywood because of the enormous talents,
moreover there is money to be make in Nollywoods Nigeria and Africa. It
is already happening in the music industry, you have many American
musicians collaborating with P Square and DBanji.

With Africa’s exploding population and purchasing power, time is on the
side of Nollywood. The time is not distant away when Hollywood will
beckons Nollywood for collaboration and partnership. Nollywood must be
persistence and must not relent on her quest to entertain the world.

Emeka Chiakwelu, Principal Policy Strategist at Afripol. Africa Political
& Economic Strategic Center (AFRIPOL) is foremost a public policy center
whose fundamental objective is to broaden the parameters of public policy
debates in Africa. To advocate, promote and encourage free enterprise,
democracy, sustainable green environment, human rights, conflict
resolutions, transparency and probity in Africa. www.afripol.org
[email protected]
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