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Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. [1] The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times . [2] [3] Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject of several controversies.
The origin of the term "Nollywood" remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times , where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema. [2] [3] Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. [4] [5] The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words "Nigeria" and "Hollywood", the American major film hub. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Definition of which films are considered Nollywood has always been a subject of debate. Alex Eyengho defined Nollywood as "the totality of activities taking place in the Nigerian film industry, be it in English, Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, Itsekiri, Edo, Efik, Ijaw, Urhobo, Ibibio, Annang or any other of the over 300 Nigerian languages". He further stated that "the historical trajectory of Nollywood started since the pre and post independent Nigeria, with the theatrical (stage) and cinematic (celluloid) efforts of the likes of Chief Hubert Ogunde, Chief Amata, Baba Sala, Ade Love, Eddie Ugbomah and a few others". [7]
Over the years the term Nollywood has also been used to refer to other affiliate film industries, such as the Ghanaian English-language cinema, whose films are usually co-produced with Nigeria and/or distributed by Nigerian companies. The term has also been used for Nigerian/African diaspora films considered to be affiliated with Nigeria or made specifically to capture the Nigerian audience. [2] [3] There is no clear definition on how "Nigerian" film has to be in order to be referred to as Nollywood.
Some stakeholders have constantly expressed their disagreement over the term; giving reasons such as the fact that the term was coined by a foreigner, as such being another form of imperialism. It has also been argued that the term is an imitation of what was already in existence (Hollywood) rather than an identity in itself that is original and uniquely African. [8]
Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking from most of the regional industries. [ citation needed ] [10]
Although the Igbo language film Living in Bondage by Kenneth Nnebue was the first massive nationwide hit of the videotape era, [11] most Igbo film makers prefer to make their movies in English. This leads to the paradox where some of the most popular and beloved actors in Nollywood like Patience Ozokwor (Mama G), Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme (Aki and Pawpaw), Nkem Owoh (Osuofia), John Okafor (Mr. Ibu) who are ethnically Igbo, but have mostly acted in English language movies. These actors occasionally sprinkle their movies with Igbo aphorisms and expressions (e.g. 'Chineke!', 'Tufiakwa!') but the vast majority of the dialogue is in English.
The Yoruba-language [ clarification needed ] cinema is one of the most impactful movie genres of Nigerian cinema, with most of its producers and actors based in the Western region of Nigeria. The movie genre began in Yorubaland specifically Lagos. The Yoruba-language cinema began as actors of various Yoruba traveling theatre groups began to take their works beyond the stage to delve into movie production using the Celluloid format, as far back as the mid-1960s. These practitioners are considered in some quarters to be the first true Nigerian filmmakers. [12] Movies like Kongi's Harvest (1972), Bull Frog in The Sun (1971), Bisi, Daughter of The River (1977), Jaiyesimi (1980), and Cry Freedom (1981) fall into this era of a blossoming Yoruba movie industry. Practitioners like Ola Balogun, Duro Ladipo and Adeyemi Afolayan (Ade Love) played a significant role when they came out with "Ajani Ogun" in 1976. This film was one of the few huge successes that helped put the Yoruba-language cinema on the map, and it was followed by other productions by Hubert Ogunde and others. [12] One of the first blockbusters from Nigeria, came from the Yoruba language industry; a notable example is Mosebolatan (1985) by Moses Olaiya which grossed ₦107,000 (approx. 2015 ₦44.2 million) in five days of its release. The modern film industry started with films such as, The Narrow Part, which was also titled The White Handkerchief by Tunde Kelani. The stories were adapted from Bayo Adebowale's book The Virgin.
The Hausa-language cinema, also known informally as Kannywood, is also a sub-industry of Nollywood, mainly based in Kano. The cinema, which is the largest in Northern Nigeria, slowly evolved from the productions of RTV Kaduna and Radio Kaduna in the 1960s. Veterans like Dalhatu Bawa and Kasimu Yero pioneered drama productions that became popular with the Northern audience. The 1990s saw a dramatic change in the Northern Nigerian cinema, eager to attract more Hausa audience who find Bollywood movies more attractive, Kannywood; a cinematic synthesis of Indian and Hausa culture evolved and became extremely popular. Turmin Danya ("The Draw"), 1990, is usually cited as the first commercially successful Kannywood film. It was quickly followed by others like Gimbiya Fatima and Kiyarda Da Ni. [13] Sunusi Shehu of Tauraruwa Magazine created the term "Kannywood" in 1999 and it soon became the popular reference term for the industry. By 2012, over 2000 film companies were registered with the Kano State Filmmakers Association. [14]
The Efik-language cinema, also known as Callywood is also a sub-industry of Nollywood, mainly based in Calabar but also include the Ibibio and Annang cinema. The establishment of The Divine Shield Film Academy and Valianticom Movie Academy in Calabar; and the establishment of Empire Film Academy in Uyo and a campus of Royal Arts Academy in Uyo, the Efik/Ibibio/Annang cinema is heading into a bright future.
Over the years the term Nollywood has also been used to refer to other affiliate film industries, such as the Ghanaian English-language cinema. Around the year 2006 through 2007, Nigerian filmmaker Frank Rajah Arase signed a contract with a Ghanaian production company, Venus Films, which involved helping to introduce Ghanaian actors into mainstream Nollywood. This collaboration eventually led to extreme popularity of certain Ghanaian actors, such as Van Vicker, Jackie Appiah, Majid Michel, Yvonne Nelson, John Dumelo, Nadia Buari and Yvonne Okoro, arguably as much as their Nigerian counterparts. Furthermore, over the years, due to the high cost of film production in Nigeria, Nigerian filmmakers have been forced to make films outside Lagos in order to cut costs, mirroring the exodus of filmmaking in Hollywood from Los Angeles to cities like Toronto and Albuquerque, a phenomenon known as runaway production. Several other producers, as a result, started shooting in cities like Accra, Ghana, channeling the savings into investing in better equipment, many of them trying to get their films onto the big screen. [15]
Nollywood USA is a broad term, that is used to refer to Nigerian films made in the diaspora. Although they are popularly called Nollywood USA, these movies can be shot in any non-African country. These films are typically made by Nigerian filmmakers living in the diaspora and they are typically made for the Nigerian audience. [16] [17] Like the "Nollywood" term, the definition of "Nollywood USA" is vague.
Nollywood USA movies typically tell Nigerian stories, and they usually star established Nollywood actors, alongside upcoming Nigerian/African actors living in the diaspora. [18] [19] The movies usually have their premieres in Nigeria and they also sometimes secure national theatrical release like the regular Nollywood movies. [20]
In 2012, it was announced that Nollywood would be celebrating its 20-year anniversary. This year marked the 20th year after the release of direct-to-video movie Living in Bondage (1992), which arguably marked the boom in the video film era. The anniversary was eventually celebrated in June 2013. [9] [21] [22] [23]
The event was later revealed to be a decision of a segment of the industry and not a unanimously agreed event; the event was organized by Association of Movie Producers (AMP), an association consisting of producers of video films. [9] [21] [22] Since announcement of the "Nollywood @ 20" event in 2012 until its celebration in 2013, the event had sparked controversies from many stakeholders; most of whom believed the industry was much older than 20 years. Since Nollywood has been a term for the entire Nigerian film industry, it was argued that Living in Bondage cannot be used to celebrate the Nigerian film industry, stating that the film wasn't, in fact, the first Nigerian video film, neither was it the first "successful" video film, [24] much less the first Nigerian film. [25]
This controversial celebration also gave rise to reports that another segment of the industry, the "Association of Nigeria Theatre Arts Practitioners (ANTP)" are planning to rename the industry into another term which would encompass the entire history of Nigerian film industry, since the term Nollywood has allegedly become ethnically dichotomized. [22] [26] While it was argued by supporters of the event that it was the "Nollywood brand" that was being celebrated and not the industry, counter-arguments were made that the term "Nollywood" came into existence only in the 2000s, so explanations were needed on how the "Nollywood Brand" could be extended to the year 1992 which isn't specifically significant in any way, and why not just to the first Nigerian film that was made. [27] [28] [29]
Alex Eyengho had noted in a 2012 article that the term "Nollywood" was absent during the formative years of both the video film era and the Golden Age. [7] Seun Apara, in his article on 360Nobs.com stated: "It's either the promoters of the event didn't do their research well or intentionally do not want to reckon with history". [9] Adegboyega Oyeniya comments: "I don't know what they are talking about by celebrating 'Nollywood @ 20'; are they celebrating Ramsey Tokunbo Nouah or Genevieve Nnaji? Probably, they are celebrating fortune. These people should stop deceiving Nigerians". [30] Some media outlets also reported that the event was a result of greed and selfish interests, as the organizers visited political figures to solicit funds in the name of the Industry, but allegedly shared the funds raised amongst themselves. [9] Another issue raised to fault the event is that the real "achievers" in Nollywood were not honoured, but rather the practitioners at almost the same level with the organizers of the supposed flawed event were honoured. [25]
Several filmmakers and stakeholders expressed their displeasure with the supposed false celebration; Kunle Afolayan commented: "The whole idea of Nollywood at 20 does not make sense to me because the Nollywood that I know is more than 20 years. I remember my father shot a film about 37 years ago and I also grew up in the industry. As far as (I) am concerned, it's absolute crap". [9] In another interview, he stated: "If Nollywood is the name that people decide to call the movie industry in Nigeria, then I am part of it. If Nollywood is what they say is 20 years, then I am not part of that Nollywood because I have been doing film business for more than 30 years now". [31] Jide Kosoko also commented: "The Nigerian movie industry as far as I'm concerned is not 20 years. If we all truly belong to the same industry, then the industry I belong to is not 20 years. There is a need to tell the world the sincere story of our industry and don't rubbish the pioneers. As far as I am concerned, what they are celebrating is Living in Bondage and not Nollywood". [9] Tunde Kelani stated: "how will Nollywood be celebrating 20 years and I am over 40 years in the industry?". [30]
President of Actors Guild of Nigeria at the time, Ibinabo Fiberesima, admitted that Nollywood is more than 20, but gave what was considered an unconvincing statement on the reason behind the event, stating: "It's about celebrating our own even though Nollywood is more than 20 years. It's been long that people have been celebrating us but right now, we are celebrating ourselves and giving lots back to the society. It's a good step we have taken especially now that the qualities of our movies have improved". [9]
The cinema of Nigeria, often referred to informally as Nollywood, consists of films produced in Nigeria; its history dates back to as early as the late 19th century and into the colonial era in the early 20th century. The history and development of the Nigerian motion picture industry is sometimes generally classified in four main eras: the Colonial era, Golden Age era, Video film era and the emerging New Nigerian cinema era.
The culture of Nigeria is shaped by Nigeria's multiple ethnic groups. The country has 527 languages, seven of which are extinct. Nigeria also has over 1,150 dialects and ethnic groups. The three largest ethnic groups are the Hausas that are predominantly in the north, the Yorubas who predominate in the southwest, and the Igbos in the southeast. There are many other ethnic groups with sizeable populations across the different parts of the country. The Kanuri people are located in the northeast part of Nigeria, the Tiv people are in the north central, and the Efik-Ibibio are in the south South. The Bini people are most frequent in the region between Yorubaland and Igboland.
Kunle Afolayan is a Nigerian actor, producer, and director. He is credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies through larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in cinemas, and improving cliché Nollywood storylines. After starting his film career as an actor in the 1999 political drama Saworoide, Afolayan made his directorial debut in 2006 with Irapada, a Nigerian supernatural thriller, which won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Film in an African Language. His subsequent directing credits include The Figurine, Phone Swap, October 1, and Citation.
Hausa-language cinema, known informally as Kannywood, is the Hausa-language film industry of northern Nigeria. It is based in Kano.
Ali Nuhu Mohammed is a Nigerian actor who is the current managing director of the Nigerian Film Corporation. He was appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday 12 January 2024. Before his appointment, he was a prominent Nigerian actor and director. He is married to Maimuna Garba in 2003 and they had 2 children. He acts in both Hausa and English movies, and he is also known as king of Kannywood or Sarki Ali by the media; Kannywood is the Hausa film industry headquartered in Kano, Nigeria. Ali Nuhu has appeared in more than 500 Nollywood and Kannywood films, and earned numerous accolades. Ali Nuhu is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors of all time in the history of Hausa Cinema, as well as Nigerian Cinema In terms of audience, size, and income, and he has been described as the most successful Hausa film star in the world. President Bola Tinubu has appointed him as the Managing-Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation.
City People Entertainment Awards are an annual accolade presented by City People Magazine to honour Nigerian and Ghanaian entertainers. The first edition was held in Abeokuta, Ogun State on June 14, 2009. The event was hosted by Governor Gbenga Daniel in the State House. The most recent ceremony was held on June 22, 2014 at 10 Degrees Event Centre, Lagos State.
Adeyemi Josiah Afolayan (1940–1996) was a Nigerian actor, filmmaker, dramatist and producer.
Hadiza Aliyu, also known as Hadiza Gabon, is a Nigerian professional actress and filmmaker who acts in both Hausa and English movies. She serves as an ambassador for MTN Nigeria and Indomie noodles. She was named best actress at 2013 Best of Nollywood Awards. She won the 2nd Kannywood/MTN Awards in 2014. She is the founder of HAG Foundation.
Africa Magic is a collection of Pay TV entertainment channels that focus on African programming, most popularly Nigerian series and movies. Africa Magic, which started off as single channel of the same name, is a brand owned by M-Net and now comprises seven channels.
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. 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, with the first film entirely copyrighted to this unit being Fincho (1957) by Sam Zebba.
The video film era, also known as the home video era, is a period in Nigerian cinema, typically from the late 1980s / early 1990s to mid 2010s, when Nigerian films were made using affordable video format. The video boom era emerged after the downturn of the Golden era of the Nigerian cinema in the late 1980s. The term "home video" stems from the concept of staying at home to watch the films, in contrast to films of the Golden Age that were watched at the movie theatres.
Rahama Ibrahim Sadau is a Nigerian actress, filmmaker, and singer. Born and raised in Kaduna, she performed in dancing competitions as a child and during her school years. She rose to fame in late 2013 after joining the Kannywood movie industry with her first movie Gani ga Wane.
Cinema of Ghana also known as the Ghana Film Industry nicknamed Ghallywood, began when early film making was first introduced to the British colony of Gold Coast in 1923. At the time only affluent people could see the films, especially the colonial master of Gold Coast. In the 1950s, film making in Ghana began to increase. Cinemas were the primary venue for watching films until home video became more popular. The movie industry has no official name as yet since consultations and engagements with stakeholders has been ongoing when a petition was sent to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture which suspended the use of the name Black Star Films.
Aminu Muhammad Ahmad, professionally known as Aminu Saira, is a Nigerian filmmaker, director, and screenwriter. His work includes such films as Jamila Da Jamilu (2009), Ga Duhu Ga Haske (2010), and Ashabul Kahfi (2014), which collectively earned him the distinction of Best Director of the Year at the 2015 Kannywood Awards. In 2020, Saira launched the first Hausa language home video series, titled Labarina.
Dr Uzee Usman Adeyemi, is a Nigerian actor and film producer known for his film Voiceless, Mustapha, Anikulapo, Oga Abuja and A Tribe Called Judah. His ability for fusing Nollywood and Kannywood together won him several awards and recognitions Globally.
Sani Musa Abdullahi, known as Sani DanjaorDanja, is a Nigerian film actor, producer, director, singer, and dancer. He participates in both Kannywood and Nollywood. In April 2018 he was turbaned by the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubaka, as Zakin Arewa. He has featured in numerous Nollywood blockbusters including Battle on bukka street and Wives on strike.
Yakubu Mohammed is a Nigerian actor, producer, director, singer and script writer. He is a Globacom ambassador, SDGs ambassador and at a time, an ambassador for Nescafe Beverage. He has sung over 1000 songs, featured in over 100 Hausa films and more than 40 English films some of which includes; Lionheart, 4th Republic, Sons of the Caliphate and MTV Shuga which earned him City People Entertainment Awards and Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
Kelvin Ngozi Ikeduba is a Nigerian actor who won the award for Best Cross Over Actor at the 2014 Yoruba Movie Academy Awards (YMAA). He is predominantly known for his diversity in the Nigerian movie industry as he has been featured in Nollywood movies where the English language is commonly used in their productions and also has been featured in diverse Yoruba only speaking movies produced by the Yoruba movie industry of Nigeria.
Abubakar Bashir Abdulkarim, also known as Abubakar Bashir Maishadda, is a Nigerian film producer who works in the Kannywood film industry. He is the founder of Maishadda Global Resources LTD. He has produced a number of films under his banner, featuring Kannywood stars such as Ali Nuhu, Sadiq Sani Sadiq, Maryam Yahaya, Yakubu Muhammed, and Rahama Sadau, in films like Takanas Ta Kano (2014), Daga Murna (2015), Wutar Kara (2019), Hafeez (2019), Mujadala (2019), Mariya (2019), Ana Dara Ga Dare (2018) and Hauwa Kulu (2019). Maishadda is frequently considered "king of the box office". He received City People Entertainment Awards in 2018 and 2019, and 2015 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in the best indigenous language category (Hausa).
Lawan Ahmad is a Nigerian actor, filmmaker and producer. He his a product of "FKD FILM PRODUCTION", he came into a limelight through the contribution of Ahmed S Nuhu.
