Vanessa Obioha
Conversations around the next chapter of Nollywood, following its explosion in production volume globally over the decades and earning it the title of the second largest film industry after Hollywood, took centre stage at the 5th edition of the Peace Anyiam-Osigwe Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference (NDCRC).
In a new era defined by streaming, technological advancements in filmmaking, generative artificial intelligence, and digital monetisation, Nollywood is yet faced with a quagmire of finding its footing in translating its volume of production into real value. The NDCRC recognised this problem and led this year’s conference with the theme: ‘From Volume to Value: The Future of the Nigerian Motion Picture Industry in the Digital Age.’
Organised by the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), which is making its mark by deepening the digital licensing system, enhancing enforcement structures, and expanding capacity-building initiatives to make compliance more transparent, the Director-General of the board, Dr Shaibu Husseini, highlighted the importance of this year’s event.
“Today’s conference gives us an opportunity not just to reflect on our strengths and challenges, but to collectively shape a vision for the future. A future that will no longer measure success in terms of numbers, but in terms of value. And I’m talking about value for audiences, value for investors, value for creators, and value for Nigeria.”
Husseini’s insight served as a springboard for honouree and keynote speaker Bolanle Austen-Peters’ (BAP) address. She tried to define value, quality, audience needs, and the unfair comparisons between Hollywood and Nollywood. “We all strive in this extremely fascinating, potentially rich, but also chaotic environment because we struggle. We struggle for many reasons: funding, lack of infrastructure, and distribution. The challenges are a lot, but in spite of that, we keep churning out content after content and have built an industry that the world says is number two in terms of content production. So, we know what we say about ourselves: something is working. Every filmmaker in this room needs to celebrate himself or herself for having done work that has made us artists on the international stage,” noted BAP.
She added, “People produce content because they need to survive. In an industry where subsistence is the order of the day, a lot of people just need to keep churning out content.”
BAP further elaborated that filmmakers should know the audience and the platform they produce for, and what is required of them based on budget. Regardless, they should define value not just by blockbuster numbers, but also through storytelling.
Represented by the Director-General of the Nigerian Film Corporation, Dr. Ali Nuhu, the Minister for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barr. Hannatu Musawa lauded strides made so far by the industry, reiterating how technological advancement in filmmaking can be leveraged along the film production pipeline, while moulding the visions of the industry through regulatory standards, protection of IP, and infrastructure development.
The wife of Ooni of Ife, Olori Temitope Enita Ogunwusi, shared similar sentiments with emphasis on “value in the accuracy of our cultural representation,” while maintaining the highest film production standards.
Various panel sessions were held over the course of the two-day event, which took place on November 18 and November 19 at The Muson Centre. The opening panel comprised Actress Stephanie Linus; Executive Head of General Entertainment Channels, MultiChoice Group, Dr. Busola Tejumola; and Filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, discussing how to position and regulate platforms in digital spaces, regulation of artificial intelligence to protect creative IP, and understanding audiences and their platform preferences to guide creative paths.
Alongside BAP, who was honoured with a plaque and portrait for her contributions to the industry, other honourees included Joy Odiete, Femi Odugbemi, Funke Akindele, Cinemax, Filmone, Moses Babatope, Chioma Ude, and the film ‘Gingerrr’.
Additionally, a total of 23 film practitioners, who turned 50 and 60 respectively, were honoured and treated to a glamorous reception at the Shell Hall of The Muson Centre. They included Taiwo Adeleye, Steve Gukas, Ronnie Dikko, Seyi Siwoku, Aquila Njamah, Bond Emeruwa, Chimdi Chiama, Segun Arinze, Ngozi Ezeonu, among others.
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