When was nollywood established

Cinematographic art within the north African country is losing its significance and becoming more of a financial scape than an art. Film production has become about revenue rather than recreation; capital rather than creativity. The emergence of film in Nigeria began in the late 19th century. It was a time otherwise known as the Colonial Era. Through this peephole, viewing a moving sequence of images was possible, albeit one individual at a time.

As cinematographic technology kept developing, Nigerians saw their very first film en masse at the Glover Memorial Hall. The Colonial Era depicted Nigerians in film as cannibalistic. Technological wonders — such as the kinetoscope — were of little use to local Nigerians.

Black men and women were simply not allowed into the viewing halls. Movies during this era were made for a colonial British audience and they had only used the Nigerian Cinema as a prop. At least until The Golden Era. This local seizure of the industry created an avenue for more Nigerian content creation.

This content would be screened in theatres for a Nigerian audience. The new era of freedom was at its peak, so films were instrumental in creating a sense of fulfillment, belonging, and strength for the Nigerian people. An example of this is 7Up. The Yoruba people and their traveling theater tradition are a major player in the creation of Nollywood. The Yoruba are a group of African people living in the western part of Nigeria and Benin, who would put on plays as they traveled from village to village.

They soon began filming these plays, and turning them into movies on VHS. It was fast, cheap, and a great way to share their stories. Despite lack of funds and experience, self-made directors begin using commercial video cameras to shoot and sell their films for home viewing. Even though this resulted in movies with super low production value, the original, and occasional mythical themed stories, often lacking in Hollywood, instantly made them a hit.

Living in Bondage is often considered the start of Nollywood. These types of movies spread from Yoruba to a much larger population of Africa.

This is when we began to hear about films being made a year, then , and now nearly are made in any given year. On the whole these movies had awful production value. Horrible lighting, bad sound, incredibly on-the-nose, with no real attention to anything like poetic devices, or motifs. Nollywood is best understood as the process of filmmaking with minimal, and I mean minimal resources.

Journalist, Onishi observed how the filmmakers there created movies under volatile and unpredictable circumstances, with near impossible production environments. Nollywood is born out of a true grassroots collective that has not only become profitable for the country, but has created thousands of jobs. It an industry built by its people and gets better and better by contemporary filmmakers.

We showed you the film that kickstarted Nollywood, Living in Bondage, but what about some more contemporary favorites? A Nigerian zombie-thriller film, written and directed by C. Obasi with a zero budget. A mega-hit with one of the biggest budgets for a Nigerian film to date. It also has a mega-hit sequel. The film explores parental pressure on relationships.

It reveals some ugly truths about familial impact and the choices we make. You clearly do not need a professional level camera or production setups to make a movie, let alone start an entire industry! It is based in Ghana and received six nominations at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards for the year, among them nominations for the best director, for the screenplay, for the best actor in a leading role and for the best actress in a leading role.

Nollywood is not just movies and glam. Just as in Hollywood, where the stars are surrounded by controversy, so are the Nollywood stars. The industry is filled with real-life entertainment, affairs, scandals and scantily clad actors and actresses on social media. Here is a brief look at some of the latest Nollywood news:. Entertainment , Movies , TV. Entertainment , Movies. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

What Is Nollywood? November 7, In Movies. By Demand Africa. Share this! Nollywood vs. Popular Nollywood Movies Nollywood has a range of genres to keep one excited. The Wedding Party : A romantic comedy drama that follows the entertaining events that go on during the planning of a high-class wedding in Nigeria. Maami : A drama about an international soccer player as he comes to terms with his painful childhood.

Married But Living Single : A romantic drama about a career driven woman who has to choose to either take a break from work to be with her husband, who is diagnosed with cancer, or to pursue her career. Contract : The Contract is a popular drama. Here is a brief look at some of the latest Nollywood news: Nollywood actor Yul Edochie, who was set to run for the presidency in on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance, has opted out.