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Making Movies Matter
critique
rédigé par Olumide Iyanda
publié le 30/09/2007

Probably taking a cue from the British Film Institute (BFI) whose pay-off his Because Films Inspire, Director General of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Emeka Mba, has been preaching a gospel with the message: Because Movies Matter. Since emerging boss of the federal government agency with the mandate to regulate the production and distribution of films in the country on July 6, 2005, Mba has left no one in doubt that he intends to "leave Nollywood better than I met it."
With the new framework for the distribution of films announced in February about to kick off soon, the board now has eyes on taking 'Nollywood' to other parts of the world. A release by its Assistant Director, Corporate Affairs, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, formally announced during the week that more than 100 participants made up of actors, producers, distributors and government officials will converge in, London on the October 18, 2007 for the first Nigeria in the Movies Road Show. The programme is touted as a special initiative to raise the funding and technical awareness to improve the content and distribution of movies in Nigeria.
The road show will kick off with an interactive business forum at Mayfair Hotel London on October 18.
According to the Board, "the major aim of the road show is the exposition of Nigerian producers and distributors to global best practice." The belief is that the industry will grow further when staff and stakeholders are exposed to the rudiments of contemporary global advances in the industry. "That way, producers, scriptwriters are able to share in the visions of the regulator and in that process, minimize the prevalence of objectionable contents in the films they produce."
The forum is aimed at presenting the success story of the emergence of what some argue is the third biggest film making industry in the world. It will also help the Nigerian filmmakers compare notes with their British counterparts and explore areas of interest and collaboration.
One of the first things Mba did when he assumed leadership of the Board was the launch of the Nigeria in the Movies project. He followed that up with the new distribution framework. Of the two, the latter generated enough resistant that could have sunk his boat. A group of marketers attacked him and said he wanted to hand over the industry to foreign interest. They said the financial requirement for those who want to market and distribute films was too heavy.
Distributors were asked to fork out N500,000 for a two-year license and post a bond of N50 million. While Mba argued that there were a series of consultative meetings before the framework was rolled out, his critics said he did not carry stakeholders along. They said it was almost criminal for a government agency to ask for a pint of their blood in an industry that grew with almost no support from the government. Luckily for Mba, he had the ears of the then Minister of Information and Communication, Frank Nweke Jr.
After several jaw-jaw the Board beat a retreat and reduced the fee to N200,000 for a five-year and bond of N30 million. The moral of that story, which is still very much unfolding, is that both the regulatory authorities and the stakeholders need to be educated about industry best practices. That is a part of what Mba and his team hope to do in London. They say the road show will also ensure that Nigerian filmmakers are able to forge business alliances with other distributors in UK and Europe to ensure legitimate protection of their works. Nigeria producers and distributors will also exhibit their works to a panel of distributors, sales agents, investors and other retailers of Nigerian films in the UK.
The road show is an offspring of Heart of Africa Project launched in 2004 as a strategic image management initiative for Nigeria. Chukwuemeka Chikelu and his successor in the information ministry, Nweke, leveraged on the project to penetrate 'Nollywood.' The present minister, John Odey, has promised to give the initiative a renewed vigour. He has extended a hand of collaboration to the Nigeria in the Movies initiative of the NFVCB.
London is, however, not the only project on Mba's mind. The board is also organising a cinema and censorship workshop in Abuja on September 18 and 19. It is planned as both an in-house capacity building workshop, as well as an industry programme. Its aim is to ensure that both censorship officers and industry people understand each other, and also to show the importance of film in reflecting and setting national agenda.
As a regulator in the film industry, the Board believes that the most critical feature of its censorship and classification mandate is fulfilled when staff and stakeholders are exposed to the rudiments of contemporary global advances within the industry. That way, producers, directors, editors and scriptwriters are able to share in the visions of the regulator and, in that process, minimize the prevalence of objectionable contents in the films they produce.
Among the experts expected at the workshop are Professor Sharifa Johka, the Director of African Voices Cinema Series, at the American Film Institute and Professor Jude Akudinobi of the University of California.
Odey is expected to declare the workshop open at the National Press Centre, Radio House Abuja.

Olumide Iyanda

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