Linda Ikeji Bio
Here is an abridged version (yet richly enlightening) from among the posts i composed concerning this topic.
Movie exhibit began to prosper throughout the Colonial age, with Glover Memorial Hall playing host to a range of memorable movies viewed by "potential Nigerians", in August 1903. Visit this page for more info related to Linda Ikeji Blog. However, the non-availability of proper records mirroring the title of the launching film displayed has created a lapse in the precedent stock. Notwithstanding the lacuna, the means had been paved for the exhibition of even more foreign movies at the Hall and various other designated venues.
The mentally distressing "Master - Servant" relationship, obvious in the consistent attacks, batteries, intimidation, segregation, victimization, carried out by the Colonial masters on the colonized, with darkened clouds of bitterness, vengeance, thirst for liberty, offering method to splattering drops of such ideas, instinctively projected through the colonized periodic in-subordinate actions, started to spread out amongst the blacks. The British knew they had to thread with care if they still wished to play "god" in their lives when films such as Tales of Manhattan, Trailer horn, Tarzan collection started to stir up a revolution in the hearts of Blacks throughout the world.
Aware of the lethal power of insurgency which can be released through the Film medium, the British from worry for their lives and feasible loss of the Queen's sovereignty took the bull by the horn, and quickly developed a Colonial Film Censors Board (FCB) in 1933 to censor and categorize movies prior to they were released for visual consumption by the public. Following the facility of the board, Films such as "The primitive, primitive man, Dixie, Buffalo Bill, The Keys of the Kingdom, Sleepy Town Girl were tagged 'efficient' to be viewed, while Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Clive of India, The Isle of Forgotten Sins, House of Frankenstein were thought about unfit for viewing.
The Censor's body underwent a change procedure into the Federal Board of Film Censors (FBFC) from the aforementioned, and the laws from which the transformed body acquired its powers ranged from the 1948 Cinematograph Laws of Nigeria, the Cinematograph Laws of 1963, to the 1963/64 Cinematograph Law and Regulations. The present National Film and Video Censors Board originated by virtue of decree, now Act 85 of 1993. The development of Nigeria's Independence (1960) and the Republican condition (1963), advertised the dawn of a brand-new age in all sectors.
"The Yoruba Travelling Theatre Group" of the 60's and 70's can be described as the "Fountain Head" of film productions in Nigeria. The veterans with wonderful Great efficiencies and theatrical abilities took their works past the stage, and dove into the sea of movie productions using the Celluloid format. Noteworthy movie makers on the Roll call of Honour throughout the Celluloid upsurge period of the 70's include Ola Balogun, Eddie Ugbomah, late Herbert Ogunde, Adeyemi Afolayan a.k.a Ade Love (dad of Kunle Afolayan of the Irapada popularity), Ladi Ladebo, Moses Adejumo, Adebayo Salami and Afolabi Adesanya.
The list of recorded films produced throughout the 70's age and transcending rather into the 80's is simply amazing and goes to show that the Movie Industry has actually been around much longer, contrary to the '1992 belief syndrome' most have been injected with. Such works include Kongi Harvest (1971), Alpha (1972), Bull Frog in the Sun (1974), Amadi (1975), Ajani Ogun (1975), Muzik Man (1976), Bisi, Daughter of the River (1977), Ija Ominira (1978), Aiye (1979), Kadara (1980), Jaiyesimi (1980) Efunsetan Aniwura (1981), Cry Freedom (1981), Ija Orogun (1982) Owo L'Agba (1982).
The expense of producing movies because era was economically back breaking, with Nigerians further annoying the efforts of the filmmakers by opting to watch films of oriental and occidental origin at the Cinemas and Exhibition centres, instead of the locally produced ones. The Cowboy movies were exciting to watch while the Chinese movies paraded among others, the Legendary "Bruce Lee" in (Lo Wei's, The Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), Way of the Dragon (1972), Enter the Dragon (1973), The Game of Death released in 1978) who displayed Martial Arts dexterity, clearly a fighting strategy alien, yet interesting to us at that time.
Indian movies in the late 60's and well into the 70's paraded renowned names like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra Singh Deol, Mumtaz, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil kapoor, Hema Malini, and produced hits such as "Bobby", "Sholay", "Kabhi Kabhi", "Dharamveer", "Amar Akbar Anthony". Their stars showed excellent acting skills against the background of love styles, and ear pleasing songs combined with integrated dance steps, produced with sound and unique impacts, though incomparable with what obtains today ordered over the indigenes loyalty for their movies.
Hence, the Movie Founding Fathers began to face the difficulties of recouping their financial investments, which slowly became practically an impossible task, an anthem they constantly rendered much to the discomfort of potential financers. They counted their losses and licked their injuries sustained in the monetary battle with every film they launched. The deluge of VCRS in the 80's produced a paradigm change from the Cine to the VHS format, makinged manufacturings simpler, faster and more affordable by a turning point in comparison to the former. Movie theater houses and other Exhibition centres were lastly shut down and the Baton of Cine movie making slipped from the hands of the Founding founders as they tried to hand over the motion picture baton to the next generation within the specified Baton Exchange Zone. The imagine becoming a re-nowned Movie Industry was smashed when the flow of the Film Relay cycle was broken.
Home Videos were produced which worked as an option to the cinemas, and the name normally comes from the reality that you could seat within the convenience of your home and watch the films produced in the VHS format via your VCR. Movie Makers maximized the gains of the Home Video concept offered, and started producing movies making use of the Yoruba language as the means of communication. However, the year "1992" has overtime been commonly accepted as the causing period of Home Video productions, with Ken Nnebue's "Living in Bondage" said to be the first motion picture produced commercial purposes utilizing the Igbo/English language.
The film no doubt struck the "Movie Well", which invoked a mass exodus of people from various other realms into the art of film manufacturings, having seen the chances that lay in the Gold mine area. Thus, did the Home Video Industry identified "Nollywood" arise.
The truth that "Living in Bondage" was ascribed with the honor of being the first motion picture produced industrial purposes and the one upon which the Home Video transformation was presumably based on, culminating into Nollywood, didn't go undisputed. Late Alade Aromire prior to his death, fired up a controversial fire, firmly insisting that his and not Ken's motion picture ought to have been conferred with such an honor. When faced by a press reporter on the issue he 'd specified that Ken had produced over 40 Yoruba movies, and had actually started with "Aje N'yami".
There had actually been a growing motion picture sector before he came on board, so ken couldn't have begun it.
The confusion stems from the Censors board of the day, whose hands were cut off by the Law it drew its powers from, (1963/64 Cinematograph Law and Regulations). The powers conferred on it to control the Industry did not extend to "Home Video". Today National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) did not exist till 1994. On this raving problem, Late Alade Armoire produced movies such as Ekun, Omije (pts 1-3), Obirin Asiko, Ayo ni o, Adun, Orire which were launched to the public between 1985 and 1991.
Ken Nnebue still firmly insists that his film "Living in Bondage" was the first Home Video motion picture produced industrial purposes. His stand on the issue is rather unstable, having prior to the manufacturing of Living in Bondage recruited industrial movies in Yoruba language such as Ina Ote, Aje N'iyami and others. Let's not forget the barrage of Yoruba TELEVISION dramatization that were standardized on VHS tapes and sold to the general public prior to 1992. One cannot fail to mention the fabulous Eddie Ugbomah's film "The Great Attempt" (1989), which would have made history as the 1st Nigerian cine film in the video tape format to have actually been censored by the defunct Federal Board of Film Censors (FBFC) based on a "special concession" granted him formally by the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture at that time.
The strong contents projected in the movie were thought about unsuitable for public viewing by the Board, hence the film was never launched. Regardless of the controversial fire raised, the international publicity offered to "Living in Bondage" over the years inevitably imputed the motion picture into our memory banks as the flag bearer of the Home Video revolution of all times. Films offer people the chance of telling their own tales, free of cost from unusual interference.
Nigerian motion picture manufacturers leveraged on this and produced films projecting our way of living, culture, regional fashion, burning concerns, issues afflicting our society, regardless of the choking stink of tribalism perceived in all sectors. Movies were created the viewing pleasure of Nigerians initially, (before the mass exportation trend), with messages to motivate, inspire, reprove, and correct anomalies especially in the Political, Social systems, to avoid violence and all kinds of evil.
The calculated use of the English language as the interaction device, advertising methods and execution with the use of trailers via T. V, Posters (now banned in Lagos State), tape-recorded a boost in sales, and broadened the viewership base past the coasts of our Nation to nations such as Ghana, Togo, South Africa, Kenya, U.S.An and even the U.K. The movies churned out at an alarming rate were technically lacking in crucial areas thought about as germane in the manufacturing process.
The popular "shoe string spending plan" tag has become associated with the Industry's antecedent of making films on exceptionally reduced budgets compared to various other film bodies in other nations, ($10- $15,000 at first), but currently extends to $25,000, with a tiny variety of manufacturers further stretching the apparently monetary limitation to N 7,10,20 Million and more. The films were and are still shot dominantly between 10-12 days, by means of Beta cam (now HDV cameras), were produced in the VHS format (now VCD & DVD), replicated in mass and sold by the Marketers who likewise doubled as Distributors.
Over a thousand motion pictures were being produced yearly by manufacturers and thoroughly surprised by the staggering statistical data of film manufacturings, the International film limelight was shone on the Multi Million naira Industry "Nollywood". The Industry's total assets as at 2008 stood between an estimated $250 and $300 Million dollars. It is worthwhile of note that a Global cinema survey, conducted in 2006 by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and released sometime in May 2009, placed Nollywood as the 2nd largest producing film body in the world behind Bollywood and ahead of Hollywood based upon the numerical data of the films produced.
