N I G E R I A
( n o l l y w o o d )
L A N G U A G E S : E N G L I S H | H A U S A | I G B O | Y O R U B A
G E N R E S : C O M E D Y | H O R R O R | M Y T H I C P A R A B L E S | J U J U | M E L O D R A M A S
G E N R E S : C O M E D Y | H O R R O R | M Y T H I C P A R A B L E S | J U J U | M E L O D R A M A S
I N T R O D U C T I O N
If I am to be honest, I’m rather surprised that I had not heard of the Nollywood industry sooner, seeing that it's considered the second largest movie industry in the word (just after India’s Bollywood and before the United States’ Hollywood). Arguably, it is perhaps one of the very newest film industries as it first emerged only recently during the 1990s and 2000s. Despite not having the ideal conditions and circumstances for quality filmmaking, the country of Nigeria has thoroughly convinced itself to make films of their own that would specifically appeal to its people and culture - particularly stories and plots that would better relate to the everyday joys and struggles of the contemporary Nigerian life. The worldwide popularity of both Western action films and vibrant Bollywood musicals provide little to no interest or relevance to Nigeria’s distinctive culture in their remote villages.
Unlike other booming film industries in the world, Nollywood simply sustains itself on sufficiently lower budgets and a lack of state-of-the-art, cutting edge cinematography and special effects. Out of pure curiosity and exploration of this topic, I found myself watching a few Nigerian television serials posted on YouTube. Needless to say, what played on my computer screen was rather . . . entertaining, to say the least. In no way was I completely awestruck by its awkward acting and ordinary plots; however, it’s certainly not in my interest to assume all Nigerian film projects are of this unique, cringe-inducing quality. Upon watching these films I truly came realize how much the English language is spoken throughout the African continent.
O T H E R
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w u r i n h u t a w a | i c o n i c
D I R E C T O R S
Kunle Afolayan, Tchidi Chikere, Muyiwa Ademola A C T O R S Osita Iheme, Ramsey Nouah, Chinedu Ikedieze Mike Ezuruonye, Jim Ikye A C T R E S S E S Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde Mercy Johnson, Ini Edo H I G H E S T G R O S S I N G F I L M S |
R E S O U R C E S
"Meet 'Nollywood': The Second Largest Movie Industry in the World."Fortune Meet Nollywood Comments. N.p., 24 June 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
<http://fortune.com/2015/06/24/nollywood-movie-industry/>.
"About Nollywood." About Nollywood. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.thisisnollywood.com/nollywood.htm>.
"Hooray for Nollywood: Nigerian Film Industry Raises the Artistic Bar."Nollywood: Nigerian Film Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
<http://america.aljazeera.com/multimedia/2014/12/nollywood-nigeriaregroups.html>.
Liston, Enjoli. "Hello Nollywood: How Nigeria Became Africa's Biggest Economy Overnight." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/nigeria-africa-biggest-economy-nollywood>.
"What’s Nollywood?" NollywoodWeek Paris. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nollywoodweek.com/whats-nollywood/>.
"Graphs, Infographics." Infographics Graphsnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://graphs.net/nollywood-and-interesting-facts.html>.
"Meet 'Nollywood': The Second Largest Movie Industry in the World."Fortune Meet Nollywood Comments. N.p., 24 June 2015. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
<http://fortune.com/2015/06/24/nollywood-movie-industry/>.
"About Nollywood." About Nollywood. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.thisisnollywood.com/nollywood.htm>.
"Hooray for Nollywood: Nigerian Film Industry Raises the Artistic Bar."Nollywood: Nigerian Film Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2016.
<http://america.aljazeera.com/multimedia/2014/12/nollywood-nigeriaregroups.html>.
Liston, Enjoli. "Hello Nollywood: How Nigeria Became Africa's Biggest Economy Overnight." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/10/nigeria-africa-biggest-economy-nollywood>.
"What’s Nollywood?" NollywoodWeek Paris. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://www.nollywoodweek.com/whats-nollywood/>.
"Graphs, Infographics." Infographics Graphsnet. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
<http://graphs.net/nollywood-and-interesting-facts.html>.
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In an attempt to now transition away from the African continent, perhaps you'd like to salsa your way into the next cinema industry: Spain. (Yes, I'm aware of the awful stereotype I just referenced, but I just couldn't resist the opportunity.) There's far more to Spanish movies than the perceived "exotic" dance numbers and "melodramatic" romance tropes. In fact, I'd say that Spain has the most compelling film theory/history of the countries I've come to study. |