Nigerian cinema Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, marginally
ethnic and
religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking from most of the regional industries. The Igbo-language film,
Living in Bondage (1992), directed by Chris Obi Rapu and starring
Okechukwu Ogunjiofor,
Kenneth Okonkwo,
Kanayo O. Kanayo and Kenneth Nnebue (who also produced it), among others, is often credited with kick-starting the modern Nollywood era and is associated with southeastern Nigeria. After that were films like
Circle of Doom,
Nneka The Pretty Serpent,
Rituals and
Rattle Snake. It is important to recognize that the Nigerian film industry has a more complex and diverse history from before the 1990s. Worth mentioning is 1987's
Things Fall Apart, an adaptation of Chinua Achebe's
novel of the same name, starring
Pete Edochie. Although the
Igbo language film
Living in Bondage was the first massive nationwide hit of the videotape era, most Igbo film makers prefer to make their movies in English. This leads to the paradox where some of the most popular and beloved actors in Nollywood like
Patience Ozokwor (Mama G),
Chinedu Ikedieze and
Osita Iheme (Aki and Pawpaw),
Nkem Owoh (Osuofia),
John Okafor (Mr. Ibu) who are ethnically
Igbo, have mostly acted in English language movies. These actors occasionally sprinkle their movies with Igbo aphorisms and expressions (e.g. 'Chineke!', 'Tufiakwa!') but the vast majority of the dialogue is in English.
Yoruba-language cinema is also a genre of Nigerian cinema, towing behind the IGBO south eastern themed movies. The Yoruba-language cinema began as actors of various Yoruba traveling theatre groups took their works beyond the stage to delve into movie production using the Celluloid format, as far back as the mid-1960s. These practitioners are considered in some quarters to be the first true Nigerian filmmakers. Movies like ''
Kongi's Harvest (1972), Bull Frog in The Sun
(1971), Bisi, Daughter of The River
(1977), Jaiyesimi
(1980), and Cry Freedom
(1981) fall into this era of a blossoming Yoruba movie industry. Practitioners like Ola Balogun, Duro Ladipo and Adeyemi Afolayan (Ade Love) played a significant role when they came out with Ajani Ogun
in 1976. This film was one of the few huge successes that helped put the Yoruba-language cinema on the map, and it was followed by further productions by Hubert Ogunde and others. Sunusi Shehu of Tauraruwa Magazine'' created the term "Kannywood" in 1999 and it soon became the popular reference term for the industry. By 2012, over 2000 film companies were registered with the Kano State Filmmakers Association. The Efik-language cinema, also known as Callywood, is also a sub-industry of Nollywood. It is mainly based in
Calabar but also includes the
Ibibio and
Annang cinema. With the establishment of The Divine Shield Film Academy and Valianticom Movie Academy in Calabar, and the establishment of Empire Film Academy and a campus of Royal Arts Academy in
Uyo, the Efik/Ibibio/Annang cinema is growing.
Ghanaian English-language cinema Over the years the term Nollywood has also been used to refer to other affiliate film industries, such as the
Ghanaian English-language cinema. Around the year 2006 through 2007, Nigerian filmmaker
Frank Rajah Arase signed a contract with a Ghanaian production company, Venus Films, which involved helping to introduce Ghanaian actors into mainstream Nollywood. This collaboration eventually led to extreme popularity of certain Ghanaian actors, such as
Van Vicker,
Jackie Appiah,
Majid Michel,
Yvonne Nelson,
John Dumelo,
Nadia Buari and
Yvonne Okoro, arguably as much as their Nigerian counterparts. Furthermore, over the years, due to the high cost of film production in Nigeria, Nigerian filmmakers have been forced to make films outside Lagos in order to cut costs, mirroring the exodus of filmmaking in
Hollywood from
Los Angeles to cities like
Toronto and
Albuquerque, a phenomenon known as
runaway production. Several other producers, as a result, started shooting in cities like
Accra,
Ghana, channeling the savings into investing in better equipment, many of them trying to get their films onto the big screen.
Nollywood USA Nollywood USA is a broad term, that is used to refer to Nigerian films made in the diaspora. Although they are popularly called
Nollywood USA, these movies can be shot in any non-African country. These films are typically made by Nigerian filmmakers living in the diaspora and they are typically made for the Nigerian audience. Like the "Nollywood" term, the definition of "Nollywood USA" is vague. Nollywood USA movies typically tell Nigerian stories, and they usually star established Nollywood actors, alongside upcoming Nigerian/African actors living in the diaspora. The movies usually have their premieres in Nigeria and they also sometimes secure national theatrical release like the regular Nollywood movies.
YouTube Nollywood Nollywood filmmakers have found solace on
YouTube due to piracy, and the platform has been reshaping the future of filmmaking and streaming in the digital era. YouTube Nollywood refers to films made specifically for the on-demand video sharing platform, and filmmakers are using it to distribute their work. As the platform grows, filmmakers who once made cinema blockbusters are now taking their films to YouTube. Nollywood loses around $10–$15 billion annually to piracy, with
Telegram groups being major contributing factors. The platform has produced notable stars of both producers and actors who are now thriving in the industry. There have been a few viral movies on the platform, such as
Better Half by
Ruth Kadiri,
Treasure in the Sky by Uchenna Mbunabo, and
Love in Every World by
Omoni Oboli. == Nollywood in the Diaspora ==