The
Nigerian film industry, known as
Nollywood, has exploded in the last ten years. Now the most popular cinema in all of West Africa—more popular even than imports of
Hollywood or
Bollywood films—the
Nigerian film industry has distinguished itself by shooting all films (called video films there) on digital video. This has allowed production schedules to be compressed (films are shot in several days) and immediately brought to market (distribution consists of bringing films to
Idumota electronics market in
Lagos and selling them for home viewing). The volume of Nigerian video films is staggering; one estimate has a film being produced for each day of the year. Nollywood is now the third-largest film industry in the world, generating US$286 million per year for the Nigerian economy, yet this industry is virtually unknown outside of
Africa. The film looks into this emerging film industry, exploring its inner workings, economic challenges, and diverse array of films. Traveling to the country’s largest city, Lagos, Meltzer spent ten weeks following three Nigerian directors, each different in personality and style, as they shot their films about love, betrayal, war and the supernatural.
Welcome to Nollywood tells the stories of these three directors and their latest productions, whilst also using interviews with scholars, actors, and journalists who discuss the Nigerian video film industry as a whole, its character and genres, as well as its impact on the culture of
West Africa and Africans at home and abroad. ==Cast list (documentary subjects)==