The school Nollywood built: How new Nigerian filmmakers got their groove on
Al Jazeera
New initiative introduces training and mentoring to Nollywood, an industry known for its do-it-yourself resourcefulness.
In November 2020 while the COVID-19 pandemic was strangling creative endeavours across the planet, veteran Nigerian filmmaker Steve Gukas announced a new venture. Called First Features, it launched a search for 12 disciples, or first-time directors, to elevate storytelling standards in Nollywood, the world’s second largest film industry by volume.
For decades, Nigeria’s bustling industry has been known for its scrappy, do-it-yourself resourcefulness.
Local and foreign supporters and critics were united in pointing out that the industry was held up for years by bootstrapping directors and amateur producers shooting cheap, straight-to-video films using the most basic of resources since the ’90s.
Today’s Nollywood is a multibillion-dollar behemoth, but for all its real or perceived success, structural challenges remain. With little by way of government support or training infrastructure, budding filmmakers often struggle to get their start.
For London Film School-trained Gukas – the brains behind multiple Nigerian classics like 93 Days, the story of the Nigerian doctor who sacrificed her life to contain Ebola in Lagos – the solution was clear.
