Nollywood

Over the past decade Nigeria has become the world's third largest producer of films after Bollywood and Hollywood. The industry has become known as Nollwood and churns out between 400-800 films which is estimated to be worth over 26 billion naira (£100 million) anually to the country's economy.

After oil, evangelical religion and crime, Nollywood is Nigeria's biggest export. Under the military dictator Sani Abacha, the Nigerian economy relied heavily on get-rich-quick schemes and pilaging. Even today, 5 years after Abacha's death, Nigerians are perhaps best known, internationally, for the creativity and boldness of some of there criminals. Many directors have come from the lucrative world of banking to the now far more lucrative world of film-making.

It takes up to two months from start to finish to produce a movie - the shooting itself can take as little as three days. Films cost from 2,000,000 naira (£8,000) to make and, through videos/dvds, may sell for only 260 naira (£1) each on the day of release. 100,000 dvd/videos can sell in one market in a single morning. It is estimated that there are 57 million homes with video players in Nigeria. The films are mainly exported to New York where the worlds largets Nigerian immigrant population resides and where Nollywood films have begun to take part in international film festivals.

It was the depression in Nigeria's economy in the 1980's that forced the country's film makers to give up the big screen and instead turn to the cheaper medium of video. The first hits sold by the truckload at market stalls and encouraged a new generation of film makers to produce cut price movies. Their alure recounted stories of Nigerian daily life focusing on domestic, tribal and religious issues and even going as far as exploring the themes of adultery and cannabalism. Over the past decade different genres - rural, historical, comic and romance have dominated Nollywood.

Words by Sarah Duguid, www.sarahduguid.com

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