opinion
By Rukee Kaakunga
Namibian filmmakers who have dreams of making it to the stature of their Nollywood counterparts in Nigeria have a long way to go if the recent Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards (AMVCAs) are anything to go by.
The African stars that descended on the MultiChoice and Amstel Malta sponsored event were amongst the cremé de la cremé of Nollywood’s greatest TV and film exports, ready to receive recognition for their hard work over the past year
Judging by the nominees’ cocktail party alone (the event preceding the awards show), it was clear the amount of celebrity Nollywood stars have managed to generate for themselves. A status that Namibian stars in the same industry are struggling to get to.
Nollywood (being the colloquial term for Nigerian cinema) is a booming industry, the third largest feature film industry in the world. The industry is known for its low budgets and record-breaking production times. A typical Nollywood production can be completed in as little as 10 days, costing approximately US$15 000 (N$231 746).
So what are Nollywood filmmakers doing right?
MultiChoice Africa’s regional director for West Africa Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu says that the content that African filmmakers are producing should be able to speak to the African audience. “If you’re gonna tell African stories, you have to look for stories that are unique to the continent,” she said at a winner’s conference shortly after the awards in Lagos, Nigeria.
Anyone whose spent a good three to six hours watching a Nollywood blockbuster knows that the movies may not be of excellent production or editing, but makes up for all of that in brilliant storylines that are relatable and often hilarious.
With the awards on their fourth year now, Mba-Uzoukwu said that the event is growing every year and there are greater opportunities available for filmmakers across the continent. “With everything one does, it’s important to try and always improve and with this year, we were lucky to have a show with a dedicated team,” she said.
She urged not only filmmakers from Namibia but those across Southern Africa to work towards one day submitting their productions to the AMVCAs and join the rest of Africa in celebrating excellence in film.
“We (M-Net) have been working on creating awareness and we specifically help filmmakers on the entry process. It’s all about discovering and disseminating talent across Africa,” she said. She was also quick to add that the company has been taking into consideration suggestions to open up more DStv channels with content not only from Nigeria and South Africa, but from countries all over the continent.
At the moment, no Namibian submitted any works for the awards that are open to any film and TV productions that are publicly exhibited in cinemas, private screenings, on DVD or on television.
There was also a conspicuous absence of Namibians at the awards ceremony, with none performing or presenting at the event. M-Net West Africa/Africa Magic head of public relations and talent Efosa Aiyevbomwan told The Weekender this week that despite this, the AMVCAs continue to represent, reward and provide the best platforms and opportunities for African talent and that “the opportunities are not restricted to any one region”.
One of the Southern African nominees at the event, Bongiwe Selane, agreed that filmmakers need to take African narratives into consideration in their work. “I think that our industry will keep growing. We have a lot of stories to tell. We shouldn’t be preoccupied with only documenting our history, that is what makes it hard to reach Nollywood status. Filmmakers today have to realise that they should tackle issues that affect our men and women on a daily basis, not only the struggle narrative,” she told The Weekender.
Selane had two short films nominated for the 2016 AMVCAs and is a co-producer of one of South Africa’s biggest films on the circuit at the moment, ‘Happiness is a Four-Letter Word’. The film revolves around the lives of four South African women living out their dreams in Johannesburg.
It has grossed over N$5-million in its first 10 days on circuit and N$2 million in its first three days and is a clear example of just what modern African film requires to succeed.
Namibia has seen great productions grace national TV and cinema screens but while African counterparts have been making big strides in the industry, more has to be done to be able to compete with productions from major industries like Nollywood. With the recent industry stakeholder meetings with Zambezi Magic executives to source Namibian talent for the channels, opportunities are definitely arising. This platform, alongside others on the continental pay television platform, is open to Namibian filmmakers who wish to tell stories that won’t only appeal to their local audience, but to the rest of Africa as well. Much like what Nollywood has managed to achieve.
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