Which country produces the largest number of films every year ? The answer is easy - India, some 1300 films in all. Which country is the second largest producer of films ? You might scratch your head or have guessed Hollywood. Wrong. The reality is Nigeria. Watch out Bollywood; Nollywood is all set to overtake you.
The Nigerian film industry is apparently thriving and booming. Its the film capital for all of Africa. Some 1000 films are apparently made each year. Unlike the more traditional format of movie halls, Nigerian films are mostly released on videos - there's hardly much of the theatre format in Nigeria and almost all of Africa. Each video costs some US$ 2 or so - cheap enough to be affordable and not worth counterfeiting. The distribution channel is therefore by retail stores for home viewing. No doubt, cheap video parlours would have sprung up for those unable to own a video player.
The industry is still small - Only some $250m or so. But with enormous potential. Africa is under served by entertainment. Movies are a great way to bring some cheer to people - as India has so amply demonstrated. A peculiarly African solution has emerged. A distribution system and a pricing methodology that suits the market. Videos rather than hall screenings.
India is virtually saturated by movies. I read that an astounding 3.2 bn cinema admissions happen in a year in India. That's an average viewing of 3 films per year per person. Amazing. I know that such a number is laughably low for movie buffs such as Zeno, but you must also count that there are worthies like me with a viewing habit of precisely zero. How much more can India grow - not much. Whereas in Africa, the market is still virgin.
Gils has some competition here. At this site you can read reviews of Nollywood movies. At this site you can even watch them. They seem to have a tendency to raunchiness in their titles - "Obama Babes" goes a movie title. "Ladies Gang" goes another. Before you get any ideas, these are not that sort of a movie - they seem to be more of the serials type of stuff that are inflicted on the unsuspecting public world over.
I might be even tempted to watch one of them and write a review !!!!!
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24 comments:
!!! u into Nigerian movies!!! seriously is thre anything undr the sun u dunno??!!! dont tell me u go by a famous pseudonym called wikipedia!!
Now... a Sunday post once again! Does not look like you watch zero movies, more so after reading this exciting post. So much of interest in Nigerian movies!!! :D :0 ;)
If you do happen to watch one of them, please oblige us with review. What say Gils?
Btw, how did you get those links? Your reach to so many diversified topics is just stupendous. Take a bow, Ramesh!
Is there anything under the umbrella that you don't know?
@gils - Not into Nigerian movies at all. Just the product of an idle mind reading some out of the way stuff :)
@Vishal - One of these days, just to get even with Gils, I shall write a review :):)
Eagerly looking forward to your first movie review :)
Ah Can't wait to take you to a movie!
I think at least for the sake of this, I should plan a trip to Bangy
@zeno - Shall be my privilege to watch a movie in the company of an expert.
Hi Rammmmmmm.,
I am missing you n RS n Nancy in N's space... where have u all gone??? r u in google +....
if not am gonu add you all there n we will form a community :) wat say?
My travels (travails) took me to Lagos and Cairo where I happened to see local movies on the telly. Except for how the charecters looked, the plot, picturisation, the syrupy 'maa' sentiment, action hero defying newton etc were all present. Only thing missing were hero-heroine running around the shrubs song and dance sequence and two flowers/ birds gently nudging eachother (nudge, nudge, wink, wink -no sex please we are Indians!)
seriously which paper u read :)
i so wish to meet u everyday , can learn so much from u :)
i love the way u bring in fun with blog linking and all. superb ramesh
Sri
@Kiwi - Trust you to have seen them. I am sure you've also seen Icelandic movies :)
@Sri - Hey thanks. Would love to met you too, but you are now far away !
@sulo - No; not in google+ not in facebook ; not in twitter . In stone age instead.
wow Ramesh...
Since we are on the topics of movies, will continue the same theme. I think you must be like the Chitti - the robot in Yandiran (Rajini' last movie) - gils can give you a better movie preview.
Chitti can read a book in a second. i think you must be like that on the Internet. otherwise, how on earth that you manage to scan thru so many diverse topics despite the hundred different things that you do otherwise.
and that makes me feel even more guilty - to be bogged down by simple things and i missed three consecutive amazing posts :-(
i knew u were old, now tht su said stone age... so r u like a 1000?? ;)
ps. hw can u not be in fb??? u r jus awesom ;D
I have many Nigerians as part of my team here in Kenya and can definitely say that they enjoy life far better than we do, smile/laugh more often, say exactly what is there in their minds without mincing words (understand it is not manly if you dont talk openly what you think/feel in Nigeria..so it is ok if you are a little more emotional)..a flavor of all of the above can be seen in Nollywood movies is what I heard and I watched one which was really good and humorous with a small boy acting very well, dont remember the name though..K Sudarshan is now based in Lagos(aka Sudar by Nigerians folks in UL Nigeria) is also having a whale of a time there..
Cool....looking forward to the review!!:)
hpy fship day in advance :)
@Sandhya - When you have all the time in the world, being idle, you can gather a lot of uselss information. If I were as busy as you, then no way !
@Hassan - Great to have you back here. The thought of you and "Sudar" hobnobbing with African beautiers is making me go green with envy !!!
@Hema - Fat chance. Maybe in 2142 AD !!
@sulo- Totally floored. Happy friendship day to you too.
Btw my email id is in my profile, if you want to message directly.
Nothing excuses your still not posting in your blog !
Ok..I will watch and write a review then, before 2142 AD!
nigerian movies= wow, now am curious to watch one or more :)
@Arti - Welocme to this space and thanks for your comments. Try watching one of them - I believe they are not dissimilar to the Indian movies except no running around trees :)
ha ha.. hpfly, i will post soon :)
ps. plsr is all mine...
Nigerai huh...who knew...now I know..thanks to you :)
@Rads - :):). For all sorts of useless tidbits, come to this blog :)
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