Movies - Nollywood

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	Movies - Nollywood

Nollywood is the Nigerian film industry. The name was derived from Hollywood, the same way as Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood were. The Nigerian film industry is the third largest in the world in terms of the number of films produced and is based in Surulere, Lagos. It produces an enormous number of films, sometimes releasing over fifty in a week. The efforts of early Nigerian filmmakers like Ola Balogun and Hubert Ogunde were frustrated by the high cost of film production. Nollywood, however, is a video movie industry--Nigerians call them "home videos." All Nollywood movies are produced using digital video technology and the popular witchcraft and cult dramas make extensive use of digital effects such as morphing.

Television broadcasting in Nigeria began in the 1960s and received much government support in its early years. By the mid-1980s every state in Nigeria had its own broadcasting station. Law limited foreign television content so producers in Lagos began televising local popular theater productions. Many of these were circulated on video as well, and a small scale informal video movie trade developed. There is some debate concerning what caused this small local market in videos to explode into a booming industry that has pushed foreign media off the shelves in much of Africa and is now marketed all over the world. Use of English rather than local languages served to expand the market. Aggressive marketing using posters, trailers, and television advertising also played a role in Nollywood's success. Many point to the 1992 release of Living in Bondage, a film about a businessman whose dealings with a "money cult" result in the death of his wife, as the industry's first "blockbuster." Since then, thousands of movies have been released.

One of the earliest Nigerian produced movies to reach international fame is the 2003 release "Osuofia In London", starring Nkem Owoh, the famous Nigerian comedic actor. This movie features a well written plot, exceptional acting, and proper technical production, atypical of the average Nigerian film.

Many foreign and local critics have criticized Nollywood for trite plots, poor dialogue, and poor production values. Some worry that the prevalence of witchcraft and violence in the movies may encourage the worst stereotypes about Africans. At the same time, these local movies have achieved the difficult feat of outselling Hollywood films in Nigeria and many other African countries.

Notable Nollywood actors

Liz Benson
Richard Mofe Damijo
Zack Orji
Norbert Young
Omotola Jolade-Ekeinde
Desmond Elliot

Ramsey Noah
Sam Loco Efe
Emeka Ike
Segun Arinze
Joke Silva
Nkem Owoh
Regina Askia
Emeka Ike
Kenneth Okonkwo

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