Agatha Amata, the media entrepreneur, has shared her opinion about Nollywood, saying the industry’s growth is hampered by an overreliance on external forces for distribution and sponsorship.
The TV host spoke at the recently concluded three-day Africa Film Finance Forum (AFFF) summit in Lagos themed ‘Pan-African Film Economy: Building a $20B Industry for 1.4 Billion People’.
Amata argued that for Nollywood to attain its desired growth and build a sustainable pan-African film economy, it must first look inward.
She also identified a lack of genre diversity as a core issue, challenging the prevailing notion that only comedy sells.
She emphasised that gatekeepers must learn to localize content instead of copying foreign styles and criticized the current distribution models, which she believes prevent many producers from seeing adequate returns on their investments.
“There’s too much reliance on external forces for our growth. Too much. Nothing local,” she said.
“How many cinemas do we have? They’re calling figures. And I disagree with you. You can’t keep making one kind of movie.
“I do not watch comedy. So a lot of the time I do not go to cinemas because I don’t find them funny. A lot of the movies that find their way to Netflix and I watch them and I say, this is beautiful. There should be categorisation of movie-ness. We’re not all the same.
“Meaning, there’s a movie for everyone. You cannot tell me which is what is happening now. That only comedy sells.
“And that’s because of the limitation. There are many numbers. And what they’re doing is trying to maximize what they can get from the few that they have.
“You cannot tell me that because I am in Nigeria and everything I would like is comedy. Because Nigeria is high. Everybody wants to laugh.
“It is because we do not have structures in place. To allow for diversity.
“So if we do not address all of these things. We’re still going to be churning out the same kind of things. A situation where it is only the streamers that become our first option for other kinds of things.”
Amata urged producers to secure at least 50% of their funding locally before seeking external support.
“Until we have a local, we have the numbers. India is doing it. America is doing it. We should at least know where 50% of our money will come from locally. Before we start looking at anybody else. That is what I think. So distribution is key,” she said.
“Data is key. Other platforms are key. And a boost to high diversity is what is going to grow the industry.
“Just like what I said, even the people who were enjoying it are going to say, can they come up with anything else? And that’s where we have a problem. Secondly, on financing. I have been lucky, I’ve never had to borrow money to finance.
“And I have the same kind of problem. My friend took out 250 million, you know, to do the movie and all of that. There was a streamer.
“One of the things I’ve learnt about financing, and that comes from being on TV for so long, I will never go into a production without raising at least 50% of my funding. And that is through other means.
“Which includes product placement, writing people into scripts and all of that. And this is available. But we’re not using it well.
“And also, brands also need to be portrayed. These are other avenues. I’m going to television.
“Because TV is my thing. You see, that background has helped me with film. So I haven’t made a movie where I have totally lost.”
STEPHANIE LINUS: DATA IS IMPORTANT TO ATTRACT FOREIGN INVESTMENTS
Echoing the call for better infrastructure, actress and filmmaker Stephanie Linus highlighted the critical importance of data and diversified distribution.
She argued that comprehensive data is essential to attract foreign investments, as it demonstrates audience reach and engagement to international streamers like Netflix.
“It comes down to distribution, learning is easy, producing good quality content and also distribution not to underrate their audience because I feel the Nigerian public is waiting for Nigeria to blow,” she said.
“That is why at the end of the day it comes down to distribution. Now, that is why we have a challenge in the industry and data, you will keep thinking Netflix data is a big issue. How many people can see on their mobile phone and stream online?
“We do not have that which also streams a good opportunity for us. We have not got into that western world where you have Internet in your house and I can watch thousands of movies, It does not happen.
“So we know that even with the YouTube yet that is a challenge but now let’s revert back to what we have before. What we have before, of course the cinema has, we need to figure out how do we have more cinemas.
“Because regardless after cinema you are going to go to the TV or you also want to go to the Data streaming or YouTube.”
Linus pointed out that the industry must cater to the vast Nigerian audience that still lacks reliable internet access.
“We also want to get those people, but they do not have data. So we should also be figuring out how do we form a pressure group to make sure data service providers help people to be comfortable,” she said.
“Netflix will even come back, because by the time you are showing them data, people are staying more on this app, watching movie. All these people that you think they left will come back.
“I think that energy of how do we make distribution solidified even DVD and CD is not dead because a lot of people do not have to watch online.
“Even if we permit to also explore the DVD that we left because we are still backward oo. So I think for producers, one people do not want to stretch themselves because stretching yourself is making sure you benefit from all the lines of distribution.”
Also speaking, Juliet Ibrahim, the actress, said fast-rising actors should invest in themselves by constantly learning the arts and craft of filmmaking.
“It is very important for you to invest in yourself, show up, because you never can tell where your next big break will be,” she said.
“The first thing is being strategic, when you are strategic about whatever you want in life, you have a plan, you have a vision. How do you want to get to what you want to do?
“So you want to be an actor, you want to be a director, whatever. You have to have a plan, you have to have a vision, then you guide yourself to work on it.
“That is where the investment in yourself comes about. Means you have to educate yourself, learn your crafts and whatever, and you have to be intentional when you are doing it. Do not get distracted along the ways.
“Understand your niche in whatever you want to do. There’s also, you must be a lifelong learner, You do not stop learning at all. There is director guild, there is producers guild, there is actors guild. They are all functional because by going there you get access to casting calls, auditions and then when you network.
“It might not be working right at that point in time it will eventually work and then when you’re doing that, also take notes, learn on the learning this thing right the right way. Be the brand whether you are the director, producer or actor. Anybody could buy or invest.”
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