 |
| Stacking that naira: Kimberly Elise |
The article continues: "In 2011 alone around 2,000 movies were made in Nigeria. That is a staggering 40 films churned out each week. Nollywood films, unlike Hollywood blockbusters, are produced on a shoestring budget, with an average production taking just 10 days and costing between $10,000 and $15,000. Some estimates put the value of the industry at $250 million. Plus, the films are increasingly popular in Africa, Europe, the Caribbean and more recently in North America. In the States, viewers can now watch Nollywood and other West African movies on the TV channel, Afrotainment."
Which Hollywood stars are increasing heading over to Africa?: "It is this growing global market that has encouraged A-list Hollywood actors to start associating with Nollywood. Nigerian director, Jeta Amata's latest movie, Black Gold (2011), set in the Niger Delta, for instance, parades a high number of Tinseltown actors, including the likes of Vivica A. Fox, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Tom Sizemore and Michael Madsen. Black-American Hollywood actress, Kimberly Elise, has also caught the African bug. Last year she was cast in Ties That Binds (2011), a film by acclaimed Ghanaian film director Leila Djansi, which went on to scoop up numerous awards on the continent."
More about the Nigerian film industry: "Despite the growing popularity of Nollywood cinema, the high production values of Nigerian filmmakers such as Jeta Amata are an exception. The industry has been criticized for 'unrefined storylines' and putting quantity ahead of quality. This is exactly what UK journalist Charles Aniagolu is on a mission to change. The former CNN and BBC presenter/reporter has just wrapped up the shooting of his first Nollywood movie, Streets of Calabar, which he says will raise the bar of filmmaking in Nigeria."
