O contexto e a evolução de Nollywood

Imagem: Pieter Hugo, da série dedicada a Nollywood 

Nollywood, a indústria de cinema nigeriana, produz mais filmes do que Hollywood, apenas se podendo comparar, em número de filmes, a Bollywood. O New York Times analisa este mercado, a sua evolução e as produções recentes que almejam o reconhecimento internacional do cinema feito na Nigéria.

The biggest problem, Ms. Myburgh said, is that the majority of Nigerian films are bootlegged immediately after release. She cited the World Bank’s estimate that 90 percent of the DVDs in circulation in Nigeria are illegal copies. “If you factor all those pirated films in, you begin to get a sense of how big the industry really is,” she said. The lack of modern cinema screens also limits Nollywood’s potential, Ms. Myburgh said, noting that Nigeria has about one movie theater per five million inhabitants. Most of the country’s current box-office grosses come from informal single-screen “video shacks” that are sometimes attached to cafés.

As Nigerian cinema grows, its offerings are becoming more ambitious, especially since the announcement in 2010 of a $200 million government film fund to improve the quality and distribution of Nollywood features. The hotly anticipated psychological thriller “October 1,” directed by Kunle Afolayan and released last month, is a prime example of this new wave.

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