Canada’s red carpet for Nollywood

The 2013 edition of the Toronto International
Film Festival may be one of the most
memorable Nigerian film practitioners have
been part of. This is not just because Half of a
Yellow Sun, a film adapted from Chimamanda
Ngozi-Adichie’s novel that goes by the same
title, was premiered there on Sunday.
Perhaps more important is the fact that the
Canadian government and the Nigerian film
practitioners are exploiting the festival to
discuss ways they can work together to
strengthen the sector otherwise called
Nollywood.
The Deputy High Commissioner at the Canadian
High Commission in Nigeria, Marcella
DiFranco, says the Nollywood mission to his
home country is a product of several months
of discussion between the stakeholders and the
High Commission. It is intended to explore
concrete ways that relevant Canadian
organisations can help in developing the film
industry.
“What we have done in the last six months is
that we looked at what areas will be mutually
beneficial,” DiFranco notes. “Canada has been
working with Holywood for over 50 years,
helping to develop it. For instance, in the area
of film production, a lot of films used in
Hollywood is produced in Canada. A major
reason for this is that the cost of producing
film is cheaper in Canada than in the US.”
The deputy commissioner adds that over the
years, Canada has built a progressive
investment track and partnerships in Nigeria.
For instance, its impact is felt in the areas of
education and information technology. Noting,
for instance, that the Black Berry is
manufactured by a Canadian company, he says
that education, IT, among others, have
connections with the creative sector, which
has now caught the fancy of the Canadian
authorities.
He further notes that in the course of
discussing with Nollywood, the practitioners
indicated that one area they are lacking is skill
development. He believes Canada will be able
to intervene here too, based on the expertise
that it possesses. Saying the interaction with
Van Cuver, TIFF and Ontario experts will help
to move Nollywood to the next level, DiFranco
says the involvement of the Nigerian
Entertainment Business School and the Bank of
Industry will further strengthen the
arrangement.
“We asked what we can do to facilitate the idea
because TIFF was coming up. We asked, ‘Why
don’t we start with a mission of Nollywood to
Canada?” he explains.
In the delegation are the producer of Fuji
House of Commotion and Chief Executive
Officer of Amaka Igwe Studios, Amaka Igwe,
and her husband, Charles Igwe, a veteran
producer and marketer; G-Video/Gabosky Films
C.E.O., Gabriel Okoye; Temple Productions
CEO, Nwakaego Boyo; film critic and the
Editor-in-Chief of National Mirror, Mr. Steve
Ayorinde; FAD Productions CEO, Fidelis Duiker;
Festival Officer of the Film Festivals Nigeria,
Paul Alebiosu. Officials of NEXIM Bank, the
Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Film and
Video Censors Board are also on the list.
Earlier before the Half of a Yellow Sun
premiere, the group was billed to have a
session on ‘Spotlight: Nigeria Beyond
Nollywood’ at TIFF. On Monday, it was billed to
visit the Pinewood Studios and hold a meeting
with the Sheridan College SIRT; Lonzo Nzekwe-
led Alpaha Galore Films, the Digital Media
Industry of Ontario, Ontario New Media
Development Corporation or EDC Toronto
Office and the Ryerson University, School of
Image Arts.
Apart from meeting with financial institutions,
the practitioners are also expected to meet the
TIFF team on Friday.
While DiFranco believes that the visitors also
have much to benefit from the animation
subsector in Canada, he says that the
encounters can be so extensive that some of
the delegates may stay beyond the duration of
TIFF.
“Distribution is also one of the areas we will be
looking at, because distribution is key. Of
course, we wre also disciussing co-production.
For now, there is no co-production agreement
between Nigeria and Canada. What the
Canadian government does is to lay the
foundation for companies to be able to
succeed. It introduces foreign organisations or
business interests to Canadians. We support
them by matching what they need with
opportunities.”
DiFranco notes that Nollywood has a great
potential, primarily because Africans, whose
story it tells, are in all parts of the world.
“He says, “The industry is not just about
Nigeria. It is going to be an industry that will
have an impact worldwide.”