10 things filmmaker said in defence of 'Instagram stars' comment

chibumga izuzu

September 28, 2016 9:49 AM

Charles Novia who stated that he 'doesn't send' people's response to the controversial comment, took to Facebook to explain himself.

Nollywood filmmaker,

While on the show, the 'veteran' filmmakers discussed the 'New Nollywood' term, and referred to the younger actors as 'Instagram stars' who have brought nothing to the table.

Their various comments evoked various comments from different Nollywood filmmakers.

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In response to the attack he received over the weekend, Novia took to his Facebook page to share his opinion in a post titled "Of "The Gist,' Reactions and Replies: I Nor Send Una... (Part one)."

We have put together 10 things you should know from his post.

Here we go:

1. Some persons are holding brief for this New Nollywood and Old Nollywood in such a manner that whenever anything is said about the new school which seems like some sand will be poured in their garri, they are up in arms.

2. I should imagine that a Mother Hen attitude by one of such persons is one of the reasons why we are in some sort of rut today. It's all about business and Management Fees by one of such persons and a feathering of nests and interests. So, because of that, no one should dare say anything about New Nollywood.

3. The television and content industry is very profitable. I can invest N50 million into content for television and make double that within a few months. The television industry has structures for return on investments more than the Box Office.

4. Why is it that the most popular stars from Nollywood in Africa and in the Diaspora today are those who are from the Idumota/Asaba/Alaba distribution system? How come a Ramsey Noah or Genevieve or Rita Dominic are more likely to cause heavy traffic in major cities in Africa just by walking down the streets and none of the new cinema school are yet to elicit that kind of reaction?

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5. If you shoot a movie with N10 million naira and that movie makes N5 million naira at the Box Office, in present day dynamics of distribution, you are not a Producer but a traducer of the business.

6. You are a traducer because those Asaba and Alaba Producers would use that same N5 million, shoot a movie with the known mega stars their audience want, and sell 10 million copies of that movie on DVD in the same period that the Cinema Producer uses in going all over social media to market a new ‘cinema’movie!

7. The question some of us ask, for research and empirical purposes, is to find out how those guys are doing it right and smiling to the bank, despite massive piracy and some others are centred in Lagos speaking grammar and strutting red carpets for recognition!

8. I cannot close my eyes to the reality of hype and tripe in this industry by a lot of my colleagues. We are only lying to ourselves. We are not making money. We are not making profits. Only a studio structure can absorb the shock of losing investments in Nollywood.

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9. Any Producer who comes out to tell the world that he or she shot a movie with over fifty million naira in Nollywood today and cannot get more than twenty million naira from Net earnings on that same project is doing a great disservice to the industry.

10. The new African cinema still needs the old stars and the new ones. The new ones cannot stand alone and give you the Box Office numbers. Simple!

chibumga izuzu