During the 76th Cannes film festival, R: Ed sat down with Moses Babatope, a Nigerian Studio Executive, to discuss African cinema and what Nollywood is doing. He is the co-founder of West Africa’s largest cinema chain, Filmhouse Cinemas, and Premium Content Business called FilmOne (Distribution and Production) both housed under the fastest-growing media entertainment group, The Filmhouse Group. He has over 21 years of experience in cinema operations management, film production and film distribution gained from several locations worldwide, including the UK and Nigeria.

R: Ed: Do you think African Cinema has a unique voice?

Moses: Yes, African cinema has a unique voice. I believe its perspectives, culture, tradition, history, politics, food, film, and fashion are unique. I think that when talking about the uniqueness, it is important to highlight that it is a diversified continent with over 50 countries with hundreds of tribes, cities, towns, villages and people with various cultures. What makes Africa golden is seeing how people are different but still united in purpose and aspiration; this makes and reinforces the point. 

Also, social media has made it such that you can witness and experience the uniqueness of this continent because of its young and vibrant demographic.

R: Ed: What do you think will be the hallmark of the unique African voice when it comes to cinema? One could, for example, cite the UK, Germany and other countries for building and setting a unique type of film in the industry which identifies them.

Moses: I think that African cinema has an identity; the rich culture cannot be questioned; as much as you can say, a Westernization is going on, which is expected as a direct effect of colonization which has embedded Western culture into our content like other aspects of our lives. Regardless, African cinema has been able to maintain its identity with the use of language, culture, and our diverse ethnicity creating a blend that gives our content a unique identity.

R: Ed: It seems Africa is trying to be Hollywood and not itself; what is your take?

Moses: African cinema is on its journey and currently evolving. On one hand, it wants global acceptance; on the other, it wants to be authentic. I work in the Nollywood industry with a strong local content production and consumption market. It also has a strong and influential diaspora, and though the content created is locally accepted, Nollywood wants to make films the diaspora will also be proud of.

We are always caught up in the web of what part of Africa we are showing. Is it Africa that is struggling or that it is innovating? This is a very interesting question, and at some point, I believe the journey will lead to a great movie industry. It will be appreciated for that and not necessarily Hollywood’s look. Also, it will be celebrated for exposing the authenticity that makes Africa stand out.

R: Ed: Do you think Africa has its own storytelling tradition?

Moses: Yes, Africa has its own storytelling style. A large chunk of African history was passed down through folktales; stories were told by fireplaces in village squares about great kingdoms, warriors, civilizations, and ancestry. Particularly in West Africa, our tradition was staged like a theatre troupe orientation. We have infused that style into our content. As you will notice, a lot of effort goes into the story, and screenplay of movies, and the story of the movies is always a big talking point amongst the audience. Africans love a good story.

R: Ed: Do you think the popular films in Africa should focus more on what is uniquely African? Or should they push towards blockbuster-style films?

Moses: Yes, we have a responsibility; thank God data has proved it, with the successes of Anikulapo by Kunle Afolayan and Femi Adebayo’s King Of Thieves. Anikulapo went ahead to be the most successful local language film of last year on Netflix. In contrast, King Of Thieves grossed over N320 million naira theatrically and was the second-highest-grossing Nollywood movie of last year. King of Thieves also went on to dominate the Amazon Prime Video charts locally and around the world. These movies showcased our uniqueness with our culture and tradition, which captivated the audience. The use of juju and other African traditions are part of the African story and methodology; this plays an immense role in demonstrating who we are; there is something cultural and diabolical that will always appeal to the African audience because we can relate to it. There are so many perspectives that make it interesting. Our research shows that the traditional stories we used to have before were only shown on TV, and nobody cared to demand high-quality technical values to go along. People wanted to bring average quality to platforms and cinema. But when people decided to do it well, we got international recognition and are still doing more. In the last years, we have seen more historical and traditional epics.

In an era where the industry is coming of age and getting globally recognised, we must be bolder and bring new real things. I am very happy to see movies with concepts like modern-day Juju and grass to grace come to the fore; that is what we are; it gives us unique extremes. The West is a structured system, so it is hard to see grass-to-grace movies. In Europe, things are put in place for one to succeed, but in Africa, you must strive to make it, so it is a unique circumstance.

R: Ed: What do you think is distinctive in Nollywood? 

Moses: Very Interesting question; Nollywood is going through an interesting renaissance bringing on new voices and bold filmmakers who are talented, driven and supported by the streamers. Nollywood is open to collaboration, and people in the diaspora are willing to be heard. They would want to come on board regarding the technological aspect, writing and post-production, which I am really excited about. Also, guilds and Associations are beginning to sit up. They have realised that the industry will pass them by if they don’t do that. Before now, they were used as political instruments and caricatures, not doing anything, but now they are getting involved, and Nollywood is getting structured. We will want to get to the epic, horror, and blockbuster. 

It is not right to say Nollywood is the Cinema of Africa; other country-specific movie industries, like the Francophone, have strong industry players, but they have been criticized for not building an audience locally. Their funds are from the Western part; hence the audience is more international and niche. There is no real market system locally in the other African markets. That is where; Nollywood can be seen as a saviour of the continent. Where there is a local demand and supply of content and continental dominance, black people are entertained and relate to the movies; this is what films must do. Commercially, Nollywood does well in representing Africa, but as I said, we need to respect other countries. South African films are also pace-setting, especially in the technical and sound production areas. The cinemas in other countries need to be respected, but they should step up and produce crowd-pleasing, thought-provoking, and viable films.

East African, Kenya, Uganda and Cameroon filmmakers have grown in the past 5 years, they are more practical, and I like that.

R: Ed: General statement to all young filmmakers.

Moses: I would say whatever creative endeavour you find yourself in, it is time to hone your skills because it is Africa’s time in terms of creative industry investment and monetization. This is the time to come out because the world is coming for you.