Topics such as love, the abolition of class distinctions, the fight against HIV/AIDS, adultery, the craze for wealth, power, fame, rituals, witchcraft manipulation, participation in nefarious activities , greed, corruption, domestic violence, abuse of the rights of women and children, the thirst for political power, poverty, sterility and many more dominate Nollywood movies. With the advent of the home video revolution, stakeholders welcomed the idea of ​​being able to tell our own stories to the audience (both Nigerian and non-Nigerian).

However, the common denominator of flawed scripts, parodies, watershed plotlines, embarrassing verbal errors, choppy editing, high predictability rate, abysmal soundtracks, bland, mundane, monotonous, technologically poor, and formulaic films have added to the rate decreasing in which Home. videos are seen. There has been a clamor for filmmakers to introduce new dimensions and other positive aspects that reflect our society’s norms and values ​​into our stories, rather than promoting a flood of negative stories about Nigerians to international communities. However, I do believe that the so-called negative stories that are projected in our movies (if we are to be honest with ourselves), holistically represent what you get in our society.

Hollywood itself has produced films that address negative issues in America, such as the lust for power, greed, corruption (amongst political office holders, Blue Chip top management, dirty cops), serial murder and various forms of murder, murder, rape, narcotic use and addiction, hacking of government and non-government establishments, robbery of banks, homes, shops, assault and battery, prostitution, strip dancing, pole dancing, treason, nudity, adultery, illicit sex by young people, one night practices, car theft, domestic violence, divorce, separation and other related vices. Bollywood is no saint at telling its stories either, despite the usual romance and dance strategies consistent with its films.

I’m not saying that sticking to vice-related movie making is good, but we should also keep in mind that Hollywood, through some well thought out script writing, relies on its actors to portray American virtues such as sharing a strong bond and deep love for country, family, friends and fellow citizens, which when necessary, means sacrificing one’s life to save the day, promoting and sharing the American dream, exhibiting acts of heroism, as superpowers always defeating their enemies, going on wild adventures, and discovering new things where others have failed. Hollywood movies largely come from its wide range of genres on offer, made possible by the cutting-edge technology at its fingertips.

Nigerians certainly have good qualities and there are people who have great stories to share, but unfortunately they are not given the opportunity to do so in an openly competitive tribalized sector, where people do not see the brilliant ideas that others may have. You have to put your money where your mouth is if you want a good movie free of messy work syndrome. After all, my people have a saying that “soup is too sweet, money kills me.” However, it’s important that our stories have a “crossover appeal” feel, which people in other countries can easily relate to.

The Re-branding of Nigeria call for action actively propagated by Information Minister Prof. Dora Akunyili to change the negative mindset/perception that international communities have of the Nation and its citizens has also called for the production of good films as a true tool in the Rebranding process. The slogan “Nigeria, Good People, Great Nation” is geared towards promoting the image of the country and its citizens in a new light, and writers with great imaginations are encouraged to come up with novel stories that do just that. The question is “where are those with great stories who can achieve this purpose? Do they reside in Nigeria or are they based in other countries?

Do they strongly share the passion for rebranding or do they feel it is just another political trick in the government’s book to draw attention to itself? Has the government established an “independent, functional and impartial financing scheme” in which the producers would make funds available to the producers to make the requested films? What can be done to stimulate the interest of untapped highly talented minds, who work with wild imaginations to come up with great stories, given the deceptive webs they could get caught in, spun by unprincipled, crooked and deceitful practitioners? in the industry? When the right machinery is in place, there would be a balance in the stories told, as opposed to the current strong inclination towards projecting negative issues that dominate our screens.

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