Here's an abridged version (yet highly informative) from among the articles i authored regarding this subject material.
Film exhibition started to thrive throughout the Colonial era, with Glover Memorial Hall carrying around a variety of memorable films seen by "potential Nigerians", in August 1903. However, the non-accessibility to proper records reflecting the title from the debut film showed has produced a lapse within the precedent stock. Notwithstanding the lacuna, the way in which have been paved for that exhibition more foreign films in the Hall along with other designated venues.
The psychologically traumatizing "Master - Servant" relationship, apparent within the constant assaults, batteries, violence, segregation, victimization, completed through the Colonial masters around the colonized, with dim clouds of bitterness, vengeance, thirst for freedom, giving method to splattering drops of these ideas, intuitively forecasted with the colonized intermittent in-subordinate actions, started to spread among the shades of black. The British understood they needed to thread with caution when they still desired to play "god" within their lives when films for example Tales of Manhattan, Trailer horn, Tarzan series started to awaken a revolution within the hearts of Shades of black around the world.
Conscious of the lethal energy of insurgency that could be unleashed with the Film medium, the British from fear for his or her lives and possible lack of top sovereignty required the bull through the horn, and quickly produced a Colonial Film Censors Board (FCB) in 1933 to censor and classify films before these were launched for visual consumption through the public. Following a establishment from the board, Films for example "The primitive, primitive guy, Dixie, Zoysia Bill, The Secrets from the Kingdom, Sleepy Town Girl were labeled 'suitable' to become viewed, while Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Clive asia, The Isle of Forgotten Sins, House of Frankenstein were considered unacceptable for viewing.
The Censor's body went through a transformation process in to the Federal Board of Film Censors (FBFC) in the aforementioned, and also the laws and regulations that the changed body derived its forces ranged in the 1948 Cinematograph Laws and regulations of Nigeria, the Cinematograph Laws and regulations of 1963, towards the 1963/64 Cinematograph Law and Rules. The current National Film and Video Censors Board has been around since due to decree, now Act 85 of 1993. The arrival of Nigeria's Independence (1960) and also the Republican status (1963), heralded the beginning of the new trend in most industries.
"The Yoruba Travelling Theatre Group" from the 60's and 70's could be known to because the "Fountain Mind" of movie productions in Nigeria. The veterans with great Theatrical abilities and great performances required their works past the stage, and dove in to the ocean of film productions while using Celluloid format. Notable filmmakers around the Roll call of Honor throughout the Celluloid boom era from the 70's include Ola Balogun, Eddie Ugbomah, late Herbert Ogunde, Adeyemi Afolayan a.k.a Ade Love (father of Kunle Afolayan from the Irapada fame), Ladi Ladebo, Moses Adejumo, Adebayo Salami and Afolabi Adesanya.
Their email list of recorded films created throughout the 70's era and transcending somewhat in to the eighties is just astonishing and proves the Movie Industry has existed considerably longer, unlike the '1992 belief syndrome' they have been injected with. Such works include Kongi Harvest (1971), Alpha (1972), Bull Frog under the sun (1974), Amadi (1975), Ajani Ogun (1975), Muzik Guy (1976), Bisi, Daughter from the River (1977), Ija Ominira (1978), Aiye (1979), Kadara (1980), Jaiyesimi (1980) Efunsetan Aniwura (1981), Cry Freedom (1981),Ija Orogun (1982) Owo L'Agba (1982)
The price of creating films for the reason that era was financially back breaking, with Nigerians further frustrating the efforts from the filmmakers by choosing to look at films of occidental and oriental origin in the Movie theaters and Exhibition centres, as opposed to the in your area created ones. The Cowboy films were exhilarating to look at as the Chinese films paraded among others, the Legendary "Bruce Lee" in (Lo Wei's, The Large Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), Method of the Dragon (1972), Go into the Dragon (1973), The Overall Game of Dying launched in 1978) who showed Fighting Techinques skill, clearly a fighting technique alien, yet fascinating to all of us in those days.
Indian films within the late 60's and well in to the 70's paraded famous names like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra Singh Deol, Mumtaz, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil kapoor, Hema Malini, and created hits for example "Bobby", "Sholay", "Kabhi Kabhi", "Dharamveer", "Amar Akbar Anthony". Their stars displayed great acting abilities from the backdrop of affection styles, and ear pleasing tunes combined with synchronized dance steps, created with seem and effects, though incomparable using what acquires today bought within the indigenes loyalty for his or her movies.
Thus, the film Founding Fathers started to manage the difficulties of recovering their opportunities, which progressively grew to become virtually a hopeless task, an anthem they constantly made much towards the discomfort of potential financers. They counted their deficits and licked their wounds sustained within the financial fight with each and every film they launched. The deluge of VCRS within the eighties produced a paradigm change in the Cine towards the VHS format, which made productions simpler, faster and cheaper with a milestone as compared to the former. Cinema houses along with other Exhibition centres were finally shut lower and also the Baton of Cine film making ended up in the hands from the Founding founders because they tried to give the film baton to another generation inside the stipulated Baton Exchange Zone. The imagine being a re-nowned Movie Industry was shattered once the flow from the Film Relay cycle was damaged.
Home Videos were created which offered instead of the movie theaters, and also the title naturally comes from because you could chair inside the comfort of your house watching the films created within the VHS format via your VCR. Filmmakers capitalized around the gains of the house Video concept offered, and started creating movies while using Yoruba language because the way of communication. However, the entire year "1992" has overtime been broadly recognized because the triggering duration of Home Video productions, with Ken Nnebue's "Residing in Bondage" stated to become the very first movie designed for commercial reasons while using Igbo/British language.
The film without doubt struck the "Movie Well", which invoked full of exodus of individuals using their company spheres into the skill of movie productions, getting seen the possibilities that lay within the Gold mine region. Thus, did the house Video Industry labeled "Nollywood" emerge.
The truth that "Residing in Bondage" was related using the honor to be the very first movie designed for commercial reasons and also the one where the house Video revolution was allegedly founded on, concluding into Nollywood, did not go unchallenged. Late Alade Aromire before his dying, captivated a questionable fire, insisting that his and never Ken's movie should have been contacted this kind of honor. When faced with a reporter around the problem he'd mentioned that Ken had created over 40 Yoruba movies, coupled with began with "Aje N'yami".
There was a thriving movie industry before he came aboard, so ken could not have began it.
The confusion comes from the Censors board during the day, whose hands were amputated through the Law it came its forces from, (1963/64 Cinematograph Law and Rules). The forces conferred onto it to manage the didn't include "Home Video". The current National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) didn't exist till 1994. About this raging problem, Late Alade Armoire created movies for example Ekun, Omije (pts 1-3), Obirin Asiko, Ayo ni o, Adun, Orire that have been launched towards the public between 1985 and 1991.
Ken Nnebue still demands that his movie "Residing in Bondage" was the very first Home Video movie designed for commercial reasons. His get up on the problem is quite shaky, getting just before producing Residing in Bondage backed commercial movies in Yoruba language for example Ina Ote, Aje N'iyami yet others. Let us remember the barrage of Yoruba TV dramas which were mass created on VHS tapes and offered towards the public before 1992. One can't neglect to mention the legendary Eddie Ugbomah's movie "The Truly Amazing Attempt" (1989), which may make history because the first Nigerian cine movie within the video tape format to possess been censored through the defunct Federal Board of Film Censors (FBFC) with different "special concession" granted him formally through the permanent secretary from the Federal Secretary of state for Information and Culture in those days.
Regrettably the strong contents forecasted within the movie were considered unacceptable for public viewing through the Board, therefore, the movie never was launched. Tunde Alabi -Hundeyin's "Iyawo Alhaji" is formally on record because the first commercial (direct to exhibition hall) video film to become censored and indexed by the NFVCB in 1994 in the National Theatre, (Cinema Hall) Iganmu. Regardless of the questionable fire elevated, the worldwide publicity provided to "Residing in Bondage" through the years almost always imputed the film into our memory banks because the flag bearer of the house Video revolution of occasions. People, regardless of Nationality, race, gender, and tribe are faced with challenges every day. A few of these troubles are of the global character, while some are peculiar to numerous communities. Movies offer people the chance of telling their very own tales, free of alien interference.
Nigerian movie producers utilized about this and created movies projecting our lifestyle, culture, local fashion, burning issues, problems negatively effecting society, regardless of the choking stench of tribalism perceived in most industries. Movies were created for that viewing pleasure of Nigerians initially, (prior to the mass exportation craze), with messages to inspire, motivate, reprove, and proper anomalies specially in the Political, Social systems, to avoid violence and all sorts of types of evil.
The tactical utilisation of the British language because the communication tool, marketing methods and execution by using trailers via T.V, Posters (now banned in Lagos Condition), recorded a lift in sales, and broadened the viewership base past the shores in our Nation to nations for example Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Kenya, U.S.A as well as the U.K.. Regrettably, the films produced in an alarming rate were technically deficient in key areas regarded as germane within the production process.
The most popular "shoe string budget" tag is becoming symbolic of the Industry's antecedent of creating movies on very low budgets in comparison with other movie physiques in other nations, (- ,000 initially), but presently stretches to ,000, having a microscopic quantity of producers further stretching the apparently financial limit to N 7,10,20 Million and much more. The films were and still shot dominantly between 10-12 days, via Beta cam (now HDV cameras), were created within the VHS format (now VCD & DVD), duplicated in mass and offered through the Entrepreneurs who also bending as Marketers.
On the 1000 movies appeared to be produced yearly by producers and absolutely astonished by the staggering record data of movie productions, the Worldwide movie spotlight was shone around the Multi Million naira Industry "Nollywood". The Industry's internet worth as at 2008 was between an believed 0 and 0 Million dollars. It deserves observe that a worldwide cinema survey, carried out in the year 2006 through the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and launched between May 2009, rated Nollywood because the second biggest creating movie body on the planet behind Bollywood and in front of Hollywood in line with the statistical data from the movies created.
