DVD seller in Lagos, Nigeria
"My tape is blasting like a bullet." The third-largest movie industry in the world has no theatre distribution, budgets averaging $15,000 a production and isn't even shot on film. It was invented when a merchant of blank VHS tapes tried to offload his goods in the electronics stalls of the slum city of Lagos, Nigeria. Perhaps with the assistance of the witchcraft that provides the underpinnings for so many Nollywood plots, something magical was created. Nollywood Babylon is a fascinating look at the power of storytelling in Nigeria. The documentary follows disciplinary director Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen as he completes Bent Arrows, his 157th film. The anticipation of the hopeful novice actors in auditions is tempered by the apocalyptic backdrop. All infrastructure in Lagos is chewed and decayed. A street market tramples rail lines, which lay unused. Half-fallen skyscrapers litter the landscape. There are three theatres, which show only Bollywood movies and are so dangerous that no sane person would choose to travel to them to purchase a ticket.
Why would I leave my home and go outside to a theatre...
Nollywood movies are watched in the streets, when people crowd around a small television set. Nollywood Babylon also investigates the use of cinema by its mega churches, which haul plastic bags full of tithes away from emotional services from a devastated population. That movies can flourish in this setting is astonishing.
1 comment:
Thanks for another interesting documentary recommendation. I've been reading a lot about Nollywood lately, but I haven't been able to find a solid intro to the movies. Maybe this will give me what I want. I see it is on instant play as well. Can't wait to watch it!
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