Sunday, January 2, 2011

Nollywood: That's Where?

It’s likely most people know that Hollywood, the original home of the world’s film industry, is in the United States and that Bollywood is the dynamic film industry in India.  But do they know about Nollywood?. That is the informal name the popular film business of Nigeria.

If film fans  live in any country in Africa, it’s likely they will recognize the title.   According to a recent Economist article this segment of the world film industry creates as many as 50 full length movies a week.   (http://www.economist.com/node/17723124) which are widely distributed throughout the continent.  Further it tells us that the success of  these Nigerian films  has encouraged the film industries of South Africa, Tanzania and Cameroon. In the future we may hear of and celebrate awards to movies from Ghallwyood and Lolliwood  -- the growing film industries of Ghana and Liberia.

For the consumer, the film fan, this is all good news.  More films, more choices, more stories told by people with varied views of the world and that give us all more opportunities to understand our world.   Let's wish for wide distribution of films from around the globe.

No comments: