The
city of Lagos will take center stage at the Toronto International Film Festival
[TIFF] Thursday. The commercial capital of Nigeria
has been chosen as part of the 'City to City' programme.
Each year a city is selected and filmmakers living and working there are
showcased. Previous featured cities include; London, Mumbai and Seoul, this
year eight Nigerian films will be screened.
Movies produced in Nollywood each
year, generate about $1 billion in box office. Now, from that commercial
hotbed, a new generation of filmmakers is emerging to both advance and
challenge Nollywood. For TIFF International Rising Star Somkele
Iyamah-Idhalama, global recognition of the world's second largest
film industry has been a long time coming.
In addition to the recognition,
Iyamah-Idhalama hopes the films will showcase the wide range of Nigerian
storytelling and change perceptions about Nigerians.
Movie like 93 days is talking about
Ebola and heroism in Nigeria. Nigerians are now beginning to tell stories that
will motivate the average person to make a difference.
Iyamah-Idhalama, who stars in three
of the films featured at TIFF, including '93 Days' and 'The Wedding Party,'
started acting in 2012, a time the industry started to shift.
One of the major challenges facing
the industry is piracy, due to weak copyright laws and enforcement. According
to the World Bank for every
legitimate copy of a movie sold, nine are pirated, costing the industry
billions in revenue.
At a time where the Nigerian economy
continues to stall, Nollywood has been touted as a lifeline but only if these
challenges are tackled head on by the government.
Despite the challenges, Nigerians
are hopeful and excited about the opportunities TIFF will bring the industry. The
Toronto
International Film Festival has been celebrating the best of
international and Canadian cinema for over 40 years, they introduced the City to City programme
eight years ago. The 41st Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8
to 18, 2016.
