Di Franco
The 2013 edition of the Toronto
International Film Festival may be one of the most memorable Nigerian
film practitioners have been part of. This is not just because Half of a Yellow Sun, a film adapted from Chimamanda Ngozi-Adichie’s novel that goes by the same title, was premiered there on Sunday.
Perhaps more important is the fact that
the Canadian government and the Nigerian film practitioners are
exploiting the festival to discuss ways they can work together to
strengthen the sector otherwise called Nollywood.
The Deputy High Commissioner at the
Canadian High Commission in Nigeria, Marcella DiFranco, says the
Nollywood mission to his home country is a product of several months of
discussion between the stakeholders and the High Commission. It is
intended to explore concrete ways that relevant Canadian organisations
can help in developing the film industry.
“What we have done in the last six
months is that we looked at what areas will be mutually beneficial,”
DiFranco notes. “Canada has been working with Holywood for over 50
years, helping to develop it. For instance, in the area of film
production, a lot of films used in Hollywood is produced in Canada. A
major reason for this is that the cost of producing film is cheaper in
Canada than in the US.”
The deputy commissioner adds that over
the years, Canada has built a progressive investment track and
partnerships in Nigeria. For instance, its impact is felt in the areas
of education and information technology. Noting, for instance, that the
Black Berry is manufactured by a Canadian company, he says that
education, IT, among others, have connections with the creative sector,
which has now caught the fancy of the Canadian authorities.
He further notes that in the course of
discussing with Nollywood, the practitioners indicated that one area
they are lacking is skill development. He believes Canada will be able
to intervene here too, based on the expertise that it possesses. Saying
the interaction with Van Cuver, TIFF and Ontario experts will
help to move Nollywood to the next level, DiFranco says the involvement
of the Nigerian Entertainment Business School and the Bank of Industry
will further strengthen the arrangement.
“We asked what we can do to facilitate
the idea because TIFF was coming up. We asked, ‘Why don’t we start with a
mission of Nollywood to Canada?” he explains.
In the delegation are the producer of Fuji House of Commotion and
Chief Executive Officer of Amaka Igwe Studios, Amaka Igwe, and her
husband, Charles Igwe, a veteran producer and marketer; G-Video/Gabosky
Films C.E.O., Gabriel Okoye; Temple Productions CEO, Nwakaego Boyo; film
critic and the Editor-in-Chief of National Mirror, Mr. Steve
Ayorinde; FAD Productions CEO, Fidelis Duiker; Festival Officer of the
Film Festivals Nigeria, Paul Alebiosu. Officials of NEXIM Bank, the Bank
of Industry and the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board are also on
the list.
Earlier before the Half of a Yellow
Sun premiere, the group was billed to have a session on ‘Spotlight:
Nigeria Beyond Nollywood’ at TIFF. On Monday, it was billed to visit the
Pinewood Studios and hold a meeting with the Sheridan College SIRT;
Lonzo Nzekwe-led Alpaha Galore Films, the Digital Media Industry of
Ontario, Ontario New Media Development Corporation or EDC Toronto
Office and the Ryerson University, School of Image Arts.
Apart from meeting with financial institutions, the practitioners are also expected to meet the TIFF team on Friday.
While DiFranco believes that the
visitors also have much to benefit from the animation subsector in
Canada, he says that the encounters can be so extensive that some of the
delegates may stay beyond the duration of TIFF.
“Distribution is also one of the areas
we will be looking at, because distribution is key. Of course, we wre
also disciussing co-production. For now, there is no co-production
agreement between Nigeria and Canada. What the Canadian government does
is to lay the foundation for companies to be able to succeed. It
introduces foreign organisations or business interests to Canadians. We
support them by matching what they need with opportunities.”
DiFranco notes that Nollywood has a
great potential, primarily because Africans, whose story it tells, are
in all parts of the world.
“He says, “The industry is not just about Nigeria. It is going to be an industry that will have an impact worldwide.”
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