An American based Nigerian Actor and Producer, Sam Ojo has called on the Federal Government to curb piracy in Nollywood. According to him, the Nigerian film industry is big but cannot produce the required dividends because of the menace of piracy which is endemic in the country.
The actor and producer also ask Nigerian entertainers to participate in politics. According to him, this is the way to improve the fortunes of the industry.
He said, ‘‘ If entertainers are in politics they will be able to make policies that will favour the industry. We have so many talented actors that can take positions of leadership in the country. They need to run for elective offices so that they can design the entertainment industry the right way. It is the only we can get things done better, ‘’ he said.
“They can also hire lobbyists to make laws that will help their industry.
“Actors should know that this is a service industry, and they must give that service better than others to gain repeat business,” he said.
“Many of the filmmakers are willing to pump heavy money into Nollywood like Hollywood and Bollywood but breaking even is tough with the menace of piracy, ” he said.
While talking about the cinematography and the quality of movies produced in Nigeria, Ojo said that the picture quality and sound were getting better.
“Most of the films in Nigeria are centred around drama which by the international standard is low budget production.
“Nevertheless, with an improved economy, Nigerian filmmakers will start producing movies that American distribution companies will want in their market.
“Our stories are fantastic, but it is about time we started to tell the stories in a way that people around the world will relate well to the story,” he said.
Ojo who currently produced a movie called Alejandro to be premiered in Oklahoma sometime in April advised the government to create more jobs and give loans to better the movie industry.
“The biggest challenge in the industry is pricing for crews or cast, there is no standard price, this attitude could be frustrating for filmmakers from abroad.
“I have made movies in Asia and Latin America and I recruited all my cast and crew from the U.S.A, conducted pre-production online and went in to shoot for a few weeks and it was successful.
“In Nigeria, it can never work that way, sometimes, when you reach out, some will not respond to text, calls or email, but I believe it will get better.
“The actors that featured in Alejandro were professional and easy to work with. Particularly, Tina Mba, Nancy Isime and Afeez Oyetoro, they made working with Nigerians easy, ” he said.
The movie to be premiered in April was inspired by a true-life event where a man’s random act of kindness becomes the answer to his most ardent question.
The movie showcased the Nigerian culture to the world by telling a story pertinent to Africa in a way that audiences around the world can relate to.