We don’t need a magic wand; we need a change in Nollywood, and that change won’t come except we start speaking up and start taking action. If I had a magic wand, here are a few mind-boggling things I’d change about Nollywood.
Better Deals for Writers
I’ve reviewed contracts for writers in the UK, the US and South Africa. When I compare what they get in cash and royalties to what our brilliant Nigerian writers get, it’s giving insult and slavery.
Maybe that’s why some of our stories feel disjointed and soulless, because we don’t invest in the people creating the soul in the first place.
No great film exists without a great script. Let’s start treating writers like co-creators, not just random service providers.
Data Hoarding Must Go
Some of your favourite filmmakers would rather chew hard jeans than share their production costs publicly. But when it comes to marketing, they would choke us with box office numbers to sell.
What we fail to understand as an industry is that the more transparent we are about our budgets, earnings, and returns, the more attractive we become to serious financiers and make better production choices. Enough with the secret society vibes. You’re not in the CIA.
Structure! Structure!! Structure!!!
Honestly, by the time I finish fixing Nollywood’s structure, I may need a second wand. But let’s start here:
Standardised contracts that protect all stakeholders;
Guilds that don’t just exist for conferences and photo-ops, but know and enforce the rights of their members effectively;
A centralised rights database so producers and investors don’t have to call 10 people to verify ownership;
Transparent distribution processes (so filmmakers can actually know and verify what their films made);
~Regulations that protect creators and promote growth, not just censorship and gatekeeping.
With proper structure, we can build trust in the industry and attract both local and foreign investment.
Popularity Over Talent? No Way
In this present Nollywood, too many casting decisions are made based on follower count, not talent. You have actors with millions of followers playing roles they have no business playing and it shows. °Yes, I get it, films need to sell. But are we sacrificing craft for clout? If your film is forgettable, no amount of followers can save it.
We must be intentional about balancing marketability with actual skill if we do not want Nollywood to become history.
Omotayo Queen Inakoju is a practitioner with years of legal experience. She is currently the Head of Legal at EbonyLife Limited, where they negotiate and seal multinational film deals, draft and review complex film agreements and advise on intellectual film property.
