It is barely five years that Netflix, the American global video streaming platform, made its way into Nigeria. Since the commencement of its operations, the streaming service has signed deals with many Nigerian filmmakers to the delight of its global audience. This business relationship started in 2015 when the company acquired Kunle Afolayan’s psychological thriller, October 1. Since then, a couple of Nollywood films, including another Afolayan piece, Moremi and Media Entrepreneur, Mo Abudu’s Oloture, have premiered on the streaming platform. With five to ten new films appearing on a monthly basis for Netflix subscribers, the number of accepted Nollywood films on the platform has gone up in recent times. The platform has even commissioned an original television series being produced by an entirely Nigerian cast and crew.
Without a doubt, Netflix’s staple of a growing Nollywood presence has inspired some economic boost for Nigerian filmmakers and their industry. As many Nollywood films have increased in quality and global circulation, they have seemingly achieved an increased presence in global film markets. In fact, Moremi and Oloture remained the most-streamed films in some far-flung countries for days, last year. This has however brought fears that the Video on Demand (VOD) platform may be holding the Nigerian film industry by the jugular, dictating the tone and pace of operations.
What filmmakers think
Speaking to eelive.ng on this conjecture, frontline director, producer, and writer, Tope Oshin dismissed the fear that Netflix could run Nollywood. She noted that Netflix was in Nigeria to do business like many other entities and that its influence can only be related to commissioning standards on the project that its involved, something which is within the norm.
According to her: “Simply put, you have a store, you want to make your own original branded products/store brand to sell in your store that fully represents you/your brand, you look for manufacturers and give them your brief. It is then up to the manufacturers to indicate interest in doing business with you, on your terms, or ask for slight moderations according to the kind of deal they’d like, or the kind of product they believe they are okay with making. If the store owner is happy with the deal, they go ahead and commission, if they are not happy with the discussions with the manufacturer, they either move on to another manufacturer, or any other manufacturer in that market, who will do business with them based on their requirements/wish list and offer. If they find no one within that locale interested in their deal, and able to agree to the specs/requirements presented, the store owner either moves to another market or then decides to modify their requirements and deal to suit the market in question, if the locale is very very important to them.”
Veteran actor and director, Yemi Solade holds the view that Netflix’s presence has elevated the standard of filmmaking in some way but clarified that this does not suggest a control.
Solade told eelive.ng: “Netflix is a business entity, it has always come to set some standard, that’s it. It’s just like the cable stations. We subscribe every month, and they have a set standard for collecting works. They know the work they want and what they don’t want. So, Netflix has come to raise the bar. You can’t get your job on Netflix if you haven’t met certain conditions and standards. From the equipment to storyline, quality of actors, location, costume, your audio, subtitles, and other components of the film, must be top-notch.”
Damilare Julius, a cinematographer shared same opinion when he told eelive.ng that: “the situation of the Nollywood industry and Netflix is a clear picture of ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune.’ As a distributor, I will tell you what I want to see in your film, that’s what Netflix does. It is not as if they are in control of everything. For instance, if you want to sell your movie to Netflix, and you want it to be on their platform, there are certain things they want to see.”
Another frontline filmmaker and former President of the Nigeria’s Directors Guild, Fidelis Duker said it was impossible for any entity to get a hold of Nollywood. Although, filmmakers may put a lot of hope on Netflix but this is no different from the bandwagon approach of filmmakers who besiege a platform in their bid to sell or distribute their content.
Is Netflix’s romance with Nollywood healthy?
Given the bandwagon approach identified by Duker, the question of how healthy this might be for Nollywood however arises. This question becomes more pertinent when you consider the fact that there are grumblings within the industry concerning the uneven treatment of filmmakers. In addition to this, some content on Netflix have also been identified to be at variance with Nigerian culture, so how do we reconcile this?
Duker expressed his reservations about the rush at Netflix, explaining it may be unhealthy in the long run. He expressed worry that the Netflix opportunity may soon be “bastardised, and it may soon get to the point that anything and just anything will go. Recently, I heard from some producers that it’s already getting there with some of the films on Netflix. This is because some filmmakers see putting their films on there as status symbols.”
Solade expressed the opinion that Nollywood is an all-around good development for Nigeria. In his words: “It is an exclusive club designed for producers that are serious-minded; filmmakers who understand the language of making good movies. Netflix has come to give producers good business deals and if you do business with them, at the end of the day you’ll smile. Before you smile, your work must come with the standard required, and then you must make good movies. So, it’s healthy, it welcomes development, and we wish to have bigger platforms than Netflix.”
Julius, who explained that Netflix’s requirements have made all components of filmmaking worth paying attention to shares Solade’s views. He pointed out that the requirements, which include quality storytelling, high-resolution pictures, and good sound, have boosted quality production and output in the Nollywood industry and should ultimately benefit the industry.
Concerning themes like homosexuality and others that may be unacceptable to Nigerian ethos, a filmmaker who has been privileged to work with Netflix told eelive.ng that “such ideas have not been mooted on any Nigerian, at least not as far as I know and I am confident that our filmmakers and even Censors Board will be on alert to curb such tendencies. Netflix operates in Nigeria as a legal entity and I am sure they will know how to conform with the laws of the land if they don’t want to run into trouble, “our source, who asked to be anonymous explained.
Meanwhile, Ben Amadasun, Netflix’s Director of Content Acquisition and Co-Productions in Africa, had expressed the firm’s commitment to partner with talented Nigerian practitioners in the filming industry to showcase their stories on the global stage.
Amadasun said Nollywood has been at the epicenter of the African entertainment industry, creating stars and producing content that has resonated with fans across the continent.