Blessing Egbe is one of Nigeria’s leading filmmakers. Since the release of her soar-away television series, “Lekki Wives”, Egbe has moved from one victorious outing to the other. In this interview with eelive.ng, she speaks about her journey from acting to filmmaking and how her latest effort, The Ten Virgins puts her on a totally different pedestal.
You are currently working on a big project; can you tell us about it?
I’m currently in post production for the Film /Series The Ten Virgins.
It is an adaptation of the Holy Bible parable of the ten virgins. In this adaptation, ten maidens who are betrothed to the great prince in the land must remain faithful and committed to him while he is yet away on a seemingly endless journey. The characters in this faith based big budget story are highly symbolic and represent the relationship between the Christ and the church universal.
When you say big budget, how do you mean? What is the budget for The Ten Virgins like?
What is the motivation for this story?
The motivation for The Ten Virgins came about as a result of the haha moment I got while searching the scriptures for a clearer and deeper understanding of Christian living as it relates to the Kingdom of God.
Other Bible passages didn’t quite give me the understanding I desired but reading the parable of the ten virgins again and watching a short clip of a church play online gave me all I needed. And so, came about the motivation to begin writing and eventually filming. It is such a simple, yet powerful and concise explanation. Ten virgins are set to meet with their bridegroom. But while he is away on a journey, they meet with tribulations which exposed their level of preparation. Of the ten, five ones who proved to be wise and ready put enough oil in their lamps and this kept their lamps burning. But the other five did not have enough oil and their lamps went off, which indicated that they were ill prepared. When the bridegroom returned, only those who were ready went out to meet him. The message here couldn’t be any clearer.
Would you call Ten Virgins a Christian movie then especially as it is going to the Cinema?
While The Ten Virgins is faith based, and one which seeks to promote morals, It is not a film for only Christians. The Ten Virgins was made for all to watch, enjoy and learn. The entertainment value is extremely high and will be enjoyed by all regardless of religion, a goal which was important to me in telling this story. It is a cinema worthy content because we did not lose sight of the didactic and entertainment at any stage during the entire production process. It is an experience that every single film viewer would hold with them for long.
You were in court with some cinema owners, what has happened to that case?
The many delays in the court proceedings became tiring at some point and after many years of no head way, I called my lawyer and told him I was done.
But has the situation between cinema operators and filmmakers, we still hear a lot of complaints?
The main problem in my opinion is the current share ratio between the cinemas, distributors and the filmmaker. In the end the producer goes home with about 30 percent of the proceeds. When this issue comes up in industry forums, filmmakers are told that this is the obtainable practice worldwide. Perhaps when the cinema chain expands, and a better deal is put in place, producers will stop complaining. My wish for the industry is that it begins to think global and embrace global standards in all areas of filmmaking, from funding, to production, to post production, to marketing and distribution. Practitioners should not only choose to apply world standards in areas that are beneficial to them
Many observers think that Nollywood is not even near its potential, what do say about that?
The observers are not wrong. Things are not working the way they should in Nollywood. Many practitioners do not understand the ethics of the business, so we need a total overhaul, which is almost an impossibility. Lol. I dare say a few of its practitioners have gotten it right and my hope is that more and more will tow in that line and in the end, the industry in general will be positively affected for good.
Can you mention one of two areas you think things much change for Nollywood to get better?
We must improve in the art of story telling. There is no doubt that stories abound in these parts but the manner and style we tell them must improve. We must take more risks and not play too comfortably. Most Nigerian audiences often say our stories are predictable and indeed it is true. Also we must up the ante and give more value to production. Most of our works look rushed and poorly treated.
Do you see any need for a more unified front?
Definitely. United we stand, divided we fall right? Right! but how do we unite when there isn’t unity of purpose amongst the lot of us. For now, film makers may have to just find their kind with like minds and unite with.
Female filmmakers seem to be having their time in the sun currently, what are the women doing?
I don’t thing that there is anything extra-ordinarily different that women do to with their films to get good box office returns. I’m struggling to find the right answer to this question because, to be honest I don’t like it when film makers are categorised men vs women.
I mean, why is that? Recently I saw a post where a filmmaker’s accolade was tagged and tied to her gender…. 2nd highest grossing film by a woman or something degrading like that. Again, I ask what is that? Are women children? Was she not deserving of that achievement? If it was a man, would that tag be attached to the accolade? We are all adults playing in the same field and must be treated and categorised as one. A filmmaker is a film maker and that’s that. In fact, to answer your question, I believe that women are shattering the stereotypes and breaking records because they have been put in a box for so long and now they are daring to change the narrative and to prove a point!!! The point being… they are capable! Now see the result for yourself- box office records up and down. Laughs. Anyway, it’s good for those who put so much pressure on the specie called woman.
Still talking about women, how does the female actor fare in Nigeria, with stories about couch casting? You started your career as an actor, did you ever experience this?
Yeah, yeah. The couch casting syndrome is eminent in Nollywood as I imagine with other industries but that’s not an excuse for a scruffy filmmaker to assume he or she can seduce or caress an actor in need of a role It’s ridiculous and the first time it happened to me, I hit the man so hard that he could not believe his eyes. Theyeye marketer met me at a producer’s office and decided to try his bad luck. He surprisingly placed his hands around my shoulders and slowly made his way down my back side. As he did this, he voiced out loud in his igbotic accent “Nna, this tall slim gal will be good for our epic feem oh…” Anyway, what happened next is story for a short movie. You will have to pay me to get that gist. Laughs…
The second harassment came from a prominent writer, producer, director who also wanted to try his luck. I had called to speak to him about the possibility of us working together. He gave me an appointment which I kept. The meeting was at a hotel, not his office. I had asked him why we were meeting at the hotel and he said, it was a make shift office… A routine he does when he needs time to write. I believed him and followed him to the make shift office. When inside, he gave me a script to read and went on to spew some lyrics which was intended to hit the right spot. Only that my spot isn’t easily receptive to such targets. His lyrics were: “you know, writing is like a drug, when I start, I get really into it,. And that’s why I like to retreat” I go:“wow, I can imagine me too I’d like to write some screenplays some day. I think I have a flare for it. “I must have taken him off his route because his next statement made sure to take us there. “Don’t you want to Act again?” He asked. “of course, I do, shebi that’s why I called you. You shoot a lot of films and I will like to feature in one” I replied. Then he said something like: “Great then but all the scripts I have now have complete cast attached. What I can do for you is simple, I’ll write like 3 of 4 scripts with you as lead. But to do that you will have to spend some time with me, we will travel to the east together and as I see you, the inspiration will come for the stories.”
I paused for a while, then came up with an answer:“wow you will do that for me? Thank you so much. This calls for celebration. I’m coming, let me discharge my cab man. He was smiling when I left the room, but the smile didn’t last as I called him soon after I entered the cab and abused the hell out of him.”
But seriously though, these abusive acts must stop. So many actors have fallen to the schemes of liars. I have had to speak to so many upcoming actors about not giving in to the casting couch practice which they are deceived to see as paying their dues. That is why I give as many opportunities as possible to new artistes in my productions. I guess it’s my own little way of giving hope to upcomers now that I am now a writer producer and director.
Your film, The Women was said to have done pretty well at the cinemas, does that give you an idea of what the Nigerian audience wants?
The Women did okay at the cinemas, not well. Doing well is when you gross above the N75m mark. Remember the producer only takes home between 30 and 35 after all the deductions. But if you add sales from other platforms, then you can say The Women did well.
As for the Nigerian audience reception to Nollywoodfilms, records have shown that the audience is unpredictable. Films that make Nigerians laugh and forget their sorrows seem to be the first on the list followed by well delivered dramas with a stint of comedy. Maybe well-made action films will get their support. But in all of these, a well publicised and hyped film always sees them rushing to the cinemas. My hope for The Ten Virgins is that it is appreciated because it is a genre yet untapped and different in many ways
In what ways is The Ten Virgins different?
The Ten Virgins is different from my previous works. Apart from the stage-like set and characteristics deployed, it is full of music and dance. The setting and language are medieval and a lot of work went into achieving the old fashioned look and feel. It also had a large cast with over 500 back ground actors!
After The Ten Virgin, what next, what dreams do you have for your career?
My dream is to harness my craft. Fortify it against wear or tear, continue to tell stories that calls me to action and stay relevant in the business for as long as I choose to practice.
Is any of your children interested in this business?
Danielle is most definitely interested in acting and I see her leaning towards that. She likes to sing and dance too. Michelle has God given talents in abundance. I just hope she stays interested in harnessing them. She plays the violin, piano, cello and drums, her drawings are exceptional and at 10, she has asked to start a comic story book. She is also good is sports and is an A student in Computer Science and Numeracy. Simeon is a fine boy with behaviours like the many cartoon characters he watches. With time we will know where his interest lies