What Ellen Degeneres and Delta are really teaching us - African filmmakers.

I was on a filmmaking panel sometime back and I was asked the belabored question: how can African films or Nollywood films break into Hollywood.

My response was a retort; Hollywood don't want your film. Period. Is your film a panorama of a deprived or violent Africa? Perhaps it depicts a dark and strange Africa? No?, No? PASS. They don't want it.

We might want to consider the track record of films made by Africans, about Africa, that have attained Hollywood success. AIDS, poverty, war, 11yr old marrying 90yr old. That's what they know and that's what they want to see. That's what makes them feel better about themselves and I do NOT blame them! We caused it! Right now, the onus is on us to change the narrative.  

 Unfortunately, Nollywood is busy bickering, bragging, jumping the gun, making self adoring movies, fighting each other, envying each other, and engaging in anything that fosters strife. 

A filmmaker in Ghana once said to me, he makes fancy movies for Americans to know that Ghana has nice places too. This was 3 years ago. Are his movies making any impact? Of course not. Face reality, no one, outside Africans and Africans in the diaspora is watching your films. Not only because you do not cater to the stereotype, the films are not made properly. No art of storytelling and no production value. Shooting in a fancy house is not what determines or grants production value. It's a combination of factors.  

 Unless Africa unites and creates its own market, 1. Our movies will only transcend the doorway of an African market in Brooklyn NY, after its spent a few painful weeks nestled between stock fish and palm oil. 2. Perish the very thought. No one in Hollywood is coming for you. 

Since the launch of IrokoTV, cyberspace has been besieged with various African owned web TVs; AppleTV, OrangeTV, Okra TV, kenkeyTV, ShitoTV, US 2 - Ghana 1 TV, etc. Must everyone be a distributor????? I agree there is monopoly when you sell your content to an online distributor. They want exclusive right after paying a fee subordinate to half of what you spent on the film, with no royalties - might I add. NEWSFLASH! Small distribution companies in Hollywood that take small films never pay an advance, and you never see a dime in royalties either. Small film, small success unless you have the universal lubricant: "have your people call my people". Connections. 

 Indeed, our online content providers also need to restructure.  

The botheration here, is, Africans do not like to share. We can't share spotlight, we can't share anything. 
Every producer in Ghana owns a camera. Try operating a camera rental house, that's a recipe for a sinking venture.

A director performs about 4 different jobs on set instead of hiring trained personnel. 
Producer craves to play lead role and be the sole producer, and take sole producer credit.
A director wants to play lead, play producer, and simultaneously, cook for the catering department.

All these are attributed cutting cost, of course. What else?

It's not brain science to deduce they obtain sizable budgets, proceed to slash it in half and go wealth snagging. They buy cars and equipment, underpay crew, under-hire crew. No sharing. 

I understand the theory and practice of keeping costs low to maximize profit, but if you had an effective industry, you could have all departments represented, pay scale, and still make profit. 
We don't share. Everyone wants to be the only one at the top. No unity among filmmakers. 

They have their clusters, yet within those clusters, they do not help each other. 

Until we unite and have one voice, where Ghana is, will never be common knowledge. It will have to be 'googled'. No matter the amount of cocoa you produce for their chocolate. No matter the kente tassels they wear for their graduation ceremonies, destination: google. 

Bottom line, Africa needs to create its own system of film-making and distribution. A united front. When you have a stronghold, you may begin to look attractive to others. 

When you spot a giraffe in Ghana, please lemme know!!