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An overdue attention on film industry
ADEMOLA JAMES
IT is
heartening that government has at last decided to fully and directly step into
the chaotic mess which currently characterizes the organization of the film
industry in Nigeria. Efforts to help re-organize the industry by the
under-funded regulatory bodies in the past so as to make it easier for the
agencies to perform their functions were misunderstood, misinterpreted or
ignorantly ignored by practitioners.
Like most Nigerians, stakeholders in the
industry will always rally round any idea connected with money, especially now
that this administration has publicly announced the provision of a sum of N100m
in the budget to help organize and re-structure the industry and business. In
expending such an amount to put up recognizable and bona-fide structures for the
industry, the government must be firm, determined and focused. Structures or
organizations that eventually emerge must be legally established through CAC
incorporation and other such legalistic requirements for a start. They could
subsequently be chartered and fully empowered through the Legislature later, if
need be.
It is necessary to bear all this in mind
because artists and performers are not an easy group to deal with, considering
their mercurial temperament and the past experiences of government agencies and
officials. The voted amount should not be handed over to any of the existing
private "organizations" in the industry. N100m of public funds may sound paltry
in these days of billions and trillions of naira always announced for
expenditure by three governmental set-ups at local, state and national levels.
Yet the money must be accounted for now or in the future by all involved in its
disbursement or spending. Also considering the fact that the film industry
itself is now worth aggregately some N15 to N20 billion in total turn-over
annually (inclusive of foreign exchange expenditure for equipment, inputs and
earnings from export and piracy), N100m may look like a drop in the seemingly
continuous oceanic expansion of the industry.
Yet, while the industry continues to
expand, it is obviously not developing. And the reason is because it is not
structured or property organized to attract required investments by the local
organized private sector and foreign investors in the major technical and
technological support areas that actually sustain the industry. Such areas
include equipment assembly or manufacture, production of inputs such as tapes,
CD’s building of modern cinema halls, etc.
It is worthy of note that prior to
government’s "support" through the N100m vote, foreign media had to recognize
the industry first, for its worth. And lately a South African firm has decided
to step into the production of inputs locally as well as exhibition and
distribution sub-sectors, perhaps three of the most lucrative aspects of the
entire industry. May be this will ginger the "big boys" of the organized private
sector in Nigeria from the finance houses and investment groups to take
necessary action too.
But who do they deal with especially with
reference to investment in the production of movies? Individual producers,
director, actors, actresses, marketers, etc?
Or is it the numerous professional bodies
that continue to mushroom into splinter groups at the slightest disagreement
among the members? Or their non-existent or badly run administrative offices
(some located in private homes)?
This is where the N100m vote could prove
useful, historic and small as it may be. Obviously the sum of N100m is not
enough to be injected directly into production and post-production aspects of
the industry. How many movies would be sponsored or financially assisted? Will
it be on refundable loan basis?
How many gadgets and equipment will the
money buy for rental purposes? How many productions can use such few chains of
equipment simultaneously? Will the operators of the "small" amount of money not
be accused of "bias" one way or another?
The fact is that what the government has
voted to assist the industry - N100m - is not enough to meet even some of the
basic needs of the industry except if its is meant to be used solely and
particularly to re-organize and restructure the industry properly. It can then
be expended on setting up appropriate structures for the industry by opening
offices, employing administrative personnel, engaging legal consultants,
purchasing a few vehicles for mobility and utility purposes, buying office
equipment and furniture and covering related matters for probably a year for the
use of such well-organize structures. The vote cannot be a one-off affair, if
the envisaged re-organization and structural reforms are to achieve the desired
objectives.
Money would have to be provided to
continue the sustenance of these administrative offices for the new structures
of this industry as was the case with similar bodies in public relations and
advertising which the government subsidized in the past and probably still
continues with today.
It is necessary for the structural reforms
and re-organization to be properly executed before new or proposed official
agencies such as the Film Development Fund and Practitioners Council are
activated or started operating - so that they would be able to identify their
bona fide clientele. However, official appointees should not be imposed on the
industrial/professional structures that the funds may be used to establish by
government. The stakeholders and the practitioners advisedly should be in
charge.
Certainly, several restructure and re-organisation
options are available for the utilization of the special government vote. I was
not privileged to participate in the recent government sponsored retreat for
stakeholders in the industry where I would have presented some of the ideas
contained in this write-up. I wish to use this medium to humbly submit that,
above all, part of the N100m vote in the 2004 budget for the re-organization and
proper restructuring of the home video industry should be used, for a start, to
establish two foremostly required structures: An umbrella body: that will
embrace all stakeholders in the industry, north and south of Nigeria and Film
and Video Rights Collecting Society to handle the collection of royalties for
the practitioners and film owners from all the users of their works such as
video clubs, airports, hotels, salons, hospitals, schools, libraries, unlicensed
film exhibitors, night clubs, etc.
The umbrella organization will embrace all
the current bodies in existence as a form of trade union or over-arching
authority for all stakeholders. It will be financially empowered by
contributions from each and every organization belonging to it to enable it
speak authoritatively and act as a financial guarantor for members especially
during applications for loans from Banks or the proposed film development fund.
The government should help it take off with a special grant, from the N100m.
It should be recalled that for the past 35
years (1970-2004), or thereabout, the film industry and business in Nigeria have
remained private sector driven even though not well organized or properly
structured, because it was and still is an SMEI phenomenon. All the while,
government intervention in the business has been mainly through regulatory
agencies whose efforts were not really appreciated by most of the stakeholders.
Now that financial support is being promised, essentially for re-organization
and restructuring exercise, efforts in this direction could also be directed
advisedly first, on priority basis, at strengthening and enhancing the
technical, technological and money spinning or revenue-earning sub-sectors of
the industry.
These are in the areas of acquisition of
required state-of-the-art equipment and gadgets for packaging and finalizing
international standard productions. This will help in bringing in more foreign
exchange for exported works. Conjointly, the distribution and marketing system,
the very end-time of the industry, should be streamlined, restructured and
totally reformed so that the menace of piracy is considerably reduced. To rake
in more funds for the workers and investors, the Collecting Agency to pursue
royalties vigorously and determinedly should also be put in place as earlier
proposed.
If government’s restructure and
re-organization efforts are directed or focused on these three priority areas
initially, more funds could continue to accrue to practitioners and investors
for fresh investment in the industry.
To shore up a restructured and
re-organized distribution and marketing system it will be necessary to build new
1000-seaters movie halls, may be at least ten per state, for a start under one
management and reduce tax on such equipment as video and cine projectors so as
to revive and promote film viewing culture, which perhaps, is the most lucrative
aspect of the business, based on regular proceeds from gate fees.
Nigeria’s Cinema Revolution (the working
title of a book I’m currently writing on the industry) as a whole will be
greatly enhanced if the latest official intervention is immediately followed by
the establishment of a fully-empowered Film Practitioners Council and an
adequately funded Nigerian Film Development Trust Fund based on revolving loan
system to professionalize and energise the industry. This will enable the
industry join the league of local organized private sector at premiership level
provide its stakeholders the needed credentials for full support by the nation’s
finance industry and further raise the profile and prospects of film production
to enable it attract more direct foreign investments now and in the future. As a
labour intensive industry it could go a long way in contributing substantially
to the mass employment or job creation target of NEEDS.
•James is the pioneer CEO, National Film
and Video Censors Board, 1994-2001.
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