John Boyega
Nigerian-British actor, John Boyega, has stated that Nollywood needs restructuring and collaboration to raise its standards.
According to him, filmmaking is not at the level it is supposed to be.
John made this known while speaking at the AFRIFF panel session on Monday.
He stated that Nollywood needs to improve its filmmaking quality to compete with global standards.
The 32-year-old actor, who had his international breakthrough in the ‘Star Wars’ sequel trilogy film also cited the importance of international collaboration.
Boyega said there is a need for workshops and learning opportunities to enhance the industry and called for the federal government’s support of Nollywood.
Drawing inspiration from international films, Boyega referenced Marvel’s Avengers and Black Panther’s success at the global box.
Boyega also advised directors and producers to adopt a more open-minded approach, embrace structural changes, conduct thorough research, and encourage constructive criticism.
He said, “Unfortunately, the filmmaking is not at the level it needs to be. Everybody has to be a student and collaborate at this point, we need to collaborate. To collaborate, both international and Nigerian filmmakers need to be humble.
“We also need to raise the standards. I want to see a Nigerian franchise that can make a billion naira at the global box.
“I want us to be the main place at the mainstream but we do need to improve the quality of filmmaking here.
“This then leads to opportunities like workshops that provide opportunities for people to learn. We also need government’s support. The most important thing now is we need to change our mind. We need to raise the standards.
“The new standard should be if I enjoy Avengers and Marvel, why not in Nigeria? Why can’t we have those kinds of movies here? We saw the way Black Panther went down in the global box.
“How much money they made imitating you but why can’t we do that for ourselves? I think it means getting off our high horses and everyone becoming a student.
“Also, Nollywood directors and producers have to open up their minds to a structural change. We need a structural change.
“If you think you have put a film together and you haven’t done research for the dialogue to be authentic, the extracurricular research outside of the role to see how the character will talk and walk.
“Trust me, you are not there yet and it is important for someone to tell you at this level that you are not there yet because how are you going to reach your full potential?
“… So we need to think about how we can collaborate to create change.”