Marketplace Africa explores Nigeria's debut at the Cannes Film Festival

Marketplace Africa explores Nigeria's debut at the Cannes Film Festival

According to a 2023 industry report by Neclive, film production and distribution in Nigeria is a $6.4 billion business, with the number only expected to grow in coming years. In the most recent episode of Marketplace Africa, CNN visits the Cannes Film Festival in France to see the debut of ‘My Father’s Shadow’, the first Nollywood film to be part of Cannes’ official selection.

‘My Father’s Shadow’ portrays a family drama set against the backdrop of the 1993 Nigerian general election, which was annulled, prompting civil unrest. Actor and Executive Producer, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, explains that the film is, “A massive celebration of our culture and ultimately is a very local story, but it has a global reach.”

He continues on Nigeria’s film industry more widely, “Nigerian storytelling, Nigerian cinema, has a lot to offer the world, and we're really looking forward to not only what this festival could do for our film, but for the industry of filmmaking back in Nigeria.”

The film was directed by British Nigerian Akinola Davies Jr. and written with his brother Wale. Akinola explains the semi-autobiographical nature of the film, based on the loss of their father at a very young age, “When we grew up, we'd always meet people, and they would tell us stories about our dad. And it was kind of good and bad in a way, because it's exciting to hear these stories. But equally, they have the stories, and we don't.”

Shot on location in Lagos with a predominantly Nigerian and diaspora cast and crew, the film is a significant example of how the local industry worked alongside international producers. Akinola tells CNN about the decision to keep things local, “We just really wanted to capture the essence of the city from the very sort of like grounded level. I think a lot of people see the sort of high end, nouveau riche aspects of Lagos. But I think what really is the lifeblood, and the cells, and the veins of the city is how working-class people move and operate within Lagos.”

At the festival’s film market, the Nigerian government launched the Screen Nigeria Project and a raft of ambitious new initiatives, as it looks to boost the nation’s film industry. Hannatu Musa Musawa, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Federal Republic of Nigeria, talks to CNN about the initiatives, “We're trying to leverage on our culture of content and creativity to bring in economic growth and expansion into Nigeria. And our commitment or our goal is to ensure that we contribute at least $100 billion to increase the GDP by 2030.”

Musawa says the efforts of the government-funded Screen Nigeria are multipronged and include establishing funds and online platforms for creatives to develop projects, as well as building out the infrastructure to support filmmakers. Baba Agba, Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on Creativity, said Screen Nigeria also plans to reform film distribution in the country to help curb piracy.

Agba elaborates on the goal to promote homegrown voices and talent, “I think a lot of people do not have a formed picture, it's blurry to them of what the Nigerian film system is. It's very varied […]. We want to show people who we are, what we are, how we live, and let them be able to connect with us. ‘My Father’s Shadow’ is a prime example of what can happen when you have these types of international conversations.”

Agba ends with a rousing sentiment about the need for everyone’s involvement in order to get Nigerian film where it deserves to be, “The time is now. Everybody needs to put their hands to the deck. Our diaspora is massive and everywhere. Some of the biggest stars in the world across film, television, not just on screen, but off-screen executives everywhere, they are all Nigerian. You see what music is doing. Trust me, film is going to hit harder.”

This article is extracted from a recent episode of Marketplace Africa by CNN.