The movie industry globally is a multi-billion dollar industry. The flagship of this industry, Hollywood, has been a source of some of the greatest masterpieces of all time. They also have some of the oldest production companies there, with some spanning more than 75 years in the business. Other markets have been producing good movies as well; such as the Bollywood of India and Nollywood of Nigeria. The African movies however seem to exhibit the fastest growth in the industry right now.
The African movie industry is growing rapidly with statistics indicating that on any given day, an African movie is being released somewhere on the African continent. This means that Africa is producing a minimum of 366 movies a year, with countries like Nigeria single handedly surpassing that benchmark. Even though most productions are not of high quality and might therefore not attract an international audience, the local audiences are growing just as fast.
But the African movie industry has not always been like this. The industry was literally on its knees in the 80s and 90s. This was because the local media houses preferred international programs to locally produced programs. This made it impossible to get an audience, even if the film was good. But this has rapidly changed through out the African continent. More and more stations are taking a pro-active approach to local programs. This has in turn encouraged the African film makers to produce more films.
As the situation stands right now, the industry has still not seen its full potential. Industry players claim that we have not even scratched the surface. We have more productions being done everyday and getting the necessary exposure through local media. Having seen the potential, even international production houses now want a piece of the cake as well.
The beauty of an infant industry is that it presents some unique opportunities. There is much to learn about the techniques required to make a good movie. Sometimes it is not about the size of the budget of the movie, but rather what one does with the available budget and resources. Any production house that can produce high quality products will definitely set itself to be a leader in the industry.
As a young industry, the market presents some unique challenges as well. One of the greatest challenges to making a good African movie is funding. Most of the productions are done on a meager budget and as a result, the quality is compromised. There is also a great challenge in the area of actual expertise. Most of the producers of African movies are still on the learning curve and therefore can't produce very high quality work.
Another area of the industry that is challenging is the distribution part of the business. This is one of the greatest advantages that Hollywood has over all the other movie production centers, distribution. The lack of an efficient and large distribution network means that even if a good African movie is produced, it cannot reach a large number of people. It is only viewed by a few.
The market for African movies is definitely growing by the day. If the current challenges in funding and distribution are addressed, the movies may be able to reach more people and have a greater impact.
The African movie industry is growing rapidly with statistics indicating that on any given day, an African movie is being released somewhere on the African continent. This means that Africa is producing a minimum of 366 movies a year, with countries like Nigeria single handedly surpassing that benchmark. Even though most productions are not of high quality and might therefore not attract an international audience, the local audiences are growing just as fast.
But the African movie industry has not always been like this. The industry was literally on its knees in the 80s and 90s. This was because the local media houses preferred international programs to locally produced programs. This made it impossible to get an audience, even if the film was good. But this has rapidly changed through out the African continent. More and more stations are taking a pro-active approach to local programs. This has in turn encouraged the African film makers to produce more films.
As the situation stands right now, the industry has still not seen its full potential. Industry players claim that we have not even scratched the surface. We have more productions being done everyday and getting the necessary exposure through local media. Having seen the potential, even international production houses now want a piece of the cake as well.
The beauty of an infant industry is that it presents some unique opportunities. There is much to learn about the techniques required to make a good movie. Sometimes it is not about the size of the budget of the movie, but rather what one does with the available budget and resources. Any production house that can produce high quality products will definitely set itself to be a leader in the industry.
As a young industry, the market presents some unique challenges as well. One of the greatest challenges to making a good African movie is funding. Most of the productions are done on a meager budget and as a result, the quality is compromised. There is also a great challenge in the area of actual expertise. Most of the producers of African movies are still on the learning curve and therefore can't produce very high quality work.
Another area of the industry that is challenging is the distribution part of the business. This is one of the greatest advantages that Hollywood has over all the other movie production centers, distribution. The lack of an efficient and large distribution network means that even if a good African movie is produced, it cannot reach a large number of people. It is only viewed by a few.
The market for African movies is definitely growing by the day. If the current challenges in funding and distribution are addressed, the movies may be able to reach more people and have a greater impact.
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