Video film era

The video film era, also known as the home video era, is a period in Nigerian cinema, typically from the late 1980s / early 1990s to mid 2010s, when Nigerian films were made using affordable video format. The video boom era emerged after the downturn of the Golden era of the Nigerian cinema in the late 1980s. The term "home video" stems from the concept of staying at home to watch the films, in contrast to films of the Golden Age which were watched at the movie theatres.

The beginnings of the video film market in Nigeria is traced back to the 1980s when television productions thrived. Many of the television productions often found their ways into VHS, leading to the development of a small scale informal video trade. This method was adopted and built on by producers and distributors at Alaba market to reinvent the film industry which was at the time facing a major decline. The first film produced on video in Nigeria is 1988's ''Soso Meji'', produced by Ade Ajiboye. Subsequently, Alade Aromire produced ''Ekun'' (1989) on video. However, the boom experienced in this era is generally believed to have been kick started by Kenneth Nnebue's ''Living in Bondage'' (1992), although some historians claim otherwise.

This era marked an all-time peak in the number of Nigerian film productions. As at 2004, at least four to five films were produced every day in Nigeria, and the movies already dominated television screens across the African continent and by extension, the Caribbeans and the diaspora, with the movies significantly influencing cultures in many African nations, and the film actors becoming household names across the continent. The boom also led to backlash against Nigerian films in several countries, who supposedly wanted to prevent "recolonization" by Nigeria (or "Nigerialization of Africa"). There have been reported cases of raids on shops selling Nigerian films, and governments who have introduced protectionist measures, such as introducing taxes for production houses and/or actors who want to shoot films in their countries, as well as the outright banning of Nigerian films.

In this era, Nigeria's film industry grew to become a big employer of labour in Nigeria, providing over a million jobs and contributing about 5% of the GDP. At the peak of the era at around 2008, the industry had become the second largest producer of films, releasing approximately 200 video films monthly.Copyright infringement was also at its peak, with production houses running at a loss and closing down their outfits. This development led to the need to revamp the film industry, with the birth of New Nigerian cinema.

History

Emergence in 1990s

The emergence of the video film market in Nigeria is traced back to the 1980s when television productions thrived. Jimi Odumosu's ''Evil Encounter'', a 1983 horror film released directly on television, was the first production to be a pointer to how lucrative making film directly on video can be. The film was extensively promoted before being aired on the television, and as a result, had streets flooded the following morning with video copies of the recorded broadcast. It was reported that the film became an instant hit at Alaba market, a commercial district which later became the hub of video distribution in this period and also eventually became a hub of copyright violation in Nigeria. Since ''Evil Encounter'', it became common, especially in Southern Nigerian cities to see video copies of recorded television programmes traded on the streets.

This method was adopted and built on by producers and distributors at Alaba Market to reinvent the film industry, since the Nigerian cinema culture was facing a major decline. The first film produced on video in Nigeria was 1988's ''Soso Meji'', produced by Ade Ajiboye. The film was also screened at the few available theatres at the time. Subsequently, Alade Aromire produced ''Ekun'' (1989) on video, which was screened at the National Theatre, Iganmu. However, the boom experienced in this era is generally believed to have been kick started by Kenneth Nnebue's ''Living in Bondage'' (1992). Nnebue had an excess number of imported video cassettes which he then used to shoot his first film on a Video camera. Although ''Living in Bondage'' is often touted in the media as the "first commercial videofilm", many historians have argued that the video film industry was already booming before ''Living in Bondage'', therefore can't be the first commercial film. Furthermore, Nnabue, himself, had been producing Yoruba-language video films before ''Living in Bondage'', with his first film being ''Aje Ni Iya Mi'' (1989), which was also very profitable.

Other films released in the early period of this era also include: ''Circle of Doom'' (1993) and ''Glamour Girls'' (1994). Film people who pioneered this period, often called the "second generations", include: Amaka Igwe, Alade Aromire, Zeb Ejiro, Chico Ejiro, The Amata brothers, Femi Lasode, Liz Benson, Kenneth Nnebue, Richard Mofe Damijo, Zack Orji, Pete Edochie, Sam Loco Efe, US Galadima, Yinka Quadri, Jide Kosoko, Omotola Jalade, Genevieve Nnaji, Kenneth Okonkwo, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, along with others who were part of the Golden era, such as Tunde Kelani, Olu Jacobs, Joke Silva and amongst others.

In 1993, the National Film Festival was held for the first time in Nigeria, and the industry's film output score sheet recorded moderate figures of about fifty Yoruba-language films, twenty five English-language films, five Hausa-language films, and One Igbo-language film. The Nigerian Film Institute, Jos was established by the Nigerian government in November 1995 to help develop young Nigerian talents in the art of filmmaking. As at this time in 1995, 177 video films were recorded by the Nigerian Censors Board, a number which further increased to 233 in 1996. It reduced in 1997 to 214, but in 1998 increased again to 356. The number of films registered in 1999 was 389.

Boom of the 2000s

The number of Nigerian video films registered in 2000 almost doubled the 1999 value, with 712 films. It continued to further increase in 2001 through 2002, with 974 and 1,018 respectively. It then reduced once more to 761 in 2003. Number of video films from Nigeria reached all-time high in 2005, with the number of films registered reaching 1,711. Over the years, the viewership of Nigerian films spread throughout Africa, and with a massive audience in Europe, and Asia.

As at 2004, at least four to five films were produced every day in Nigeria. Nigerian movies now already dominate television screens across the African continent and by extension, the diaspora. The film actors also became household names across the continent, and the movies have significantly influenced cultures in many African nations; from way of dressing to speech and usage of Nigerian slang. This was attributed to the fact that Nigerian films told "relatable" stories, which made foreign films to gather dusts on the shelves of video stores, even though they cost much less.

This boom however also led to backlash against Nigerian films in several countries; For instance, there have been reported cases of shops selling Nigerian films being raided by the police in Ghana; according to them, "they are struggling not to be colonized by Nigerian movies". Several other governments also introduced protectionist measures, some of which include introducing taxes for production houses who want to shoot films in their countries. In July 2010, Ghana started demanding US$1,000 from visiting Nigerian actors and US$5,000 from producers and directors. The Democratic Republic of Congo had also tried to ban Nigerian films. Jean Rouch, a champion of indigenous art in Niger