Nollywood actor and director, Emeka Ossai has shared his sentiment about ‘New Nollywood’ blaming originality in Nollywood movies on the new hands.
Emeka Ossai made this statement during the visit of members of the Creative Industry Group visit to the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos where he claimed that most of the new movies lack focus.
According to him, Nollywood was pulled out of nothing by the deliberate efforts of the veterans and they keep working to keep that name afloat regardless of whatever happens.
“The veterans started the path called Nollywood some years back and were able to colonize Africa and the diaspora to love our contents and to love Nigeria.
“To sustain Nollywood, the kind of story we tell should be original and indigenous.
“Some people have infiltrated the industry with colonial mentality of doing business. They want to adulterate our culture by bringing in some content outside our cultural identity.
“People acting and mimicking the whites when they are blacks by speaking through their nostrils and changing the trajectory from contemporary Africa stories should rethink.”
The actor and director also had something to say about bringing untrained actors into the industry and giving them big roles without assuring quality performance.
He reiterated that in his days, an individual could play the ‘waka pass’ role for ten years before getting the chance to play a big role.
“Some producers of movies have created ‘New Nollywood’ by bringing in untrained artistes. In our own time, we were trained either formally or informally.
“We were trained in the Nollywood through apprenticeship or actual practice overtime before becoming a frontrunner in the business.
“Some artists can play the role of a ‘Waka Pass’ for 10 years before getting a lead role. A fresher cannot muscle an old hand in a role within a short time.
“The younger ones cannot go to the cinemas without the inputs of the older ones and think it will succeed, no, it might fail.”