The movie industry globally is a multi-billion dollar industry. Hollywood is the flagship of this industry and has been a cease pool of some of the greatest masterpieces of all time. It has some of the oldest production studios, with some having been in the business for over 75 years. Other movie markets have been producing good movies as well; such as the Bollywood movie industry of India and the Nigerian Nollywood African movie industry. The African movies however seem to exhibit the fastest growth in the industry right now.
The African movie industry is growing really rapidly with statistics indicating that everyday, an African movie is being released somewhere on the African continent. This means that a minimum of 365 movies a year is being produced in Africa on a conservative estimate, with countries like Nigeria alone surpassing that benchmark. Even though most movie productions in Nigeria are not of high quality they are created specifically for the local audience in mind which is rapidly growing and beginning to attract the attention of international audience.
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 good thing about an infant industry is that it offers some unique opportunities. There is a lot to learn about the art and craft required to make a great movie. Sometimes it is not about the budget size available for the movie, but rather what one does with the available funds and resources. Any production studio that can produce high quality movies will definitely set itself apart and quickly become a leader in the industry.
As a new and developing industry, the market presents some unique challenges as well. One of the greatest challenges to making a good African movie is getting funding. Most of the productions are done on a very small budget and as a result, the quality is compromised. There is also a lot of challenges in the area of the availability of actual technical expertise. Most of the producers of African movies are still learning the art and craft and therefore cannot yet 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 really growing by the day. When the current challenges in funding and distribution are addressed, the movies may then be able to reach a lot more people and have a much greater impact globally.
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