Film Directors From Nigeria

"I don’t think I have any bad habit but nobody is perfect. I only pray that God makes me a better person in my imperfect ways. I am a human being and human beings are not perfect. It is only God that’s perfect."

"I will live my dream. I enjoy what I am doing right now. I said I will live my dream in the sense that when I get to that end, I would have put in all I wanted to invest in my career. It’s then, I would say I will be living my dream but I am still working, working very hard to realize that dream. I can’t say I have landed yet."

"Playing with a python or lion is not a big deal. I have always loved animals and I like having them around me. I don’t see anything unusual about that."

"Some people are boring and have a myopic attitude but I don’t worry myself about them"

"It’s both. I think one of my biggest fears is accepting money to shoot a movie though I do get several offers. In as much as content is king, the demand for it is getting higher but the remuneration is getting lower. Producers, who have made huge box office returns, check out what they have put in and their returns. If you say you make N100 million in cinemas, split that in three ways first before you start considering returns on investment from the one-third that comes to you."

"You can count on two hands the films I’ve made. That is to tell you that it is not as lucrative as it seems. What makes it lucrative is also spending a lot of money on making the film, promoting the film and making sure everyone hears about it. So, small screen film makers like me (because there are some filmmakers that only come out to make films for cinema) bank on the numbers. As long as you keep working, you’ll be able to balance out. But if you’ll be going to the cinemas, you’ll need money to go in the first place and you’ll also need to wait a long time to be paid and to be licensed. It’s not a return that comes at once, it spreads over time"

"My husband is a young man and very conservative and he had one worry which is quite valid. The trend of people getting married and breaking up was his worry. And also the African perspective to how people will be ‘touching his wife’ and all that but by the time we crossed that bridge, there were lots of rules like ‘ don’t let them hug you’ and the likes. He’s comfortable now that I am the producer and so I’ll know how to write it to soothe our conditions; and by the time he even agreed the flair was gone. So it was more of me just wanting to be a film maker and I found peace."

"“I’m a writer, producer, director and sometimes I want to be an actor because my original dream since I was a teenager was to act but life directions didn’t really take that course. I studied Philosophy in OAU and when I graduated I went into radio. I was on Star FM for a while as a newscaster. I then moved to MITV to be a TV presenter and then I went on to Insight Communication Agency to be a copy writer and afterwards went back to radio, Rainbow FM for about 4-years."

"Acting was actually my first love, but for some reason, that part of my life never really took off; so, I went back to film school, London film academy, studied film production/screenwriting and my whole film making career kicked off. What spurred me? I had always wanted to tell and share my story with the world."

"It’s important to touch on human rights. It’s important to heal the society and tame the evils before the society and that’s why we came up with this movie. We looked at how we can talk about one of the evils in the society and also mirror the society and inspire changes"

"Irrespective of the lines that divide us, we need to tolerate each other and being knowledgeable that whatever we do to another person comes back to us."

"A percentage of my profits from my films will be used to build a computer centre in my village. I am even more committed now to ensuring that every young person there receives free basic computer training."

"For me, every time I have to shoot one of those scenes (a sex scene in a movie), everybody is gone on set except the personnel needed to shoot the scene. I go out of my way to make sure that the actors are comfortable to portray what it is to portray and also I ensure that nobody takes advantage of the other because it is difficult for the guy and it’s also difficult for the woman, so it’s my duty to make everywhere comfortable so that they can portray everything they have to portray. As you were asking me how do I do it, I, first of all, empty the place, and only the people that can be there can be there. I know that some crew members can be okay but sometimes, it might make the actors uncomfortable. It’s just another scene in the movie but it’s a serious scene and I make sure my actors are not uncomfortable and I think that is why they are willing to do it for me in my films as well.”"

"A lot of people are getting married for the wrong reasons: money, family pressure. A lot of people are trapped in their marriages and they do all kinds of things including adultery. So Flower Girl is about a young girl Kemi, who dreams about getting married to her boyfriend because that is what a lot of the women do. They dream about the wedding and never think about the marriage itself which is a lifelong commitment."

"I like to learn from each project that I do what I can do better. I’ve always pushed myself to the next level. So I naturally expect high standard from everybody; actors, crew and everyone that I work with. I am tired of people telling me this is the way it is done in Nigeria. For me, mediocre is not an excuse. I understand that there are certain limitations we have but for me, with passion, determination and with God on your side, you can achieve anything. I am a testimony to that."

"It was tough especially not knowing many people in an industry that is dominated by the menfolk. I am so passionate about films that my determination helped and a lot of perseverance and learning about how things work here. How I learnt abroad and how it is done here, is very different. So you have to learn, ask questions, and work with other people to gather experience. But when I came to my own productions, I had very high standard for myself even as a producer/ director."

"Piracy will never go away. It is even what made Nollywood films popular."

"2013 was a very difficult year for us logistically. But interestingly, it was one of the years that we planned very well;there were a lot of issues, people claimed they were strangled and I begin to wonder how one could come into Nigeria with one way ticket. It’s not possible."

"So, I do a lot of things with my hands; from Aromatherapy to reflexology, massage. I have different escentric things that I do. But I enjoy readings, watching films and listening to a lot of music. So, when I’m writing, I intend to listen to music. When I’m selling my fabrics, I’m having fun as well."

"Life has taught me gratitude. A few years ago, I got sick; my skin changed colour. I just woke up and my skin started changing colour and just about finding out what it was, I lost my brother, Michael, who was running the Foundation. He went for something and then, they shot him. So, my perspectives in life changed totally in terms of living our life just as it is and in turn I realized that everyday could be your last. I don’t think anything can change you more than something that is significant. He had just been with me in the hospital. When you go through such experiences like that then live your life for the best; don’t live it for anybody else. Don’t try to prove any point to anybody but just be as good as you can to the next person."

"I think people have to kind of hear the fact that I started writing when I was nine years old. I want people to know my story and all the things that I do. I realize that sometimes, it is important to tell your own story, in your own words. So, that you can also have young people realize that you don’t give up. You just have to keep dreaming and realizing those dreams."

"Stop giving birth to babies you know you can’t afford to take care of. God will hold you accountable for having children without giving them all the necessary guidance and parental care."

"There are no shortcuts to success, I’ve worked really hard to get to where I am today, so I’ll say hard work, determination and persistence are the key, and for me, those are not secrets."

"In all professions, you have bad eggs and decent people that one can respect and I can tell you, you will find many of such people in Kannywood. You know me very well, apart from the fact that at times, I can be too emotional in which some preferred to interpret to mean I am arrogant, I mind my business."

"For me it is not an inspiration, it’s a passion. I have been passionate about acting for as long as I could remember. I can’t really recall what made me to go into acting but I knew right from the beginning that it was what I had wanted to do."

"I wanted to be the kind of woman who would attract a certain kind of man that I could respect. That was my thinking. It had to do with the kind of couple I would be a part of."

"Time is indomitable, you can’t stop it, reverse it, hold it or pause it…”"

"I may fall a thousand times I tell you but I will always rise again greater than before.”"

"When something is local, it does not mean that it is dirty."

"I’d just want to encourage other young people who want to get into the movie industry that they should not give up hope and that they should continue to be passionate about what they want to do whether it is directing, producing or acting. They could start by reading online about their craft. Buy books and attach themselves to a producer for a while so that they can learn about the business and how things work. I’d just encourage them not to give up because I know how hard it can be because I’ve been there myself."

"If actresses don’t dress well, people would abuse them that upon all the films they act, they are not rich."

"My confidence is top-notch, my beauty is top-notch, my brain is top-notch, my acting is top-notch. So, I am world best. I didn’t call myself, they [fans] called me and I claimed it."

"I don’t want to ever lose my marriage. I do not want to ever have a failed marriage. I cannot imagine myself and my husband not living together."

"Nobody literally saw COVID 19 coming, this is to let you know we are not in charge of the affairs of the world but we only play an intriguing part. Covid19 affected everyone in different ways."

"As a child I have always known what I wanted. In my room I had a write-up that when I become eighteen I would rent my own apartment."

"Royal Arts Academy will contribute to the transformation, development and growth of Nigeria and the African continent as a whole, by offering first class training to students who would go on to produce excellent films that would place Nollywood at par with the international community. This training will be provided by industry professionals within and outside the country."

"I’m very happy doing what I’m doing. I have strong passion for it. And whenever I finish a movie and come across people who are enjoying my movies, I always feel elated."

"This is my first time to do a true life story. It was challenging for me. We spent weeks doing research in the creeks of Bayelsa, learning the culture of the people. My choice of cast fit the character in reality."

"Every country should respect its own local industry. We must look for ways to help Nigerians who put in a lot of hard work whether as cast or crew members. Their hope is to be able to earn a living from the sacrifices and efforts they put into supporting the production of the movies the Nigerian audience consume."

"As a way of saying thank you to my people, I have decided to film my next huge project in Uyo to continue in our contributions towards the development and growth of the movie industry in Akwa Ibom and indeed Nollywood."

"Enjoy the little things in life, because one day you’ll look back, and realize they were the big things."

"Special Jollof is just a love story set in the background of immigration, the problems immigrants go through and this preconceived notion that every immigrant is involved in illegal activities. This movie is actually different from what I normally do and because it is a well talked about issue worldwide at the moment, causing concern for world leaders."

"Remuneration for creatives in Nigeria is a far cry from what their counterparts receive abroad. Hollywood and other established film industries are much older and sophisticated than Nollywood and therefore would reward their practitioners better.""

"Shooting this movie was very challenging but also fun. One of the major challenges we faced was finding foreign actors, so, I had to hold an audition but thank God, the turnout was really impressive. Another challenge was finding locations and getting people to open up to you. I was new to that terrain, so, it was quite challenging for me.”"

"Life at 50, nothing has changed. It is still the same me. But mentally, I’m more matured. I have learned to be more humble. Humility pays. People you don’t even know; knows you and watch all your moves. I’m not a gym person, I eat anything but I drink water a lot. That’s my beauty secret."

"I think I have come of age. What I’m trying to say is that I’ve learnt a lot of lessons along the line. I believe in the aphorism that the more you grow, the older you become, the more experienced you would be. Sometimes you read certain things that if you check your life, you could actually pick one or two things that are happening in your own life and you learn a lot on how to handle similar situations."

"Women are naturally mothers and I think it works easy because it comes naturally. We just have to take care of our kids even when we have to work."

"Nothing in life is worth committing suicide over. It is said that when there is life, there is hope. For most people who reached that bridge of almost taking their lives, they eventually thank God that they did not take that plunge. The only thing that is constant is change. You may not have today, but you would have tomorrow."

"When it comes to people in unhappy marriages saying they want to commit suicide, I don’t subscribe to it. If you are not happy in your marriage, the best thing to do is get out of it. However, it is a bit unfortunate that these days, we are no longer as tolerant as our parents before us. Maybe because of the advent of social media, things travel so fast, and we no longer tolerate each other. There are a lot of things that can be overlooked but these days, it doesn’t happen like that. Nobody wants to take the pain to be in a marriage or relationship and stick with their partner’s shortcomings."

"If marriage doesn’t come, one would still live one’s life. It is not a do-or-die affair, and not everybody would get married. When people get married and stay in it, I consider them lucky. These days, marriages don’t last. When one hears the things happening everywhere, getting ‘entangled’ would be scary. People that are not married still live happily."