In this article, I am concerned principally with Taxi Driver (Oriahi, 2015), Gbomo Gbomo Express ... more In this article, I am concerned principally with Taxi Driver (Oriahi, 2015), Gbomo Gbomo Express (Taylaur, 2015), Just Not Married (Patrick, 2016), Ojukokoro (Greed) (Olaitan, 2016) as well as Catch.er (Taylaur, 2017). These films are characterized as much by the depiction of clever criminals as the cultivation of a cynical disposition from which transgressions of this sort appear stylish and violence is rendered ‘cool’. Almost all of them turn on a scheme to dupe others of a large sum of money, and are punctuated by backstabbing partners in crime, tables turning by chance, edgy armed standoffs and a surprising number of bodies in car trunks. Given the dark portrait of Lagos these films present, one might be inclined to read the genre cycle as a reiteration of the role Lagos has historically played as embodiment of popular anxieties concerning insecurity, material inequality and social breakdown. And yet, in recent years, conditions within the city have markedly improved over those of the deepest point of urban crisis in the 1990s when Lagos was, indeed, para- lysed by a generalized condition of insecurity and dysfunction. New Nollywood’s repertoire of film styles has expanded to include international film cycles and genres such as romantic comedies, psychological thrillers, police procedurals, among others. This raises important questions about the nature of correspondences between cinema and the city, such as whether New Nollywood genre films tell us anything about social, cultural or historical circumstances in Lagos, or the place the city occupies in the popular imagination, for instance. Recent upmarket film noirs speak, instead, to the evolution of Lagos as a media capital. I examine the different kinds of work genre performs in New and Old Nollywood films and propose a number of ways to critically interpret genre’s various registers.
A Sketch of Nollywood's Metropolitan New Style, 2015
Recent experimentation by Nollywood producers has encouraged increasing differentiation of film p... more Recent experimentation by Nollywood producers has encouraged increasing differentiation of film practices as a strategy for contending with a demanding video market. "New Nollywood" refers to a select group of aesthetically sophisticated films intended for a new tiered distribution method, beginning with theatrical release and ending with DVD release. Nigeria's upscale multiplex cinemas are therefore a starting point for examining what is new-and not so new-in Nollywood. This article argues that New Nollywood films and the cinemas in which they appear appeal directly to spectators' senses by promising not only a movie and shopping , but also an affective experience closely bound up with global consumerism. The films exhibit a metropolitan vantage point that emphasizes subjects such as airline travel, trendy technology, consumer culture, global pop culture, lifestyle brands, high fashion, and luxury goods. These films advertise their "modernity," which is not presented as a consolidated order of knowledge and values, but rather as an assemblage of signifiers of city life. Whereas mainstream Nollywood continues to produce strong narratives that resonate with its intended audience, New Nollywood with its emphasis on images and style-is a direct expression of the cultural and economic forces shaping life in Lagos today.
On June 28, 2013, several experienced video film producers met at the request of the interviewer ... more On June 28, 2013, several experienced video film producers met at the request of the interviewer and discussed the latest developments in Nollywood. This interview covers the key topics of that conversation, including producers' reactions to the attention of international media, the changing expectations of Nigerian audiences, some persistent obstacles to video distribution, and the hope among some producers for the revival of neighborhood cinemas in Nigeria.
In this article, I am concerned principally with Taxi Driver (Oriahi, 2015), Gbomo Gbomo Express ... more In this article, I am concerned principally with Taxi Driver (Oriahi, 2015), Gbomo Gbomo Express (Taylaur, 2015), Just Not Married (Patrick, 2016), Ojukokoro (Greed) (Olaitan, 2016) as well as Catch.er (Taylaur, 2017). These films are characterized as much by the depiction of clever criminals as the cultivation of a cynical disposition from which transgressions of this sort appear stylish and violence is rendered ‘cool’. Almost all of them turn on a scheme to dupe others of a large sum of money, and are punctuated by backstabbing partners in crime, tables turning by chance, edgy armed standoffs and a surprising number of bodies in car trunks. Given the dark portrait of Lagos these films present, one might be inclined to read the genre cycle as a reiteration of the role Lagos has historically played as embodiment of popular anxieties concerning insecurity, material inequality and social breakdown. And yet, in recent years, conditions within the city have markedly improved over those of the deepest point of urban crisis in the 1990s when Lagos was, indeed, para- lysed by a generalized condition of insecurity and dysfunction. New Nollywood’s repertoire of film styles has expanded to include international film cycles and genres such as romantic comedies, psychological thrillers, police procedurals, among others. This raises important questions about the nature of correspondences between cinema and the city, such as whether New Nollywood genre films tell us anything about social, cultural or historical circumstances in Lagos, or the place the city occupies in the popular imagination, for instance. Recent upmarket film noirs speak, instead, to the evolution of Lagos as a media capital. I examine the different kinds of work genre performs in New and Old Nollywood films and propose a number of ways to critically interpret genre’s various registers.
A Sketch of Nollywood's Metropolitan New Style, 2015
Recent experimentation by Nollywood producers has encouraged increasing differentiation of film p... more Recent experimentation by Nollywood producers has encouraged increasing differentiation of film practices as a strategy for contending with a demanding video market. "New Nollywood" refers to a select group of aesthetically sophisticated films intended for a new tiered distribution method, beginning with theatrical release and ending with DVD release. Nigeria's upscale multiplex cinemas are therefore a starting point for examining what is new-and not so new-in Nollywood. This article argues that New Nollywood films and the cinemas in which they appear appeal directly to spectators' senses by promising not only a movie and shopping , but also an affective experience closely bound up with global consumerism. The films exhibit a metropolitan vantage point that emphasizes subjects such as airline travel, trendy technology, consumer culture, global pop culture, lifestyle brands, high fashion, and luxury goods. These films advertise their "modernity," which is not presented as a consolidated order of knowledge and values, but rather as an assemblage of signifiers of city life. Whereas mainstream Nollywood continues to produce strong narratives that resonate with its intended audience, New Nollywood with its emphasis on images and style-is a direct expression of the cultural and economic forces shaping life in Lagos today.
On June 28, 2013, several experienced video film producers met at the request of the interviewer ... more On June 28, 2013, several experienced video film producers met at the request of the interviewer and discussed the latest developments in Nollywood. This interview covers the key topics of that conversation, including producers' reactions to the attention of international media, the changing expectations of Nigerian audiences, some persistent obstacles to video distribution, and the hope among some producers for the revival of neighborhood cinemas in Nigeria.
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