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Arts Lounge
M songs come My w with a message ––Boomerang
Living Funeral sweeps 2014 AMVCA nominations
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Ruminating over future of Nollywood in 2014 The venue was the Protea Hotel Ikeja. An audience comprising filmmakers, critics, legal experts and scholars gathered to discuss some of the pertinent challenges facing the film industry in Nigeria as 2014, another year of production beckons. NGOZI EMEDOLIBE
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he annual international film forum jointly hosted by the Association of Nollywood Core Producers, ANCOP and the France-based International Federation of Film Producers Association, FIAPF, has marked its second edition at the Protea Hotel Ikeja. It was a gathering of hot heads in film business, cutting across the entire gamut of genres seamlessly working for the success of film business across continents. Carefully drawn up by the Association of Nollywood Core Producers, the forum since its inception last year has formulated topics which are broadly discussed by local and international professionals in the film making business as part of ANCOP’s contribution to the growth of the motion picture industry. With papers by professionals like Bertrand Moullier, of FIAPF, Sandra Oduwole, a lawyer, Prof. Banjo Sodipe, a copyrights expert and Emeka Mba of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, amongst others the forum treated issues that would come handy as Nigerian producers brace up for the challenges of a new year. Topics such as: ‘Film and Video Censors Board: Censorship or Classification?’, ‘The Pros and Cons of Co-production Treaties’, ‘Towards a standard Calendar for the Theatrical release of Nollywood Contents’, ‘Contents for Distribution’, and ‘Pathway from Nigeria’s Analogue to Digital transmission’ came on the front burner as a way of reawakening the passion of the practitioners in this direction. Emphasising the decision of the Association of Nollywood Core Producers in pioneering the collective good of Nollywood through its annual forum, the national president of the association, who is also the vice president of FIAFP, Alex Eyengho, averred that the forum was determined as always to crystallize essential ingredients that would enable the film industry in Nigeria enjoy its future like it is elsewhere in the filmmaking climes. “At the end of this forum, the positions of ANCOP and FIAPF on some key issues will be crystallized. For instance, the issues of copyright law reform and the need for the film industry to enjoy strong incentives and legal security at home and abroad to support its economic growth are very dear
to us. We will also dwell extensively on the issue of ‘Chain of Titles’, which is a global benchmark in the film business. How are we applying this in Nollywood and other African countries in the business of film? What obtains in other climes outside Africa? There is also the issue of the muchdesired Collective Management Organisation (CMO) for the audio-visual sector in Nigeria. We are indeed concerned that governments and regulators throughout the world may all too easily think that the answer to all the challenges of rights’ exploitation in future may lie in collective management. In actual fact, unlike in the music sector, the audiovisual and film sector have few forms of exploitation (e.g. cable retransmission, home-copying) where collective management is of direct relevance or pertinence. The point must be made manifestly clear here that collective management is only one methodology through which the film industry may protect value from trading its Intellectual Property (IP) rights and may ensure revenues are duly collected. However, experts, as you can see in the programme of events with you, will do justice to these salient topics.” Sandra Oluwole, a lawyer, who handled the topic: ‘Chain of Titles and the Practical Uses of Rights’, took the audience through the series of contracts that actually confer ownership of a film work to anyone and pointed out that such could be broken down into the several component parts making up the work, from the script to the musicals to the performance and the complete work. Accrodng to her, “Each of these elements, including the completed film, are works protected by copyright law of the country in which the film was made. Unless there is an agreement to the contrary, the creator or author of the work is the owner. For example, Ms Adichie is the owner of all rights to her book. The music is owned by the composer. The sound recording is owned by the record label or the musician. Photographs are owned by photographers or media companies and paintings by artists. The actor owns his performance. However, she explained, “each of these owners has certain exclusive rights in the respective works which include reproduction, distribution and public per-
L-R: Prof. & Mrs. Bankole Sodipo with Mo Abudu and Eze (Dr.) Harris Chuma (sitting behind).
L-R: Amaka Igwe, Chief Gab Okoye (Igwe Gabosky), Bertrand Moullier, Edward Edion, Prince Emeka Mba, Mary Onyali-Omagbemi (Reps of DG, National Sports Commission) and Mr. Jare Ajayi (Executive Director, Reproduction Society of Nigeria).
NIGERIA WITH ABUNDANCE OF UNTAPPED STORIES AND IDEAS IS A HAVEN FOR CO-PRODUCTION TREATIES formance. These rights are required by any filmmaker to make his or her film. If the filmmaker does not obtain a formal written assignment of or license of these exclusive rights from the creators or owners of these works which are used in his film, then he or she cannot be said to have good title in his or her film. The fact that money may have changed hands and the filmmaker has paid for same is not proof of ownership.” Bringing it down to the Nigerian film industry where such cases often erupt, especially in this age of digital exploitation, Oyewole added that ‘With worldwide attention on the Nigerian film industry Nigerian filmmakers are encouraged to develop a good understanding of the copyright laws and begin to secure ‘Chain of Title’ contracts for their films. The chain of Title contracts will prove ownership, help to limit and or avoid litigation and
encourage investment in the industry”. With one more year still remaining for broadcast stations in Nigeria to join the digital platform, the Director General of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, Emeka Mba, took the audience through the state of preparedness of the country in this regard. He seized the opportunity to inform the forum that the Federal Government has considered the Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) document and consequently formed the Digiteam Nigeria – a multi-sector team to work with the Commission to drive the Switchover process. Bertrand Moullier in his paper on ‘Co-production Treaties’ highlighted the potentials the Nigerian film producers have in terms of co production partnerships with other producers in other continents. According to him, Nigeria with abundance of untapped stories and ideas is a haven for co-production treaties. But this factor is however being undermined by the factors that bother on logistics, funding and blended crews. “To make it work, you need nationality rules and a functioning Certification Unit (e.g. BFI in UK, CNC in France”, he explained. How much this will rub off on the industry in the New Year will be determined by time indeed.