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KANNY WOOD
Our Indian experience will move Kannywood forward -AsFaika Ibrahim Rahi a female director, Faika Ibrahim Rahi’s name has been
associated with many success stories in the Kannywood movie industry. In this interview, she spoke about the challenges before a female director, as well as other issues in the industry. BY Ibrahim Musa Giginyu
You are at the forefront in advocating the emancipation of the Hausa movie industry; do you believe the needed change has come?
It is indeed a plus to the industry and a step forward in giving the Hausa movie industry a formal recognition. It earned a more positive reputation. As practitioners we really appreciate the federal government’s intervention, and we urge them to do more in uplifting the movie making business.
As the first female Hausa movie director, do you believe that females are being given a fair opportunity to contribute in the movie business?
As a progressive individual, I believe that with time and hard work change will come gradually. Moreover, you will bear me witness that the industry has recorded some tremendous changes that are more daring in terms of shots and better stories.
Twenty Kannywood actors and filmmakers left Nigeria for India last September to participate in a film training programme at the Asian School of Media Studies in Noida, New Delhi, India. The training was sponsored
You are one of the beneficiaries of the federal government’s intervention in the movie making business; how would you describe the gesture?
This is something that involves a lot of stages, and it is formally done. It was not an issue of who-knows-who, but an issue of who has got the merit. Ask around and you will find out that the beneficiaries were not just handpicked. Also, people tend to forget that Kano is practically the capital of the North. And the movie industry started from Kano, therefore, I see no fault in the caliber of the beneficiaries, which I believe was done based on merit, experience and whether one had applied for the training or not.
The movie industry is a multi-faceted sector. Some of its aspects are visible to an outsider while some are not. However, I have never been too far from the industry. As a trained professional, I operate a private media consulting firm. I am also into entrepreneurship. That does not mean I have left the industry. If a good script comes along I will direct.
You recently travelled to India; what was the experience like?
moving the industry forward. The expert I was talking about also advised us to make good use of Cinema in curbing the lingering menace of piracy.
It was also said that the intervention favoured movie practitioners that are based in Kano. Is that true?
You seem to have stayed away from the movie industry for some time now; what happened?
“We discussed issues on measures to tackle the issue of piracy, movie distribution and marketing.”
TAMBARI 16TH NOVEMBER, 2014
by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The group included Ali Nuhu, Jamilu Yakasai, Mustapha Mustapha (Musty), Bashir Rijau, Mohammed Bifa, Ibrahim Mandawari, Hamisu Iyantama, Sani Abdullahi, Aliyu Yakasai, Bala Babinlata and Hauwa Maina, Balarabe Tukur, Usman Adamu, Ishaq Ishaq, Umar Labaran, Falalu Dorayi, Mika’il Bin Hassan (Gidigo), Aminu Sabo and myself. We were in India, not on an excursion, but to seek more knowledge on the art of movie making. In view of this, we had a series of meetings with Bollywood stakeholders, one of which is the biggest movie marketer and distributor, Mr. K. Jain. We discussed issues on measures to tackle the issue of piracy, movie distribution and marketing. I can assure that the advice we got will no doubt assist us in
I have said this time without number. I am a very shy person, so I have chosen to deal with the practical aspect of creating things and making things. So for me, I rather remain at the background making things happen than to be in them. There are many women like me, and I am happy today that female directors are coming up. I want to state here that with what is obtainable on ground now their involvement will definitely give Hausa movie a face-lift.