Why Hollywood isn’t collaborating with Nollywood – John Boyega

Nigerian-born British actor and film producer John Boyega has shared his reasons why Hollywood is not collaborating with Nollywood.

During a panel session at the just-concluded Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Boyega, known for his role as Finn in the Star Wars sequels, said there are challenges hindering potential partnerships between Hollywood and Nollywood.

In 2018, the 32-year-old film star hinted that he is ready to invest in Nollywood by shooting a low-budget Nigerian movie with about $20-$25 million (N8 billion).

Boyega, a passionate advocate for African stories, has noticed a growing interest in Nigerian culture within Hollywood. However, he pointed out that many Hollywood executives view Nollywood films as being made primarily for Nigerian audiences, rather than for a global viewership.

He said, “So this is stuff that I’ve learned, and this is coming from studio execs, studio CEOs of some of the biggest on the Hollywood side, and the crossover to the UK industry. Now, there is intrigue because Nigerians are Nigerians. I believe we are the jewel of Africa, and we are charismatic and loud in a good way. So people know of us. When it comes to storytelling, the quality, editing style, the dialogue, the way it’s written, the understanding of stories, people seem to think that on the bigger scale, they can’t collaborate with you guys because you’re genuinely making stories for yourselves.”

“And because you’re making stories for yourselves, I guess everyone’s patting themselves on the shoulder and saying, you were great, and I was great. And it removes the hard conversations that usually happen in Hollywood and then tough conversations that creators have to go to”.

He added that while Hollywood is interested in shooting movies in Nigeria, specific challenges and perceptions often lead them to film in other African countries, like South Africa.

“And so a lot of studio execs that I’ve worked with or developed projects with have an interest to come into Nigeria and film, but somewhere along the way, that interest just dwindles because of either somebody else they’ve spoken to that’s had an experience, and all of a sudden, they go, no. We’re not going to shoot there.

“We’d rather go to South Africa, paint the, you know, the sand red to look like it and then shoot there. I mean, the same thing happened in Woman King. There were big aspirations to shoot as much of the film on the continent as possible, specifically to shoot some key scenes here in Nigeria. And I was excited to hear about that because that would be my second time working in Nigeria. And as the process went along, it started to get quiet. I’m looking at my schedule. I’m like, okay. We’re in South Africa. South Africa. Oh, we’re just in South Africa.”

Stereotypes

Addressing common stereotypes, Boyega acknowledged that perceptions about Nollywood actors’ egos and the industry’s working style sometimes discourage collaboration.

“And for me, there’s a modern authenticity here, even with the air environment that should be captured. But, unfortunately, because of people’s perspectives and assumptions, it’d be true quality, as would actors. Things are being said about your egos and the way they work, and it would probably be hard to work with you guys because of the sense of success and pride you should have, by the way.

‘‘But in the spirit of collaboration, people don’t believe it’s possible. And some people take risks, you know; thank God for our production team on Half a Yellow Sun, who, by the way, it’s because we had Nigerians involved that were at the forefront of funding that we could be here for the whole thing. But on a scale that I see for all of you guys, it’s simply not happening because of these stereotypes also being put out there about the quality of filmmaking. And even, you know, with the Netflix deals, like, a round of applause for the next Netflix deal that’s been able to expand the storytelling.

“Nollywood is not at that level.”

The Nigerian-British actor also urged Nollywood filmmakers to elevate their standards to compete globally.

Boyega stressed the importance of workshops and learning opportunities to improve the industry and urged the federal government to support Nollywood.

“Unfortunately, the filmmaking is not at the level it needs to be. Everybody has to be a student and collaborate at this point; we need to collaborate. To collaborate, both the international and Nigerian filmmakers need to be humble,”

“We also need to raise the standards. I want to see a Nigerian franchise that can make a billion naira at the global box. I want us to be the central place in the mainstream, but we need to improve the quality of filmmaking here.

“This then leads to opportunities like workshops for people to learn. We also need the government’s support. The most important thing now is we need to change our minds. We need to raise the standards. The new standard should be if I enjoy Avengers and Marvel, why not in Nigeria? Why can’t we have those kinds of movies here? We saw the way Black Panther went down in the global box.

“How much money they made imitating you, but why can’t we do that for ourselves? It means getting off our high horses and everyone becoming a student.

“Also, Nollywood directors and producers must open their minds to a structural change. We need a structural change. If you think you have put a film together and haven’t done the research for the dialogue to be authentic, the extracurricular research outside of the role to see how the character will talk and walk. Trust me, you are not there yet, and someone needs to tell you at this level that you are not there yet because how will you reach your full potential? So we need to think about how we can collaborate to create change,” he said

Collaboration

In October, during a chat with CNBC Africa on the sidelines of the RMB Think Summit 2024 in Lagos, Boyega shared his ambition to create authentic, high-quality films that celebrate Nigerian culture and to collaborate with Hollywood and Nollywood.

He said, “ What brings me back home, except from Amala and Rice, really is to connect with the people here who are on the ground doing great work in entertainment. It’s to meet people in the financial sector and to have a nice connection and conversation about bridging the gap between diaspora and home, and it’s to build opportunities.

“I wanna see more movies being shot here. I want to see more entertainment opportunities here. And I think it’s an excellent opportunity for us to connect, talk, and find ways to collaborate. So that’s the biggest deal about me coming down here. And I’ve been coming down here for a while to do this, so it’s an ongoing mission that I’m very committed to.

“Well, my biggest dream is to collaborate highly between Hollywood and Nollywood. I’ve seen some fantastic actresses and actors, cinematographers, and sewists in different departments in Hollywood that need an opportunity to get a three-way into the Hollywood game. Still, we don’t want to make it a Hollywood movie. We want to make high-quality Hollywood movies, if you know what I mean, which means that we want to tap into the culture, the narrative, the people, and the stories you would have heard of being on the continent. And without diluting the culture, we want to bring it to audiences worldwide.

“Because one thing is for sure, people love Nigeria. They love Nigeria, and they love the culture and the music. And there’s a way to transfer that energy tied to music to the acting game, too. And so that’s one of my biggest missteps there. And we want to make efficient movies, which can tend to be expensive.

“But I think that with the financial structure that many banks offer, especially now on the continent, we wanna make that as lucrative as possible for them. But to have a meticulous, creative approach from us, which means that, you know, not going over budget, having a structure in place, but also having programs that are attached to the projects that mean that people from homegrown Nigeria, Ghana, surrounding areas can shadow people in powerful positions to learn the education so that we won’t always need the bag of another guy. But also, that’s what I love about the bank. You know, I love about what we’re doing here, which is that there’s an interest in creative investment. There’s an interest in structure, too. And I think that that’s where we want to make it work.

We don’t want to just tap into Africa, take from them, and leave. We actually want to tap into Africa, educate, and exchange knowledge, you know. “

Boyega rose to fame with his breakthrough role in the 2011 sci-fi film Attack the Block. This led to his casting in Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), and he gained international recognition.

In addition to his work in Star Wars, Boyega has starred in films such as Detroit (2017) and They Cloned Tyrone (2023).