Product Details

• Actors: Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
• Directors: Ben Addelman, Samir Mallal
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Lorber Films
• DVD Release Date: July 20, 2010
• Run Time: 74 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003H221N2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,350 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Nollywood Babylon" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

NOLLYWOOD BABYLON - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Introduction to the Nature, History, and Culture of Nollywood., August 6, 2010

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nollywood Babylon (DVD)

The Nigerian film industry, which is strictly straight-to-video, took off in 1992 with the success of "Living in Bondage", a potboiler about a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for material success. Now "Nollywood", based in Lagos, produces 2500 films a year, most with budgets under $15,000, making it the third-largest film industry in the world, after the USA's Hollywood and India's Bollywood. Nigerians have an extraordinary appetite for film; watching several a day isn't uncommon. The crime rate in Lagos being what it is, the few theaters showing foreign films present too much danger and expense for the average person, so there is a huge market for video, especially videos that represent or codify the Nigerian experience: hardship, optimism, action, melodrama, occult, and Christianity. Documentarians Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal traveled to Lagos to see Nollywood in action and hear what Nigerians think about it.

The opening scene is of director Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen blessing his film set and camera on the film day of shooting his 157th film, "Bent Arrows". Mr. Imasuen gave the documentarians access to his entire shoot, and they return to him repeatedly to meet the cast and crew, see how these low-budget films are shot, and to interview the director about the industry. They also get interviews with the some big Nollywood stars, who express a pride and ambition for their industry that seems to permeate all strata of those who work in it or enjoy the final product. These hokey melodramas speak to Africans, and the people who work on them are proud to do so. It's a makeshift industry, funded by the electronics vendors who sell the videos in the streets. It seems to have no real structure that would prevent it from disappearing tomorrow. But Nollywood films have 80 million consumers and present opportunity for Nigerians where little exists elsewhere in their depressed economy.

"Nollywood Babylon" also talks to some Nigerian academics and intellectuals who take us through the history of film in Nigeria. The violence in Lagos in the 1970s, following the country's civil war, and the economic disaster of the 1980s, when the nation had to devalue its currency, made it impossible for traditional filmmaking to survive. Nollywood was born as a creative outlet and economic opportunity where few others existed. The industry has its critics who think the quality is poor, and the documentarians explore the growing influence of fundamentalist Christianity in Nollywood. The evangelical Christian community has become prominent in Nigeria with its high unemployment rate and corrupt central government. Films that champion Christianity over Nigeria's traditional paganism and superstition are popular and nearly ubiquitous. "Nollywood Babylon" has an amateur feel, itself. But it's a rounded introduction to Nollywood for those who are curious.

The DVD (Kino/Norber 2010): The featured Nollywood professionals and people on the streets speak in heavily-accented English, so there are English subtitles. There are also optional French subtitles. There is an audio commentary by directors Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal. Those who want more information about Lagos and Nollywood may find it interesting. The directors talk about the difficulties shooting there, where and how they shot scenes, the score, and provide commentary on many scenes that gives us additional information about the content of the film.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating look at the development of a vibrant filmmaking culture in Nigeria, July 8, 2010

By 

Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nollywood Babylon (DVD)

"Nollywood Babylon" examines the phenomenal success of the Nigerian film industry, the third largest in terms of film output in the world (after Bollywood and Hollywood). While there had been films made in Nigeria since the early days of cinema, in the past few decades there just wasn't a market for theatrical releases. A new opportunity developed with the rise of the VHS and a street market for bootlegged films. A group of entrepeneurial marketers of VHS tapes thought they could add value to their wares by recording homemade movies on their blank cassette tapes, and soon there was a huge demand for homegrown movies with local actors. While many of these films seem like variations on popular genres such as melodrama, or the crime film, some of the more intriguing "Nollywood" films explore in fantastic ways some of the conflicts between local religious traditions and Western religious beliefs. This fast-paced and intriguing documentary examines the rise of this homegrown industry from its modest beginnings to the point where it has become a vibrant local industry, that is just now beginning to gain international recognition. It also gives an intimate behind-the-scenes look at a recent film production by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, one of the most popular and prolific Nigerian filmmakers. The editing is strong, the footage intriguing, and the music throughout is exciting. This is a riveting and revealing exploration of the unique style and subject matter and personalities behind the ultra-low-budget Nigerian films, and a vibrant portrayal of Lagos, Nigeria, a modern African metropolis. Highly recommended for lovers of unique cinema from around the world.