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As a child, Elochukwu Anibuogu was passionate about the cinema. But his love for filmmaking did not crystallize into reality until he travelled to Zimbabwe and joined some producers on location.
As a child, Elochukwu Anibuogu was passionate about the cinema. But his love for filmmaking did not crystallize into reality until he travelled to Zimbabwe and joined some producers on location. Today, Anibuogu has made his mark as a producer having released five movies. In this interview with Daily Sun, the artiste recalls his foray into film production, distribution, as well as the situation in Nollywood.
Excerpts:
Background
I am the CEO of Elochukwu Nigeria Limited. I hail from Amaichi in Nnewi Local Government area in Anambra State. I am into movie production and distribution. I produced Power of Love, Passion and Fail, Aristos, Living in Darkness, Living Without You, Never Die for Love and many others.
Motivation
I've always had passion for movies since my childhood days. When I grew up, I decided to go into movie business. When I was in Zimbabwe, I went on location with some producers. I related with them very well and from there, I developed interest in my chosen career. When I returned to Nigeria, I went into movie-making.
Challenges
I believe that life is about what you make out of it. In every profession, there are always challenges. I faced a lot of challenges especially between 2003 and 2004. Then we used to give money to independent producers to produce films for us. Along the line, we found out that after everything, we would have to start all over again because often, the producers don't pay.
Most of them use the money meant for artistes to rent houses; buy cars and do other things. It was because of this that most of us started going on location so that we could pay artistes by ourselves.
Scandal
I have never had any scandal before. I take my time before I do anything. Before I go into any business, I ensure that everything is streamlined. I'll contact my lawyer and make sure that everything is well taken care-of.
Nollywood
I think the industry is growing like other sectors. There, however, will always be one problem or the other. It has always attracted people from both sides; the bad and the good. The industry has been nice to a lot of people in the areas of job creation and bad in the sense that after production, the market can be unpredictable. There is also the menace of area boys distrupting the market.
Marketing
I make sure that my distribution network is intact before I release by works into the market. I also make sure my product get to every nook and cranny of the country.
Marketing a product is not as easy as people think because it requires manpower and finance.
Piracy
I think that government needs to come in here because as an individual, you cannot achieve much with pirates. If the copyright people can check piracy, I believe that to a large extent, it will go a long way in boosting the industry. Most people do not patronise us any more. The video clubs are the ones who patronise marketers. People prefer to buy the film from the stores where it is cheaper. People no longer appreciates the quality, duration and the lasting values of film.
Censor board
The only problem we have with the censors board is that people who are not into distribution are feeding the DG, Mr Emeka Mba, with wrong information. I expect him to seek opinion of stakeholders, so that things can be done the right way. He should not take sides. He should seek the opinion of the people who understands the industry in order to unravel the problems of the industry..
Advice for upcoming producers
My advice to them is that in whatever they do, they should be focused, disciplined and also be straightforward in whatever they do.