Posts Tagged ‘movies’

Yoruba Movies – The growing popularity of West African Yoruba Movies

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Yoruba Movies – The Rise of West African Movies and Popularity

What makes African movies and especially Yoruba Movies as well as Nollywood movies so popular is the story. Nigerian Yoruba Movies are very popular outside of Africa in countries in Western Europe as well as the US and the Caribbean. African movies are now making headlines and moves beyond its origin continent and are growing in popularity daily.

Nollywood is currently just behind Hollywood and Bollywood as the biggest movie distributors in the world. African movies are gaining attention worldwide with films from Western African countries such as Ghana and Nigeria being sold alongside Hollywood’s finest productions. Anyone who does not appreciate these movies if missing out on great African movie culture.

In African it is in the daytime that Yoruba Movies are at their most popular as they are preferred by a more female audience. They are now earning International attention despite the majority of these movies taking and comedic theme and their somewhat low production in comparison with movies you may find in Hollywood. Most of Africa’s movies are formed in Nigeria and Yoruba Movies are amongst the most popular. Not only did they spread beyond Western African the Africa as a whole but they have spread worldwide. Nigeria, Togo and Ghana lead the charge in the popularity of African movies. In one of only a handful of cinemas in Nigeria, a cinema in Lagos screen Yoruba Movies alongside Hollywood blockbusters.

Most Yoruba movies are enjoyed and consumed in the home with family and friends. If you have not experienced or seen movies from Africa whether they are Nigerian, Yoruba Movies or a Ghanaian film you can view the films at your pleasure at http://www.yorubamovies.info

The Rise of Nigeria Nollywood Movies

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Nollywood is the name of Nigeria’s movie industry. Movies and TV programs are non-existent in Nigeria before the 1960s. Since then, the government has spurred the growth of television broadcasting with strong support. In the 1980s, every state in Nigeria has its own broadcasting station. This sets the stage for TV programs and movie productions. In a few short decades, Nollywood has managed to surpass all expectations.

Movies produced by Nollywood are very different from those produced by Hollywood. In Hollywood, there are easily accessible studios equipped with the latest technology and props for easy shooting of movies. But in Nigeria, movie production can take place everywhere – from homes, hotels to public areas. As such, Nollywood movies depend heavily on two things to be successful – a strong storyline and great actors and actresses.

In fact, in many of the African countries, Nollywood movies outperform movies produced by Hollywood. That is because audiences can relate better to the content in the movies. Nigerian directors are also quick to adopt any upcoming technology and techniques to shoot higher quality movies. In fact, they are well known for their innovative movie production techniques.

Fast forward to today, it is not uncommon to see Nigeria movies gaining popularity very quickly – thanks to the internet. The internet has leveled the playing field for all the major players in the movie industry by allowing web visitors to gain easy access to the movies. With just a browser and a high speed connection, anyone can log on to a movies website and watch a streaming movie. This means that anyone with a great movie can compete for the attention of movie fans. It doesn’t matter if the movies come from Hollywood, Bollywood or Nollywood. If it’s a great movie, fans will talk about it online, and it will gain popularity very quickly.

In part, this is due to the viral nature of the internet. It’s just so simple to share anything on the internet these days. One can share bookmarks, digital files, music files, and even video clips.

With the rise of social websites, web visitors are able to stream movies, voice their own opinions, and share the links with other friends in their own network. If a movie is bad, rest assure that the community learns about it very quickly. If it’s good, prepare to experience the full force of the viral effect.

As the internet continues to grow at an unprecedented speed, Nollywood grows with it as well. That means the industry is in need of talented actors and actresses to meet the rising demand for Nollywood movies. These actors and actresses can become famous and acquire fans very quickly. Fans will be able to gossip about their idols online – what they like or dislike about an actor or actress. Actors and actresses may then act on the feedback to improve their acting skills.

For sure, Nollywood is a powerful uprising force to reckon with. With its pool of enterprising directors and talented actors and actresses, Nollywood looks set to become a power house in the movie industry.

Adetola Banbe is the founder of Nigeria Forum and Nigeria Videos website.