Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival, Cameron Bailey, on Monday commented on the rare skill of Nigerian filmmakers, declaring that Nigeria is the only country he knows in the world where films of certain qualities are produced in three months.
Bailey made the comment at an inter-ministerial press conference at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa to announce Lagos’ selection for the City to City segment of the film festival.
His statement was in reaction to a not-so-subtle appeal for sponsorship by President of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Ralph Nwadike, to have his film screened at the 2016 festival holding September 8-18.
Nwadike, who said his film is still in production, requested for the assistance of the Lagos State Government and festival organisers to have his work selected among the eight Nigerian projects in the City to City category.
Wondering how the film will be ready in time for the festival, Bailey said Nigeria is the only country he knows where a remarkable film still in production could be ready by September.
Explaining the drive behind the Lagos and Toronto spotlight for the festival, the director said the idea is to seize the opportunity of this year’s festival to begin a new dawn for Nigerian films.
“We have had films like Tunde Kelani’s Abeni feature at the festival as well as Half of a Yellow Sun, which is a collaboration between Nigeria and the UK, but I think this is an opportunity to do more and to go bigger. So what we are doing this year is a spotlight on the film makers who live and work here in Laos. We have been so impressed with the ingenuity and creativity of individual film makers who have made the Nigeria film industry one of the largest in the planet,” Cameron said.
He said Lagos, like Los Angeles, Paris and Mumbai is one of the big capitals of film around the world.
“The films that are bought and sold at our festival, the films that are written about and reported on by the critics and film journalists, the audiences that embrace the films that go on to win the big prizes like the Oscars, those films should include the films from Nigeria, the films from Lagos; the heart of this industry that has become so large and dominant around the world. This is what really projects the image of Lagos and Nigeria, the stories that are being told resonate with the people whether or not they set foot on this country,” Cameron said.
Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Steve Ayorinde, and his counterpart in Tourism, Arts and Culture, Folorunsho Folarin-Coker, also spoke at the conference.
