The Film Village: A Tribute To Contemporary Nollywood 

The Nigerian film industry, popularly known as Nollywood, has witnessed consistent growth since its inception, including improvements in storytelling, cinematography, and overall production values. More than ever before, attention is paid to audio post-production and aesthetics, with specialists and professionals such as the art director and sound designer evolving with better, nuanced approaches to telling Nigerian stories on screen. Shalom Tewobola’s essay The Delicate Art of Sound Design In Lisabi: The Uprising, captures the intentionality behind sounds in film, revealing how professional film composer Tolu Obanro oversees and manipulates sounds in the Yoruba epic to communicate certain cues and dissect certain characters and scenes.

One interesting development that is shaping contemporary Nollywood is the use of film villages. Film villages, not to be confused with “film studios”, are equipped with the infrastructure that serves as a suitable location for filmmaking. But more than just film sets, they are sites for cultural preservation. Constructed over wide expanses of land and providing opportunities for sightseeing and recreational activities, these film villages cater to the interests of creatives, tourists, and visitors. In Delta State lies the Delta State Leisure Park and Film Village, popularly called Asaba Film Village. Situated in Anwai, Asaba, the film village reflects Asaba’s rich history of film production and takes pride in being the premier film destination in Nigeria. The film village is accessible to a city that is home to an estimated 100,000 film professionals and often hosts international film events and programs.

Nollywood filmmakers such as Kunle Afolayan, Ibrahim Chatta, and Bolanle Austen-Peters have also recently created film villages, enabling them to take better ownership of Nollywood stories—particularly ones set against a cultural backdrop—in the streaming era.

KAP Film Village and Resort, a project owned by Kunle Afolayan, sits comfortably on 60 acres of land in the picturesque landscape of Igbojaye, Oyo State. Launched in 2022, it holds a diverse range of in-built facilities that are specially designed for film production and vacationers alike. This includes luxury accommodations and hotel rooms; private villas for guests; creative and cultural centers for hosting film festivals, seminars, and workshops; and other recreational facilities like swimming pools, restaurants, fitness centers, and beautiful gardens. The film village recently served as the location for Afolayan’s Netflix production, Aníkúlápó, showcasing the brilliance of Yoruba arts and culture through the supernatural thriller genre.

“In less than two years we have shot three films there,” Afolayan spoke of his film village last year in an interview with Culture Custodian before the release of Ijogbon. The other two films are Aníkúlápó and Aníkúlápó: Rise of the Spectre. As of then, the filmmaker had just concluded the construction of a 40-room accommodation with all of its accompanying interesting features. “I like to use film and other platforms of mine to encourage people, create jobs, and inspire the younger generation,” he said, acknowledging his investments and contributions to humanity.

Ibrahim Chatta’s facility, Africhatta Film Village and Resorts, was launched in Oyo town in 2023. Positioned on about 74 acres of land, the facility contains thatched houses and artworks that reflect the magnificence of Yoruba culture. Since its creation, filmmakers like Lateef Adedimeji, Toyin Abraham, Niyi Akinmolayan, Deyemi Okanlawon, Adebimpe Oyebade, and Muyiwa Ademola have used the location for making their films. Nollywood projects shot at Africhatta include Iyalode, produced by Toyin Abraham, Oko Iyabo, Ajoje, and the TV series Eleran. Worth 1.4 billion naira in investment, the film village is a testament to Chatta’s commitment to upscaling production values and determining the trajectory of culture-inspired filmmaking ideas.

BAP Film Village, the brainchild of Bolanle Austen-Peters, is located in Epe on the outskirts of Nigeria’s filmmaking capital, Lagos. Like other privately owned film villages, the facility is available for rent to filmmakers and production companies to provide a platform for storytellers while stretching the limits of cinematic artistry. Unveiled months ago, the 10,000-acre facility served as the location for Austen-Peters’s period film, House of Ga’a, a story set in the 18th-century Oyo Empire and exploring the life of an infamous prime minister and warlord.

The burgeoning interest and investments in film villages in Nollywood may be viewed from the lenses of aesthetic and commercial values. We cannot underestimate the essence of appropriate settings for film shootings, which is offered by film villages and is visible in critically acclaimed projects like House of Ga’a and Aníkúlápó. The Yoruba epic genre, in particular, seems to be benefiting from this development because the film villages are specially tailored to meet her demands.

However, so far, Nollywood’s use of the film village has been one-dimensional. There is a need for these film villages to cater to other genres and styles of filmmaking besides epic and traditional narratives. Film villages should make available infrastructure with global cinema appeal and standards, beckoning filmmakers from across Africa and the diaspora. Oluwaseyi Akinbile, an HR specialist, a film buff, and a budding filmmaker, shares this sentiment. “Our filmmakers need to create enough awareness for other African filmmakers and foreigners to come around and use the villages,” he says.

The government’s active involvement in the creative economy through the establishment and endorsement of film villages of global standards has been nothing to write home about. In this regard, collaborations between the government, industry stakeholders, and private investors are required. Akinbile believes that the film village should not be owned by an individual. “Instead, it should be a public enterprise or, if private, open to partners, shareholders and investors,” he says. “Or else, when the sole owner dies, the film village will likely be inherited by a family member who may not share the vision of the founder and the business could die”.

With film villages serving as cultural centers, filmmakers can generate revenue further to upscale the budget of filmmaking in the country, lure potential investors from far and wide into the industry, and position Nollywood for genuine global relevance in the long run. The construction of more film villages is equally needed to provide employment opportunities for people with a keen interest in the industry and contribute to the growth of the economic and tourism sectors of the country.