Why I'm So Addicted to African Cinema

Back in 2006 my friend and I who lives in Harlem, decided to walk down to 125th street to find some bootleg movies that pirates had just made in the Magic Johnson theater. Not satisfied with the random selections, we decided to go to another spot that carried blaxploitation movies that was located right next to the Apollo Theater. Not exactly impressed with the prices, especially since he had many of his movies on vhs, we decided it was time to leave there. So we keep it moving. We walked back up towards 135th street and come across the Nigerian man who has a shop that was tucked away in the cut. You know the shops that sells hats, scarves, gloves and movies. We go in and immediately I am drawn to the old Kung-Fu flicks from the 1980's circa.


Nadia Buari and Jackie Appiah


Van Vicker


Then the man told us to give the African movies a chance and that we would never regret it. Can I say that til this day, we have no regrets in picking up that first Nigerian movie called "Tom & Jerry". Yes I said it Tom & Jerry was the first African comedy that had us falling over in our chairs from laughter. First off the two guys who play the characters of Tom & Jerry look like little boys, but they are actually grown men. I have grown to love these two actors Osita Iheme and Chinedu Ikedieze. This popular duo in Nollywood are often cast in movies together either wreaking havoc on others or playing big money swindlers.

My personal favorite Nigerian actress is Genevieve Nnaji who gained success back in 1998. She was great in the movies: Blood Sisters, Games Women Play and Girls Cot. While all three of these actors have caught my eye, other actors are on the rise from the continent. Ghanaian cinema is also becoming popular. Nadia Buari, Van Vicker and Jackie Appiah are the dominant trio as they are always cast in movies together. Their most notable film "Beyonce" has become a hit worldwide. Yes, worldwide. In fact many movies in this genre are sold in Florida, New York and Canada.

While the acting is not like A list actors in America, it's still convincing in it's story lines and plots. If I were to compare the two countries in terms of overall production, story lines and the amount of movies produced, Nigeria would probably win hands down. But when factoring in audio, cinematography, setting, costumes and makeup, Ghana would win hands down. Both countries have found their niche in movie production while garnering the attention of a large fan base overseas. While I do agree with friends that the ending scenes of some of the movies are a little over the top, they still have my vote that they will take over the movie game. Not to mention the price is right on all movies. You will usually spend $5 a pop per movie, but I found a gold mine on Nostrand Avenue where the owner sells his movies for $4 per movie. I even negotiated with him to sell me the movie that comes in three parts for $4. Nollywood is and has been on the rise.

Here is a clip from Beyonce-The president's daughter:


Sphere: Related Content