Schultz, Mark F. --- "The Nigerian Film Industry and Lessons Regarding Cultural Diversity from the Home-Market Effects Model of International Trade in Films" [2012] ELECD 698; in Pager, A. Sean; Candeub, Adam (eds), "Transnational Culture in the Internet Age" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012)

Book Title: Transnational Culture in the Internet Age

Editor(s): Pager, A. Sean; Candeub, Adam

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9780857931337

Section: Chapter 11

Section Title: The Nigerian Film Industry and Lessons Regarding Cultural Diversity from the Home-Market Effects Model of International Trade in Films

Author(s): Schultz, Mark F.

Number of pages: 31

Extract:

11. The Nigerian film industry and
lessons regarding cultural diversity
from the home-market effects
model of international trade in
films
Mark F. Schultz1

11.1 INTRODUCTION

Nollywood, the Nigerian video film industry, is an unlikely success story.
With an output of between 800 and 1500 films per year, it is one of the
most productive, if not the most productive, of the world's film indus-
tries.2 Its success is even more remarkable considering that Nigerians
have long had easy and pervasive access to inexpensive, pirated versions of
both Hollywood and Bollywood movies. Nollywood thrives, even against
titanic competition from the West and East.
In a mere two decades, Nollywood has become one of the world's
most important creative industries.3 It has been an explosive commer-
cial success, with vast numbers of videos available in shops and on street
corners throughout Africa and beyond.4 The films are widely shown on


1 The author wishes to thank participants in Michigan State University's Bits

Without Borders Conference. In particular, I appreciate extensive comments from
Steven Wildman and Sean Pager. Further thanks are due to my colleague, John
McCall, of Southern Illinois University's Anthropology Department for his intro-
duction to the Nollywood phenomenon and his continuing and insightful guidance
through the world of African film. Errors and shortcomings in this chapter are, of
course, my own.
2 Jonathan Haynes, Nollywood in Lagos, Lagos in Nollywood Films, Afr.

Today 131, 137 (2007).
3 Also see Sean Pager, ...