Inside the mind of a Nigerian filmmaker

by Scarlett Smithin

Anyone who knows me knows how integral movies are to my identity. When thinking about film in conjunction with my passion for global connection, I found myself coming back to the same questions: What is the film scene like in other countries? What is it like working in that industry outside of Hollywood? As I’ve studied Nigerian politics in my government class, it made sense to explore the second-largest film industry in the world: Nollywood.

Luckily, I had someone to walk me through the world of Nigerian film. Recently, I interviewed 22-year-old Nigerian filmmaker, Chiagoziém Okonkwo. Chiagoziém was born in Boston but grew up in Nigeria. In 2020, she began her degree at UCLA. Her second year, she took a film class and fell in love, causing her to supplement her psychology degree with a film minor. 

Being in the center of Hollywood, she worked on different projects with filmmakers from UCLA, USC, and even American Film Institute. She attended different programs and events related to film, learned more about the industry, connected with various people, and learned more about the kinds of films that she wanted to create. She was particularly inspired by historical fiction works like that of the 2013 picture Half of a Yellow Sun, a movie based off a novel about two sisters who deal with their own complex relationships during the height of the Nigerian Civil War. When describing what it was like as a Nigerian film student in the center of the American film industry, she recalled, “I realized that my experience growing up in Nigeria and then going to America had changed how I viewed the world and view myself and view life in general.” 

With this idea in mind, I was curious to know how her experiences in Hollywood shaped her move back to the Nigerian film industry. According to Chiagoziém, while there are many similarities between Nollywood and Hollywood, there are as many differences. My biggest takeaway from this part of the conversation was her saying

“There is no Nollywood film that isn’t based on a true story.”

I thought about this line for a while. So many of my favorite films are based on true stories. Embracing films as reality makes them feel so authentic. When art is real, it is so magical. Another significant difference she notes is that Hollywood is way more structured than Nollywood. While Hollywood has been around for over a century, Nollywood is still on the rise. Chiagoziém explained that younger filmmakers like her try to build better structures for the industry. She also shared that things can get done without structure, too. It’s all just different. Every experience is what you make of it. That’s the beauty about experiencing one industry in different countries: you can see how each culture is represented in the work done.

Furthermore, I wanted to learn about the role of language in cinema. Chiagoziém explained that films with subtitles don’t sell well, which is interesting. While movies in the US are predominantly made in English, Nigerian movies are made in a variety of languages including Pidgon, a mixture of English and local languages like Igbo and Yoruba.

“Even though English isn’t the most popular language, it is the default,” due to Hollywood’s presence and global power.

Top international films are often translated into English because of this influence. However, translation is costly. Because of that, many movies just stay in their native language and may not sell as well without subtitles.

I also wanted to know about Chiagoziém’s personal challenges as a filmmaker in both Nigeria and the US. Her three major qualms were finances, motivation, and fear. Financial difficulties are pretty self explanatory; the cost of producing a film is no joke. The number of people who need to work on the film and require payment adds up. Motivation has a slightly more nuanced answer, though. While it’s important to have discipline, it is also important to rest and have balance. Motivation is not linear. Taking time to rest is a part of life, and I am appreciative that Chiagoziém acknowledged that. The last thing she described was fear. She is often worried about how her art may be perceived by an audience. Art is subjective; no one ever has the exact same opinions when it comes to movies. It is hard to not care what other people think, but it is crucial to do so when working in this industry. Criticism is important, but varying opinions are inevitable. Art just needs to be appreciated for what it is and for the amazing work of the artist.

Chiagoziém also shared her personal inspirations and favorite people in the industry. When I asked who her biggest artist inspiration was, she responded with a line that has stuck with me for weeks:

“Your perfect mentor is who you’re going to be by the time you're done.”

This reminded me of Matthew McConaughey’s 2014 Oscar Speech where he described his hero as himself in ten years from now. I have many people I look up to; there’s several people who I aspire to be like in the future. But through this conversation I’ve realized that the only person I can truly “be like” is myself. All I can do is improve myself and ensure that I’m doing the best I possibly can. I look at where I see myself in 10, 20 years from now, and that motivates me to keep going. It pushes me to work hard these last few months of high school. It drives me to work even harder during my next 4 years in college.