Zeb Ejiro Speaks On Stars Like Genevieve Nnaji Who Owe Their Success Stories To Him

 

Veteran Nollywood producer, Zeb “Zebulon” Ejiro,  has committed his career to the development, of the motion picture in Nigeria in what is now called Nollywood. In a recent interview, Zeb spoke on the history of Nollywood and why the quality of films being produced now have degenerated and also on the Nollywood stars who owe their success stories to him……

Read Excerpts below:

Culled from Tribune

Would you tell us, from your perspective, the history of Nollywood?

Nollywood started as an attempt to revive the cinema houses. At the time when cinema houses were gone in Nigeria, a lot of us who were in the television station, like me, who worked in NTA, moved from there to start independent film business. But before we started commercial movie production, some Yoruba people had started a kind of movie production. It was, however, not popular. It was at best restricted to those who understood their language. However, they were doing movies on VHS and were selling to people. The boom and the popularity that set the pace for Nollywood started when Kenneth Nnebue came out with Living in Bondage in1992. That was a monster hit. After then, I  produced Nneka, The Pretty Serpent and others. That was how the movie industry of Nigeria started.

There has been the argument as to who started making movies first. What would you have to say about that?

Yes, a lot of people have had reasons to question the claim about Living in Bondage as the beginning of Nollywood. The truth is before Living in Bondage, like I said, people like the late  Alade  Aromire and co. were producing movies in VHS. Let no one tell you any other story. The Yoruba were making movies. The boom started unquestionably after Living in Bondage.

Before Kenneth’s Living in Bondage, what was the industry like?

There was no industry in the first place. People were not buying any movies because there were no films to buy. There were no tapes, nothing belonging to the Nigerian movie. The only thing that was popular was the TV dramas. You had to have a television and connect to NTA to watch drama. That was the state of things. Also, all the big cinema houses were turned into churches. TV dramas like Ripples, which has remained the longest TV drama in Nigeria, ran for five years unstopped. The Crickets and later Masquerade were some of the TV programmes that provided local content drama, whereas, American and Chinese films were making serious entry into the living rooms of Nigerians

Your first major movie was Nneka, the Pretty Serpent. It was also a monster hit movies

It was. Ramsey Nwadike, Charles Nwaeme and I were shooting mega photos when  Okechukwu Ogunjiofor approached me and said he wanted to produce a movie. He asked if I had a story. I said yes. I wrote the story. Jude Udi wrote the script and Okechukwu produced it. That was how we made Nneka, the Pretty Serpent. At that time, directors were very few. I think we were about four directors in Nigeria at the time.

After these movies, Nollywood witnessed tremendous progress. What in your opinion was the motivating factor for the standard of the movie industry at that time?

The main motivating factor at that time was passion, unlike what is happening today. People were so passionate to make statements about the industry. Both actors and crew were so passionate about the industry. Money was not the motivation. In fact, producers only worried about the money for production, not the money they will make after the production. The main motive was image and standard. Everyone wanted to make a name for himself. It was more about professionalism. The situation is different now. Money is now the motivation.

Now, we have substandard movies. Nigerian movies have been stereotyped. What accounts for this change?

We have changed our orientation. We are now money- driven. In those days, when you give an actor a script, he takes it home to study before deciding whether to accept or reject the role. But these days, if you take a script to an actor, the first thing he asks you is how much you will be paying him. He does not know the work load, has not even read the script and does not understand the role he is being asked to play. All he is interested in is the money. You can see the difference. Then professionalism was the key, but now, things are different.

Are you saying that actors are the reason we have predictable plots and shoestring budgets?

No, don’t get me wrong! The problem was initiated the moment professionalism started effacing from our movie industry, when actors started making financial demands before taking part in any movie. Gradually we began to witness a kind of a change of attitude and this has taken over all the gamut of the film business. Directors and producers are not left out. Everyone is running a race to recover.

So many of the present Nollywood super stars owe their successes to you. Would you be kind enough to give some of their names?

The list is long. You are talking about 20 or so years ago. You can go all the way back to Regina Askia. I gave  Regina Askia, her first break. I taught Ramsey Noah acting. Pat Attah, Liz Benson, Genevieve, Omotola, RMD.  I can’t make a complete roll call.

If I am correct Genevieve Nnaji played a role in Ripples as a child.

Yes. (Smiles) In the case of Genevieve I am so happy for her, because when I remember how she has made consistent progress from Ripples, it fills my heart with joy. She was a very young girl in Ripples and now she is one of the biggest stars in Africa. I wouldn’t say I am not proud of her. She is a hard working girl. Even when she was very small, something told me that this girl would go places because from day one she knew exactly what she wanted. And she was so humble. I don’t know how she is right now, but then she was so hard working and humble.

How did she walk into your office?

She came with somebody. Zik Okafor, the current President of the Association of Movie Producers, had a niece who was a friend to Genevieve. Then Zik was working with me in Ripples. The niece, one day, came to visit Zik. Genevieve came with her. She was a pretty young girl. Both of them were auditioned on the spot and Genevieve was given a role. She was already doing some kiddies shows, not acting in those days. Genevieve had been around the screen for a long time. So, that helped her. I discovered Sandra Achums, the same way I discovered Genevieve. Sandra Achums came with somebody to my office. I overheard her whispering to the person, “Please, help me tell him, I will like to act”. The person told me. That was how we started working on her skills. It was a matter of going to the right place at the right time.