Nigeria Content Online

On a first
encounter, quiet and unassuming Joy Dickson does not cut the picture of
a filmmaker. However after spending a few minutes with her, you are
enraptured by her passion for movie making. Born in Aba, Abia State,
Dickson had a brief stint in Nollywood producing and directing two
Nollywood films, ‘African Lily’ and ‘Mission to Africa’ before
relocating to the US where she is currently based.

After a seven-year
hiatus, she makes her directorial debut in America with B’etween Kings
and Queens’. Although many have likened the storyline to that of a
latter day ‘Coming to America’, Dickson thinks otherwise. She insists
that ‘Between Kings and Queens’ simply is the story of a young West
African prince who seeks to escape royal duties by fleeing to America.
He is later torn between love and free will, and his adventure in the
land of liberty quickly unravels as he finds himself running for his
life and love. The movie features Nigeria’s Jim Iyke starring alongside
an all-American cast.

Dickson talked to NEXT about her work, and the new film.

Tell us about your background?

I studied
Theatre-Arts at the University of Port Harcourt, then dabbled into
filmmaking. All my life I have always loved telling stories on stage
and I laid my hands on a camera after the whole ‘Living in Bondage’
success. Then I suggested to my husband, who was my then boyfriend,
that we should go ahead and do a movie – we eventually did but it never
saw the light of day. I didn’t know what I was doing but I knew I had a
story. I shot a film in 2003 here in Nigeria titled ‘Mission to Africa’
starring Olu Jacobs and other stars. After then I just tried to get
better and this movie, ‘Between Kings and Queens’, has been a huge step
for me.

Why the hiatus after ‘Mission to Africa’?

To start with, I
have always had this perception of trying to do movies, the right way.
I know in Nollywood, a director can produce two movies in a month (I
don’t know if I am exaggerating but that was what I heard). I was
having my child and trying to raise funds for my movie ‘Between Kings
and Queens’.

Did you go back to film school?

Yes I am actually taking courses at the New York Film Academy.

The trailer appears to have quite a lot in common with Coming to America. Do you agree?

I don’t know why
everyone is saying that because the only similarity was the fact that
the guy was from a royal family. It has a little bit of action and
police chasing him around and a little bit of comic relief. So, for
some funny reason, people are tagging it as ‘Coming to America’ – so
let’s say it’s modern day ‘Coming to America’.

What inspired the screenplay and why that story?

We had a friend at
that time that was rounding up his studies at the University of Texas
film school who said a classmate of his said to him: ‘I hear in Africa
you guys live in trees?’ And he in return replied saying ‘yeah the poor
ones live in small trees while the big ones live in tall trees’. Then
the white guy said: ‘Really?’ And he said: ‘Yes, remember when Clinton
came to Africa? We kept him in one of the tallest trees’. And the guy
still believed it! When he told us the story, we laughed and that was
how we took the story and this film came about. We wanted to elaborate
more about how we are being perceived as Africans. Most times [whites]
think we live in bushes with no clothes on, so that was how ‘Between
Kings and Queens’ was born.

Jim Iyke is the only African and Nigerian in the movie; is this deliberate?

I just wanted to
tell a story and it was a conscious move. I just wanted to have one
Nollywood actor in the film. The guy who played Kalu is pure American
and you couldn’t tell because he had to work on his accent. I wasn’t
targeting just Africans but everyone. Jim Iyke was the best person for
the role and people really loved him and kept asking about him.

What were some of the challenges you encountered while shooting the movie?

We shot for six
weeks nonstop for 12 to 14 hours a day. At the time we were shooting,
it was very hot, about 107 degrees, and at a point one of the actress’s
shoe was melting in the sun. During the outdoor shoot, we had to
pretend it was cold when it was really hot. By Hollywood standards,
this film is considered a low budget film. It cost us about $350,000 to
shoot and still counting.

Funding is a big issue for independent film makers. Does this apply to you?

Yes, funding was an
issue because to start with, I’m a Nigerian and it’s difficult
convincing people, so my husband had to do something about it.

What story are you trying to tell with ‘Between Kings and Queens?

I am telling the
story of the cultural conflicts between Africans and African Americans
as well as the ignorant perception about Africans. It’s amazing to
still hear some of them say things like we still live in trees. It’s
absurd that in this age, someone will think we still live on trees.

Do you have plans to make films here in Nigeria or will you still shoot from abroad?

I intend to do one
or two epics soon. It’s going to be a huge challenge, even though I
have one or two projects. I am still trying to get a good storyline for
the epic. I want it to be centred around the Biafra war, but from the
love angle. You know it is going to be a very sensitive issue, so for
me to talk about it, we have to consider a lot of things in terms of
set and costumes and all needed.

We see a lot of Nigerian-American movie collaborations lately; what do you think is the attraction for this?

The way the
Silverbird Group brought back the cinema culture has really helped to
sieve away the boys from the men. I think our people are tired of
seeing movies the way they have been done all the while and I can see
some talents. The likes of Chineze Anyaene and Kunle Afolayan have done
us proud.

How were you able to get DaJuan Johnson (Kalu) to speak like an African?

He had to work with
the acting coach who helped him with the accent. I also had to help him
too. I would talk with him over the phone, since he was in California
at that time. And I also gave him some materials and links to go to see
how Africans talk.

‘Between Kings and Queens’ debuted in cinemas across the country on December 3.