Nigeria Content Online

US-based filmmaker,
Olamide Maarore, is set to become one of those changing the face of the
indigenous movie industry with his debut film, ‘Aina’, which he wrote,
produced and directed.

He describes the
soon-to-be-released film as an “intelligent modern-day drama about
working professionals, the choices they make and the consequences they
suffer. A ‘Sex and the City’ meets ‘Jerry Maguire’, set in an urban
city.”

In this interview
with NEXT, Maarore talks about his movie and canvasses for sponsorship
to get it premiered, among other things.

Tell us about yourself and your training as a filmmaker.

I was born in
Lagos. I went to England while I was young and then the US in my late
teens. I love the arts and I understand the incredible importance of
art in society. I’ve always wanted to be in films since I was a kid. I
am also an Africanist. After all these years in Los Angeles, I decided
to come here and start making really good quality films which will
portray Nigeria as a sophisticated country and also to inspire people;
to project Nigeria as not just villages and hungry people but as a
sophisticated country.

I started out as
an actor in high school. I was the class clown. I attended the
University of Southern California. I decided to go into filmmaking in
the nineties because I didn’t want to continue to be typecast for the
stereotypical roles for black men in Hollywood. I didn’t want to play
the prisoner, the gangster, the killer, the rapist; all those
stereotyped roles. When I went for auditions, it was the same. I was a
criminal, a drug dealer or I was running from the police. Those were
the only roles that I got. I started working in productions and doing
everything to learn. I have worked as production assistant, light
assistant, camera assistant, director, gaffer, anything; any position
in the film industry, I’ve basically done it.

In 2008, I decided
it’s about time I start. I wanted the films I make to have social
relevance, to be shot in Africa and to tell the African story from the
African perspective. I didn’t want to leave it up to white people
anymore to be telling our stories. Each time they tell our story, it’s
always ‘Blood Diamond’ or ‘Hotel Rwanda’. So I thought that, with my
expertise, my creativity and my passion, I could come here and do
something. So I started writing a script. Came to Nigeria in 2009, took
a lot of the Nigerian nuances, influences, went back to LA, rewrote the
script very well, came back in late 2009 and started holding auditions.

You used fresh faces in ‘Aina’. How did you pull that off and why?

We did
advertisements everywhere in Nigeria. We sent out flyers, even to the
North. It was very important not just to do what everybody does: “Let’s
put (Genevieve) Nnaji and we’ll have a successful film.” No. You’ll
never cultivate new talent. The guy who studies theatre for four, five
years has no hope if everybody is using Nnaji. We did auditions in New
York, Accra, Calabar and London. Screen acting requires that you are
there, not just knowing your lines. I didn’t think choosing famous
Nollywood actors would work. And there is also the problem of ego. They
wouldn’t want to succumb to training and I am interested in cultivating
new faces.

Our cast are
average-looking Nigerians because we were looking for authenticity. Mr
Nigeria, Kenneth Okolie, is in the film and also Tony Akposheri, who is
the only old actor we used. Our lead actress is from Senegal. There are
some love scenes in the film and Nigerians don’t do that so we had to
cast somebody who wouldn’t mind. You don’t change the story for the
actor; you change the actor for the story. If we had gone Nollywood, we
would have had to change the story for them. I have tremendous respect
for Nollywood and what they’ve done so far. As a matter of fact I came
here to work with them. But to the marketers I say: you’ve made your
money. Now let’s make greatness. I think they could do [it] with
standard films, understanding story structure as well as acting for
screen. All these things are vital. We have to move from mediocrity to
greatness. We need to get our films into the Oscars, Sundance, Cannes
because this is what will put us on the map. I think they’ve gotten
hung up on the money. The marketers need to see the vision and invest
in great talent.

What makes ‘Aina’ different from the average Nollywood film?

It is a
well-written story. After writing, I sent it to a story consultant to
go through it. We paid attention to narrative. It’s a very romantic
slow drama. The story is about women and we portray them as modern,
young, vibrant Nigerians. We used fresh faces and it is 100 percent
shot in Nigeria. It has world value, in that it is a human story. This
is our way of launching the renaissance of new Nigerian moviemaking. It
is nicely shot and the costume is pro-African. We decided to shoot the
movie here because Nollywood shoots about 3,500 films a year and people
see these films and ask, “What kind of film is this?” It is sad that
our films are not respected outside our viewership. Our films are
popular outside Nigeria but [they are] not respected anywhere. My
friends in America buy Nollywood films because they want to laugh at
the shortcomings of the film. I want to prove to the world that we can
do what we want right. It was important for me to shoot this film here.

How long did it take?

Two months,
everyday, for shooting, but the whole production process has taken
about two years. The story took me a year and half to write – six
months for pre-production, four months for auditions, and we are on
post production at the moment.

What was the experience like?

It was the most
difficult thing I have ever done in my life. The logistics of making a
film in Nigeria is hard. Accessibility of locations, commitment of
crew, availability of equipment and the lack of inspiration from the
people you are working with because they do not believe you can do it,
were just a few of the challenges. I got scammed at different times. It
is doable but very difficult. There were so many times I wanted to give
up.

And the picture quality: did you bring in equipment from the States?

We brought in all
our equipment. Filmmaking is not all about the camera equipment alone.
We achieved the quality we did because we planned it very well. Every
person in the production process has their role to play in making the
film come out great. In Nigeria, one person does everything. I
initially wanted to use Nigerian equipment but we were scammed. We had
to ship in cameras and also hire foreign crew. We spent all we had. We
used Hollywood standard in this movie, in everything from
cinematography to lighting. We didn’t cut corners.

What was the cost of making this movie?

I really do not
want to reveal the detailed cost but it was quite expensive to make.
And that is why we need sponsors to help us get the movie out. My
problem in Nigeria is that I do not really know anybody. I left the
country first in 1979 and came back some time ago to bury my mother. We
are looking for sponsors, for the premiere of ‘Aina’ and our next
project.

Any suggestions towards improving the Nigerian movie industry?

There are many
professionals who are capable of doing great work. However, one of the
problems is that the creative part of the industry is being run by
non-creative people who are only there to make money. We need to switch
the pattern and say [to them]: “Hey, you want to make a movie, let me
do it. You go and market.”

We can also
improve by focusing on doing the right thing. I am inspired by Africa’s
greatness and potential and I want to see that day where a Nigerian
filmmaker goes out there and wins Best Director or Best Picture.

Are you using indigenous soundtracks for the movie?

Sadly, we are going
to use foreign soundtracks. Everybody we talked to here in Nigeria
wanted us to pay them heavy money instead of them seeing it as us
giving them a platform to be heard. Even for the costumes, I had to go
to the market, buy ankara and give tailors to sew. None of the popular
fashion designers around we approached gave us the time of day.

Do you have any other upcoming projects?

Our next project is
an action thriller, but we need money for it. We’ll be auditioning for
that in August/September this year. It will do wonders for Nigeria.