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Stakeholders in the creative industry across Africa have rated high the Nigerian motion picture industry popularly known as Nollywood.

Government agencies and industry players extolled Nollywood in separate interviews with newsmen at the prestigious Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) holding from July 19 to July 29 in Durban, South Africa.

They also extolled the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) for its role of steering the nation’s film and video sector reputed to be largest in Africa and second in the world.

Mr Phil Molefe, the Chairman of the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) of South Africa, said: “Nollywood is miles ahead of others and there are a lot other countries can learn from it.

“We can take a lift out of the Nigerian book because stakeholders are very key to each other as filmmaking cannot be done in isolation.”

Molefe, therefore, urged government agencies in Africa as well as filmmakers to collaborate and build strategic partnership toward the collective growth of the continent’s film industry.

According to him, such synergy will make Africa ’s film industry and stakeholders to complement one another.

Also speaking, Mr Timothy Owase, the Chief Executive Officer of Kenya Film Commission (KFC) said: “Nollywood is a shining example for others; it contributes a lot to Nigeria’s GDP and we are ready to learn from it and get to that level as well.”

Mr Sadile Nene, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Film and Publication Board (FPB), a content-classification and censorship body in South Africa, told NAN that the success story of Nollywood remained an inspiration to other countries.

“Nigeria has the biggest filmmaking economy on the continent and South Africa is consuming a lot of its contents.

“How the Nigerian board is able to classify such large contents is commendable,’’ he said.

Newsmen report that Nigeria was well represented at the 39th edition of the DIFF which had as theme: “ No Filmmaker is Left Behind.”

Nollywood director Mahmood Ali-Balogun and award-winning actress Nse Ikpe-Etim were part of jurors named for the festival.

Ikpe-Etim is listed as a juror in the fiction category and Ali-Balogun, famous for directing ‘Tango with Me.’ is for the documentary film category.

Two young Nigerians, Emamodeviefe Edosio and Oluyomi Ososanya, made the list of the ‘Talent Durban,’ a five-day development programme for emerging African film professionals.

Nigeria, through its Film and Video Censors Board, is among countries and stakeholders that have pavilions at the film fiesta.

Mr Thomas Adedayo, the Executive Director of the board, and other officials hosted and interacted with industry players on classification, collaboration and other areas of mutual interest, all geared toward the growth of the country’s film and video industry.

NAN

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