Is Netflix really helping to improve Nollywood?

There are many other ways to ask the above question all of which add up to: What has Nollywood done for Nollywood, quality-wise? Or to put it in Pidgin English (and borrow from the late Entertainment lawyer Efere Ozako’s Wetin Lawyers Dey Do Sef): Wetin Netflix Dey Do for Nollywood Sef? Bear in mind, this question doesn’t necessarily infer that Netflix isn’t helping to improve Nollywood. However, it’s meant to invite conversation about what Netflix is doing or not doing right. The above question in the headline and its other variants were generated by the reactions to the January 1^st premiere of Chief Daddy 2 (directed by Niyi Akinmolayan) on Netflix just like the first Chief Daddy in 2019. I’m going to talk about Chief Daddy 2 much later. But first, let’s talk about Netflix.

Netflix first launched its streaming services in Nigeria in 2016 when it expanded into 130 countries. Fifty a film directed by Biyi Bandele from the Ebony Life Studios was one of the first Nigerian films streamed on the platform. A few short years later in 2020, Netflix Naija was born when the streaming company set up an office in Nigeria, acquired Genevieve Nnaji’s 2018 film Lionheart; and also began commissioning its own original projects. It’s safe that these developments were celebrated by many as signs of good things for Nollywood. For one, Nigerian filmmakers will have access to a global platform. Also, Nigerians in the Diaspora will now have access to content from home. The general feeling was that Netflix meant better quality for Nollywood.

Yemi Solade, an actor is quoted as saying that: Netflix has “a set standard for collecting works. They know the work they want and what they don’t want. So, Netflix has come to raise the bar. You can’t get your job on Netflix if you haven’t met certain conditions and standards. From the equipment to storyline, quality of actors, location, costume, your audio, subtitles, and other components of the film, must be top-notch.” Lola Pedro writing under the subhead ‘It is one more step away from cheap Upper Iweka version of Nollywood’-“With Netflix Naija originals, we can now say to people who will never agree that Nollywood can be good and move away from the weaknesses of its cheap version, “Go to Netflix.”

Of course, some had fears. Fidelis Duker reportedly said in an interview that the Netflix opportunity may soon be “bastardised, and it may soon get to the point that anything and just anything will go. Recently, I heard from some producers that it’s already getting there with some of the films on Netflix. This is because some filmmakers see putting their films on there as status symbols.” In spite of this, Netflix has delivered on some of the earlier expectations.

Nigerians in the Diaspora can now choose what to watch from Nigeria and Nigerians at home despite our famed slow but expensive internet have also managed to get on the Netflix train. Nigeria was ranked 142nd out of 224 countries in 2021 for speed. For cost, although ranked 43rd out of 230 countries in affordability, when Nigeria’s position as poverty capital is considered, Netflix isn’t exactly for everyone. And in spite of complaints about some people hijacking Netflix and becoming gatekeepers, quite a few films have come through Netflix that the majority of Nigerians say are good. According to Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, “Movies like ‘King of Boys’, ‘Merry Men’ and ‘The Bling Lagosians’ have shown how much our members love Nigerian movies.”

However, as the uproar against Chief Daddy 2 has shown, Netflix may have dropped the ball on the question of quality. If as Yemi Solade has said “Netflix has come to raise the bar. You can’t get your job on Netflix if you haven’t met certain conditions and standards. From the equipment to storyline, quality of actors, location, costume, your audio, subtitles, and other components of the film, must be top-notch,” how did Chief Daddy 2 scale through? Who is it that thought that a disjointed film with clips that look like they’re from different movies was good enough for Netflix? There may be a few films from other parts of Africa and the rest of the world that didn’t always deliver on quality. I reviewed African America directed by Muzi Mthembu (from South Africa) here and it wasn’t what I expected from Netflix, it wasn’t even what I’ve come to expect from South Africa. Not to mention the fact that the film was supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, NFVF.

Nonetheless, my focus remains on Nollywood and Nigerian projects on Netflix. Why don’t I just focus on the filmmakers and producers? Or throw all of Nollywood and those who claim to be too good for Nollywood under the bus? When the going gets bad, some begin to deny that they’re not Nollywood but Nigerian filmmakers. Even though some of these people as evidence shows, don’t mind collecting money from government-sponsored programmes like Project Act Nollywood. At times like that, the name Nollywood is no longer something not to be associated with. Still, it’s their right to choose how they want to be identified but there should also be full disclosure. Anyhow, they wouldn’t be the first to be that sensitive. There are some African filmmakers who don’t want to be so defined but to be known simply as filmmakers.

For now, I would rather focus on Netflix because I believe it has more to protect. It has to protect its reputation as a platform of quality. Netflix also has to listen to what people are saying and not just depend on the almighty algorithm. The immediate aftermath of the brouhaha over Chief Daddy 2 was that the movie became no.1 and Chief Daddy no. 3 on Nigeria’s Top 10 on Netflix which its producers celebrated. So how can viewers get Netflix’s attention? Someone on the internet suggested that viewers must learn to click on the ‘dislike’ button on Netflix. Will this get them to realize just how many people don’t like the Chief Daddy 2? Not sure how that would work. Again, there are other Nigerian films on Netflix like Namaste Wahala, Slay, Unroyal, not much better than Chief Daddy. I suspect there maybe even more. Some, I haven’t had the heart to try. There appears to be a consensus that Robert Peters Small Chops may hold the crown as the ‘king’ of them all. The jury is still out.

In all this, it isn’t as if Nigeria and Nollywood are going to be unaffected. As usual, Chief Daddy 2 has only reopened the lines for those who Nollywood bashing is almost a calling. These people talk as if everything in Nigeria is excellent except Nollywood. They also talk as if they’re too smart and so do not watch Nollywood. There’s jealousy, tribalism, self-hatred even, all disguised as objectivity. Netflix was supposed to make everything better. All I know is that at some point, something has to give.

Onoshe Nwabuikwu, AIRTIME columnist is a renowned TV/Film critic, and Film scholar. She also has experience in Advertising as a senior Copywriter and Corporate Communications as Communications consultant