An interview with a Nollywood fan (Who also watches Nollywood movies online)

I interviewed one of the biggest fans of Nollywood movies on Tuesday. Her name is Juliet and she is my cousin. She resides in London, and so she is one of the "Flygerians" who would like to connect to their homeland through watching Nollywood Movies.

ME: When did you begin to watch nollywood movies onli:ne?

JULIET: I began to watch Nollywood movie when I first went to Nigeria and to keep us entertained we would hire movies from the local shop. In 2003 

ME: What other websites do you go to watch them, other than youtube?

JULIET: Other than YouTube I can watch molly wood movies on onlinenigeria.com also Ghananation.com nigeriascreen.com etc.

ME: Do you use google to search for nollywood movies?

JULIET: At times I use Google or I can use websites that friends give me or info from the tv and also ask.com. 

ME: Do you prefer watching them online? why?

JULIET: I do prefer to watch these movies online as some I can get for free while u have to pay for the actuall DVD. Also it's much handy when using a laptop u can just switch it on with any hassle

ME: Are you concerned about the actors paycheck because of these movies online?

JULIET: I'm not really concerned with the actors paychecks bcus they are professional actors who are just doing their hobby which is bringing them money. It's just like musicians and their songs being on iTunes, and other downloadable devices.

ME: Who is your favorite actor/actress?

JULIET: My fav actor will have to be Mike ezeronye. Only bcus i think he's hot and amazing. But professionally i love desmond elliott as he can act numerous roles and do it well. Actress would hav to be Stella demascus or Kate henshaw nuttal

ME: What benefits do you get from watching them online? Do these movies help you connect to your homeland?

JULIET: The movies definertly help me connect to my home as most movies shoot films that are current of events in Nigeria. For example kidnapping and also the film my Yori yori Which came out bcus of the song yori Yori.

ME: What other comments do you have about Nollywood movie industry?

JULIET: I personally feel that Nolly wood has grown rapidly over the past years. With more more use of technology. And also much more actors and actresses speaking much better and fluent English Which allows the movies to be sold woldwide. Also with the growth of younger actors it's pulling a younger gneration who are abviously the ones to buy the DVDs

My favorite actress?

Genevieve Nnaji.She is the most misunderstood actress in Nollywood. She paved the way for dark skinned actresses into the industry. People see her as a snobby person, but even though I don't know her, I can probably guess that she is not. I can relate to her so much, but I don't know why. I trust that her movies are the type that I like and she has never disappointed me in all of the movies I have watched with her in it. In this photo, she had an interview with Pinto, the CNN interviewer, about her new movie, The Mirror Boy. I have not seen this one online yet. I can't wait to see the movie.

How did the internet make Nollywood movies popular?

First I will say the internet made a lot of things popular. Think of the many things you go online to do. Read online newspaper, go to online dictionaries, look for information through Google, etc. Google itself, and YouTube has made Nollywood movies very popular. The internet has become a significant aspect of our lives these days. It has also made us think more in globalization terms. "Flygerians", also known as Nigerians abroad feel more connected to their homeland, all thanks to the internet. Nollywood movies started as a small industry and has significantly grown in terms of the number of movies produced per month.As a flygerian, these movies have helped me significantly to connect to my homeland. These movies not only give us flygerians something to do during our leisure times, they also tell us about the current information of Nigeria even though we are not there. I usually find myself, while watching the movies, looking at the current fashion (oh, and trust me, Nigerian movie stars are big on fashion!), the roads, and the trends. Some Nollywood movies are usually about the trends going on in Nigeria. For example, when the flu became a trending topic, there was a movie concerning the flu. Now there is a big trend about blackberries, and a movie recently came out about it and it is called Blackberry Babes. These movies online have no price to it and Nollywood movie lovers can watch as many as they want.

The spread of Nollywood movies through the Internet

Nollywood industry produces hundreds of movies in a month. As more get produced, more get posted on the internet. YouTube subscribers like nollywoodlove continue to publish these movies online. But my question is do these actors get paid at all? It makes me worried that these movies get published even without the consent of the movie producers. The last time I heard that nollywoodlove channel on YouTube began to take over the popularity of posting nollywood movies via the internet and they are legal. They are in the process of removing all illegal movies on YouTube so that their channel can be the icon for nollywood movies. But I do hope these actors are getting paid for their work and are not getting ripped off their hard earned money.
But at the end of the day, it is the consumers, just like my entrepreneurship professor puts it, who win at the end. All they want is to watch the movies for free. If there was anyone to be arrested for posting these nollywood movies illegally online, it certainly will not be the consumers.

My all time favorite movie. I watched it when I was a kid...lesson learned? Don't let any obstacle get in your way when trying to accomplish anything