United States-based Nigerian film producer, John Chuka, is currently on a mission to groom scriptwriters for Nollywood, writes CHUX OHAI
Award-winning Nigerian filmmaker based in the United States, John Chuka, is about to embark on the first phase of his mission to introduce sweeping changes in Nollywood.
Unknown to many movie fans, the dreadlocked and multi-talented movie producer, whose feature film, ‘The Fetus’, clinched two awards at the 2013 Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards event in Washington DC, has been in Nigeria since Christmas.
Apart from visiting his relations in Delta State, he had decided to grab the opportunity offered by the Yuletide to study the movie industry and to map out a strategy on how to ‘revolutionise’ it.
In an interview with our correspondent, Chuka says he came to Nigeria with a proposal on how to move Nollywood forward. After spending about two months in the country, he was able to discover a few things about the industry.
He says, “After meeting some people that are involved in the film industry, I realised that I cannot handle the task ahead alone. I can’t even do it from a distance.”
Chuka says he has established a company that will generate and develop African story ideas into screenplays, transform the screenplays into films, and ultimately distribute the films worldwide.
Driven by a burning desire to actualise this dream, the producer has decided to spend more time in the country and, in the process, earn some credibility as a US-based filmmaker aspiring to make a positive impact on Nollywood.
“I guess I will have to spend a lot more time here in Nigeria. I want to leave my imprint on the industry. Some people want to know how many movies I have made and how many scripts I have written. I am not in Nollywood yet. I am on the threshold and now, I am trying to break in.
“Right now, I am trying to find the right people to work with. I want to make things to happen here. If I cannot do exactly what I planned to do, I think I need to start from somewhere. So I have decided to organise scriptwriting workshops. I want to teach people how to write scripts for film and help them to doctor the scripts to the point that they will become marketable,” he says.
Beyond organising the scriptwriting workshop across some major cities in the country, Chuka has other plans. He says, “Everybody has a story to tell, but many people don’t know how to write theirs in an acceptable format. My job is to show them how to do it. In addition, I will help them to find buyers for their scripts. If we sell these scripts and they are made into movies, the scriptwriter will be listed among those whose screenplays make the most impact for that year. Then I will sponsor that person to attend a screen-writing course in Hollywood, US for three months.”
But a panel of judges will be responsible for nominating an outstanding scriptwriter for the sponsored trip to the US.
“I do not want to be the one to decide who is good or not. My job is to give them the necessary training and to help them to find a market for their products,” Chuka says.
The producer is confident that the planned workshops will yield positive results for Nollywood in the long run. And so does Mr. Emefiene Ogbechie, a self-confessed movie fan.
“I am sure that this will definitely lead to an improvement in story-telling and in the quality of the films we are going to see in the future. Also, it is going to be a win-win situation for everybody, especially now that most movie producers and directors have to worry about getting somebody to write scripts for them.
“Right now, even ordinary marketers commission who can barely communicate in fluent English to write scripts for them. They do this because there is nobody or group of people that offer alternative solutions to the problem of scripting for films,” Ogbechie says.
Determined to make the impact of his initiative felt across the country, Chuka plans to take his ‘mobile film school’ from one major city to another every week and to teach interested Nigerians how to write scripts right through the year.
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