Filmmaking Business: Producers must be strong in creative storytelling–Kenneth Gyang

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Kenneth Gyang

Filmmaker, Kenneth Gyang, tells TOFARATI IGE about his career, relationship with Netflix and other issues

How did your relationship with Netflix come about?

My relationship with Netflix goes back to a couple of years. In 2015, when Netflix wanted to acquire some African content, my first feature film, Confusion Na Wa, was selected as one of the first set to appear in the African and Nigerian movies category. However, Netflix didn’t go live on the continent until a year later.

Before Oloture (a crime drama film on human trafficking), I directed some of the biggest dramas from northern Nigeria titled, Sons of the Caliphate and Castle and Castle, which are both on Netflix as licensed content. That was the deal Mo Abudu and Ebonylife Media brokered with the platform.

Oloture, too, is a result of her relationship with Netflix. Only that this time, it is a Netflix Original, which is quite a big deal.

In what ways does Oloture proffer workable solutions to the menace of sex trafficking in Africa, especially Nigeria?

As filmmakers, we have a duty to both entertain and enlighten our audience. Audiences mostly do not want to be taught an in-your-face lesson. What we have been able to do is to make a film that could steer the audience and policy makers towards deep reflection. It would be nice if it informs young African women that it is not always paradise across the Mediterranean.

What positive impact does Netflix have to offer Nigerian actors and filmmakers?

In 2016, Reed Hastings (Co-founder of Netflix) said the most exciting thing about global Netflix is finding local storytellers and giving them a platform. That’s it. We now have a platform to showcase authentic Nigerian stories to millions of people beyond Nigeria.

How did you break into the movie industry?

I followed the international route. I was still in film school (in 2006) when I made the short film, ‘Mummy Lagos’, which was probably Nigeria’s only entry to the Berlinale Talent Campus. The film was such a hit at the festival that a writing mentor asked me if I wanted to work with the British Broadcasting Corporation, which was coming into West Africa for a big-budget series at the time. That in turn led to the television drama series, Wetin Dey, produced by the BBC.

The writing mentor then linked me up with the iconic Ghanaian filmmaker, John Akomfrah, and David Lawson of Smoking Dogs fame. I got into the industry after working on such an important series.

At the early stage of your career, were you discriminated against because of your young age?

Wetin Dey had brilliant thespians such as the late Jab Adu, but I didn’t experience discrimination. I made sure I prepared my notes for the day. I got on set and did exactly what I set out to do. When one does that, one earns the respect of the executives, cast and crew.

What are the most challenging jobs you have handled?

I remember flying to Gwoza (Borno State) working on a documentary for an international donor agency and we stayed at the United Nations Hub. At night, we could hear gunshots from the hills.

It felt like the insurgents were going to attack. We had to keep our walkie-talkies on to follow events beyond the hills. I consider the fact that I had to film a compelling story under that condition a personal triumph.

It is said that Nigerian movies are often predictable and without suspense. What’s your reaction to that?

Universally, stories are almost the same but what makes the difference are the plots. I agree that some Nigerian movies don’t have good plotting but that has never been the case for every Nigerian film out there.

You once stated that you don’t like to tell one-dimensional stories. How would you define your style of filmmaking?

I can’t say much about my style but I always set out to make films with universal appeal. I grew up in the northern part of the country where we watched Indian films without subtitles, yet got the story because film has a universal language.

This conversation shouldn’t be happening on the pages of a newspaper but I’ll say that there’s pressure to push filmmakers into telling a particular kind of film with the notion that ‘Nigerians don’t understand certain films’. That point of view is laughable.

I can make all kinds of films. Confusion Na Wa was a dark comedy; The Lost Café was pure drama and Oloture is a thriller. Filmmakers should be allowed to make all kinds of movies without being forced by gatekeepers.

What stirred your interest in becoming a producer?

Nigeria has only a few quality producers. Most people who call themselves producers are mostly production managers.

In 2016, a friend of mine, Olabode Moses, and I got selected to be at the Ouaga Film Lab in Burkina Faso. We were the first Nigerians to be selected. We pitched a story called El Dorado Road, which incidentally is on migration but about events on the ‘road to hell’. Our pitch won the EAVE prize which I presented at the EAVE Producers Workshop― a one year workshop programme for people interested in becoming elite producers.

We had three workshops in Luxembourg, Poland and Denmark. After graduating, I felt it was right for me to identify talented directors around Nigeria and produce their films. One of the first directors I am working with is Julius Morno, whose project, Life More or Less, was at the Durban Film Mart.

What are the most important qualities a producer must possess to be successful?

A producer should most importantly be a strong creative storyteller and have the ability to identify the right talents and stories. It is also necessary to have an understanding of how to sort out paperwork, which is key in co-productions.

What do you consider to be the biggest moments of your career?

In 2010, as greenhorn filmmakers without a real producer, we applied for the Hubert Bals Fund film grant from the Netherlands and got a digital production grant to make Confusion Na Wa.

The film went on to win the Best Film category at the Africa Movies Academy Awards in 2013 as well as the Jury Prize at the prestigious Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. It was also a reference point for modern African studies in some American universities. Making that film was important to my growth as a filmmaker.

What are the most important lessons you have learnt in your career?

It is important to stick to what one believes in. As a filmmaker, you should tell authentic stories that are true to you and the universe will play catch up.

What are some of the changes you would like to see in the movie industry?

The irony of making film in Nigeria is that sometimes, I have to go all the way to Europe to source for money to make a movie because there isn’t a funding body here.

Confusion Na Wa got funding from Netherlands. The Lost Café, produced by Regina Udalor, also had support from Norway and France. I have been clamouring for a National Endowment Fund for Arts, an independent federal agency that would fund, promote and strengthen the capacity of artists by providing opportunities in arts participation.

Investing one naira in the intellectual development of a Nigerian could augment the national revenue more than one naira invested in another field. Many countries provide that opportunity for their filmmakers and I think Nigeria needs to look at that model.

What memories of your childhood in Plateau State stand out for you?

The beautiful mountains added beauty to the scenery. Also, I enjoyed the fact that there were no ethnic divides. As students, we lived on mangoes, tomatoes, oranges, guava, raw sweet potatoes and carrots. We were never hungry because the people had a philosophy that as long as one was entering a farm to source for what one would eat, it was not trespassing. There were indeed a lot of beautiful memories. Right now, I’m building a ranch there because we are blessed with the right weather and we need to exploit it.

What are your hobbies?

Apart from reading, I play football and I am getting into lawn tennis.

How do you like to dress?

I’m the guy who wants to sign major deals in t-shirts and jeans.


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