I AM STILL IN NOLLYWOOD, THERE IS NO RETREAT - EGO BOYO

Ego Boyo

A lot of people remember Ego Boyo as “Ann Haastrup” the fictional character she played in the hugely successful 90s television series, “Checkmate,” but the delectable actress has come a long way from being just an actress to a producer. The hugely talented lady has produced movies like “Violated,” “To live Again,” “Keeping Faith” and “Thirty Days.” She founded a movie production company, Temple Productions, which is into feature films, documentaries, and promotional videos. E24-7 MAGAZINE’S EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, BIODUN KUPOLUYI, caught up with her at the Toronto International Film Festival and they had a chat…

Is this your first time in Toronto, and can you tell me your specific mission here?

Yes, this is my first time here. I actually came because I have a series of meetings to set up, so I didn’t actually come for Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), I came to look at the possibility of doing business with Canadian companies as regards production, and to see other things that can be done here as well. I have just experienced four days of TIFF, and it’s been interesting. I have learnt a lot and I’m quite happy with what I’ve seen and heard.

Are you surprised that despite UNICEF’s rating of Nigeria as the second largest movie producing country in the world, we have a very sparse presence here?

No. It may be surprising for people who don’t understand, or haven’t been in the industry for long, but I have been in the industry for quite a while now and it’s not surprising that we don’t have a strong presence here. The type of corporate structure that would have brought us here, like what they are doing in Tokyo International, is not there; as a result, a lot of us are independent. Film production has slowed down considerably and people are trying to see where the international market is. They’re trying to up their game so that their films can compete better on the international stage. The closest thing we had to a Nigerian film this year is obviously “Half of a Yellow Sun” which is a half- Nigerian, half-British production. I wasn’t there for the premiere, but what they were aiming for in terms of quality, international cast and all of that, that is the sort of things people are probably going to be looking for here, although there are a lot of wholly indigenous films from other parts of the world. I think Nigerians are observing. A lot of us, independent producers, are seeing how we can brush up our game before we come for festivals like this.

Do you agree with me that film is now more about politics among nations because we can see the contributions and supports of nations here, yet our government is reluctant despite the huge amount announced to support the industry, why do you think this is?

I don’t know whether to call it reluctance. I feel they are slowly coming to the realization that this is an industry that is worthy of support, and they are putting things in place to support the industry. I think that we, as the industry practitioners, also have roles to play. There’s been a lot of blame heaped on the government, and I think that we have also not played our parts effectively. All practitioners and stakeholders need to come together and plot the way forward.

With the number of cinemas out here, you can see their relevance to film making, how do you think we can get out of the woods in Nigeria?

Distribution has been a key problem for a while now. As I said, we don’t have a structure, but I think going forward, the situation will become better. When I started, we didn’t have even one cinema; we premiered our movies at the Muson Centre, but now, most films are premiered in cinemas. We’ve come a long way; it’s not that we made a whole turn-around, but it’s happening gradually. I don’t see it as something to be lamented over; it’s something that we should embrace because it’s only going to get better.

Are you on a retreat after “Thirty Days” or why have you not shot another movie since then?

I’ve concentrated on other parts of film that are not feature films. I’ve made short films, documentaries, and advertisements which are more corporate, but they’re still film. The good thing about coming to festivals like this is that it reinforces the fact that there is more to film-making than just feature films, which is what we concentrate on in Nigeria. I haven’t made a retreat; coming to Toronto is certainly not a retreat, I’m firmly in the game.

Are you not missing the screen as an actress?

No, not at all. I’m focusing on being behind the scenes.

Source: E24/7 Magazine