Nollywood has gone through many stages and one of the stages the industry went through and still somewhat goes through even now is the stage where people say ‘I don’t want Nollywood movies’.
It was and is annoying sentence and sentiment often shared by people whose notion of Nollywood is still very antiquated and unnecessarily judgmental, but it is a sentiment many people including actors and producers have heard while trying to promote their films.
Speaking on how he feels about and deals with people who say “I don’t watch Nigerian movies”, Deyemi Okanlawon said:
DEYEMI OKANLAWON: I’ve seen it. I go go cinema go sell film tickets, and I’ll be there and people will tell me “no no no no, I don’t watch Nollywood films.” I’m like ye! E dey pain. E dey pain! But I’ve seen several Nigerian music artistes who when they first came out, like Rema, when Rema first came out, I remember the comments: “yen yen yen, who is this one?” But I would look at the guy and be like this guy has something, what are you guys talking about? Because they can’t see it, they will shit on it. But then he kept giving them back to back until they more or less accepted him. Now, it’s the same thing that’s going on with Nollywood and we keep growing.
I remember one time one girl did that exact same thing to me. She told me ‘sorry, I don’t watch Nollywood films’, and so I said ‘okay’ and I kept selling my tickets. She now said ‘oh, can I take a picture with you?’ so I said ‘sorry, I don’t take Nigerian pictures.’ I’m petty like that. Go meet Brad Pitt, go take picture with am. You don’t watch Nollywood movies, my bread and butter, wetin I dey take feed my family, you now want to shit on it. Go and take picture with Denzel Washington.