THE LOCAL & FLY

During a video discussion on “Forging the Talent Pipeline for the Film Industry” at the Nollywood Studies Centre. A team of professionals from Nollywood and beyond covered the issue of insufficient skills and lack of education in Nollywood.

The creative industry relies heavily on individual creativity, skill, and talent, but raw talent alone is insufficient. Skills need to be enhanced and channeled through proper education and training to grow the film industry quality-wise.

Training institutions involved include the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts, and RMA Academy.

A decent number of creatives have been produced by these institutions as they offer training in diverse areas such as acting, directing, scriptwriting, producing, and technical skills. Some focus more on the artistic side and others on the broader value chain of filmmaking.

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A persistent challenge discussed during the debate is the lack of synergy and collaboration among trainers, producers, and talent managers. This issue hampers the overall success of talents and the industry.

Greater collaboration is essential to enhancing the quality and practical readiness of creatives.

Resolving to Training, Education in Nollywood

Success for a talent is defined not just by popularity but by reliability, professionalism, versatility, and the ability to enrich a production. Often, producers choose popular talents with weak training who may disrupt production.

Also, key infrastructural challenges for education and training include the high cost of training, lack of funding, and logistical difficulties like transportation and accommodation. These could limit access for many aspiring talents.

Training programs in Nigeria typically cannot be sustained by student fees alone and depend on external funding. The limited funding options often come with restrictions and delays.

The concern about the quantity vs. quality of training was handled by the professional during the discussion. Large cohorts trained within short periods might dilute the depth of skills developed.

Joke Silva, who was representing the Lufodo Academy, used an analogy — “a lot of grass that needs watering” versus “luscious flowers” to describe the varying quality of graduates.

She emphasises that Lufodo focuses on producing globally competitive talents. Other institutions may train larger numbers with less rigorous follow-up, she noted.

Overall, the discussion highlighted the insufficiency of skills and lack of education in Nollywood, which stems from a variety of different factors.

Funding shortages, infrastructural constraints, lack of coordinated education policy, and insufficient collaboration between educational institutions and the industry are some of those tackled.

Addressing these issues requires strategic partnerships, sustainable funding, and industry integration of training outputs. More so, a shift in mindset towards ongoing talent development is needed to truly forge a robust talent pipeline for Nollywood’s future.