Nigerian film industry scores remarkable achievements

The Nigerian film industry has scored remarkable achievements in recent years, the official News Agency of Nigeria quoted Information Minister Frank Nweke as reporting on Tuesday.

Nweke was quoted as saying that Nigeria, the most populous African country with a total of over 140 million people, could produce more than 1,000 feature films and generate more than 200 million U.S. dollars annually.

At the Third Nigeria Third Film Festival which opened in the nation 's capital Abuja on Monday, the information minister said more than 70 films from 40 countries would be screened during the festival.

He added that the festival was an opportunity for the country to showcase its heritage, the heart of Africa project as well as the Nollywood success story.

Nweke also said the Nigerian government would continue to support all activities in the industry as the successes in the sector were that of visionary leadership as represented by President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Nollywood upgraded courage and shrewdness by adopting the appropriate technology and keeping abreast with global trends in the sector, the official commented.

Fidelis Duker, director of the film festival, told reporters at the opening ceremony that the celebration was about creditability, saying that Nigeria had achieved that through the film and video industry.

According to him, 15 film makers from various countries were participating in the three-day film festival which is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua