"NOLLYWOOD IS MY PASSION" - Sunny Mac-Don
One of the very prominent actors who nurtured Nollywood from infancy, speaks about his "absence" from acting and tells us what he has been doing all these while.
NFC: HOW ARE YOU DOING?
Am fine, thank you.
NFC: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS WHILE?
I have been doing a lot of behind the camera jobs. I cut down my acting roles when
I took up the mantle of producing and direcing movies. So most times you will not see my face as usual but you will see my name in movies. I have so far been able to direct about 8 movies between 2002 to date.
NFC : APART FROM PRODUCING/DIRECTING, WHAT ELSE HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?
I have been involved in organising some core Nollywood programs. I am in the Organizing Team of the yearly Abuja International Film Festival, which we just finished the 4th edition. Abuja International Film Festival was the first privately initiated film festival in Nigeria. It is basically a place where all film makers from africa and beyond come together to exchange ideas, review and preview most of their works, get to meet with other colleagues from within and outside the country.
I am also the Director of Programs African Movie Academy Award (AMAA) and you know this award has been running for about 3 years now. AMAA provides a platform for movie practitioners from africa and beyond to converge together and showcase their work.Its been a herculean task travelling from Ghana to South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe and other african countries to sample movies. We even go as far as London to get in touch with movie makers in diaspora, for them to send in their movie entries and also to sensitize them to know what AMAA stands for. So you can see it has been a great work behind the screen for me all these years. So if you do not see me on the screen, you will certainly find my name on the screen.
NFC: WHATS NOLLYWOOD'S PLAN FOR THE FUTURE, ESPECIALLY AS WE ENTER 2008?
2008 is like a pregnant woman carrying a child yet unborn. But from the scan, we can see that there are triplets in the womb. When a man has triplets in the waiting, it is not just joy, but he needs extra strength. We are going to put in extra strength in Nollywood come 2008 because we want to surpass what we have done in 2007 and I must tell you it is kudos for Nollywood because if you look at every emerging industry and you look at the rate of growth within a 10 years time frame, you will find out that, compared to other film industries all over the world; you can
hardly compare them with what we have achieved in this 10 years of Nollywood's existence.
People say we are not doing the kind of films Hollywood and Bollywood are doing, but I must tell you, check the records - Bollywood, Hollywood when they were 10 years, they did not come near the mark we have been able to achieve in our 10 years. Nollywood has colonised Africa. You might say our medium is not the same, but we cant all be in the same medium. A taste is applicable to apeople. Burger in Europe and America is a taste nobody can substitute for anything. But if you come down to Africa, burger is not one of our taste. Back home, we have our own peculiar taste and appetite.
As far as Africa is concerned, our medium is an appetite that we have used to satisfy the yearning of film lovers in Africa and when you talk about African films
as it is right now, you are talking about Nollywood. Nollywood is on the move and we will do our best to push Nollywood beyond the shores of Nigeria and Africa.
NFC: ON A LIGHTER NOTE, WHAT WILL SUNNY MAC DON BE DOING WHEN HE IS NOT SHOOTING FILMS OR PLANNING NOLLYWOOD ACTIVITIES?
Apart from making movies, I also have a flair for singing. Am basically into gospel music, because of my religious inclination. Am a christian, a believer. Any time am not talking films or Nollywood, am talking bible. These are my passions.
NFC: WHERE ARE YOU FROM AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?
I am from the riverine area of the Niger-delta in Nigeria. My favourite food is yam and fresh fish pepper soup.
NFC: WHAT IS NEW IN YOUR LINE OF DUTY THAT YOUR FANS SHOULD EXPECT?
I have two new productions am embarking on. I will do one before the year runs out and it is called THE CRY OF A GIRL CHILD. It is a story based on the travails
of early marriages in africa. The consequences, pains and after effect of early marriage on the girl child.
NFC: ONE FINAL WORD TO YOUR FANS.
I love you all, keep buying Nollywood films. That is one of the ways you all can encourage us to improve on the quality of our productions. God bless you all.
Emmanuel Gabari
Reporting from Abuja, Nigeria
http://www.nollywoodgists.com