Cinema is one of the most prestigious art forms in the world. It’s a larger-than-life take on art, which can transport remote audiences into imaginative new worlds. The sky’s the limit—especially if a movie studio has the funds to take on daring new projects and bring on world-famous actors.
But not all fields of cinema are the same. Every country has its own distinct relationship to filmmaking, which tends to focus on specific themes, messages, and even historical or cultural context. A film can even be a way of exploring and developing identity.
Both Nigeria and Canada have developed filmmaking industries. The Canadian filmmaking world started in the 1930s, while Nigeria’s ‘Nollywood’ got its start in the early 1990s. Despite the starting gap, both countries have produced some famous hits.
Many of Nollywood’s are newer, including 2018’s Chief Daddy and 2016’s The Wedding Party, while Canada has older hits like 2001’s Atanarjuat and 1971’s Mon Oncle Antoine. But, uniquely, both Nollywood and Canadian filmmaking share certain traits that run parallel to one another.
Let’s dig in and explore what these two industries share in common and what sets them apart.
In terms of entertainment, Canada is known for its famous gaming developers and casino operators. It’s home to a slew of casino brands. Games like live-action roulette in Canada or chess are known by many people because of its history and worldwide fame. And of course, not forgetting other tabletop games like Monopoly or Game of Life that have also transitioned into the online world.
But in Nigeria, there’s a stronger focus on the music industry. Along with the rise of Nollywood, Nigeria’s music scene has taken off, helping foster interest in genres like Afro Beat, Afro Wave, and Afro Pop. Audiences around the world have shown support and interest in stars like Wizkid, Rema, and Burna Boy.
Interestingly, both Nollywood and the Canadian film industry rely on English as a unifying language. In Canada, French is a major language, along with a slew of indigenous tongues like Cree, Ojibwemowin, and Inuktitut. The aforementioned hit Atanarjuat was filmed entirely in the Inuktitut language (and was filmed by an Inuk director).
Nollywood, by contrast, can be broken down by its languages. Though English is one of the more common languages (because it can be marketed beyond Nigeria’s borders), Nollywood also encompasses many other languages. Films have been shot in Edo, Ibibio, Yoruba, Igbo, and many more.
Nollywood’s emphasis on varied languages has helped popularize the industry throughout West Africa. Though Nollywood got its start in Nigeria, it has since become popular for other West African filmmakers to join Nollywood—usually through affiliate partnerships or cooperative filmmaking efforts.
As mentioned up top, filmmaking is an art form—one that tends to reflect the culture, identity, and world it originates in. Though filmmakers like to build on familiar tropes, from tales of revenge to lone hero sagas, all stories have different angles. So how do films from Nollywood and Canada differ in terms of themes?
Nollywood tends to focus more on the cultural identities of its many ethnic groups. Not only is there a focus on various cultures, but these tend to be explored through the lenses of tradition vs. modernity and the roles of family and community. Not all of these themes would be recognizable to a Canadian audience.
In Canada, films usually include a few distinctive elements of life in the Great North. For example, winter is a common factor in many Canadian film hits. Multicultural themes are also important, as many filmmakers in Canada are of indigenous Native American descent. Similar to Nollywood themes, these films usually focus on the tension between tradition and modernity.
