“You can put together a film, but it won’t take you anywhere.”
The southern Nigerian film industry is gaining traction in the US film market with investment from Netflix and Amazon Prime, but according to a prominent Kannywood figure, Sani Mu’azu, the industry is in a state of flux.
Kannywood is Nigeria’s Hausa-language film industry, but its films are not getting accepted in cinemas around the world.
Mu’azu, a film producer, director and former president of the Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria. He spent over three decades in Kannywood, where he saw it grow to the point where it could produce hundreds of films a year.
He witnessed how the industry lost its prestige as Nollywood continued to grow.
“Cinema should allow you to make money,” Mu’azu told TRT Africa. “If you don’t get a film, you can’t make your money back. Because, Kannywood can’t make a big movie.”
Indeed, for years, the debate over Nigerian cinema has focused on the southern Nollywood sector – where millions of naira are made and released in cinemas in Lagos.
Away from the mainstream, Kannywood is struggling to survive the pressures of censorship, counterfeiters, and cultural stereotypes.
Now, it faces a major challenge of how to modernize its work to digital, and reach a global audience without losing the cultural identity it is known for.
“Kannywood is a big part of Nollywood,” says Mu’azu. “Nollywood started from scratch and became the biggest film industry in the world. Kannywood is part of that journey. The number of films just shows the people who want to show their talent.”
Like Nollywood, Kannywood grew from the ground up, not from government support. Early filmmakers relied on VHS tapes, then VCDs and DVDs to sell their films in Kano’s main markets like Kofar Mata and Bata. These are the main film markets in the north.
In the south, there are film markets in Idumota and Alaba in Lagos, where Nollywood is increasingly becoming more skilled in its methods and expanding its market internationally. Kannywood, on the other hand, is struggling to survive.
The differences have become more pronounced in recent years. Data from the Nigerian Film Industry Association shows the country’s film industry is set to generate 11.5 billion naira ($8.4 million) in revenue by 2024, a 60% increase on last year.
Most of the growth has come from the south, where hundreds of cinemas support high-budget films. In comparison, in northern Nigeria, only a handful are operating. Some have even closed.
The technology gap
Kannywood’s problems are most evident on digital platforms. While Netflix and Amazon Prime offer a rich platform for southern Nigerian films, you’re unlikely to see a Hausa film.
With the number of cinemas dwindling and the lack of options for showing films on your own-screening platform, many Kannywood filmmakers are turning to YouTube, where revenue is based on the internet rather than the established cinema system. Then there’s the issue of counterfeit films.
“Counterfeiters are downloading and distributing our films to people to make money. The filmmaker is unaware of the infringement of his copyrights by others to make money,” said Sani Mu’azu.
Kannywood has a huge fan base of over 80 million people across West and Central Africa and in Hausa-speaking countries around the world, but it has not been profitable for them.
Mu’azu told TRT Africa, “Northern Nigerians do not use the internet as much as the south. And even among those who do, there are many who do not pay to watch movies.”
New programs such as Arewaflix, an online movie streaming platform that shows movies with subtitles in other languages, are a sign of the growing awareness that Kannywood must secure its future in the digital realm. However, Mu’azu urged caution.
“There is a market here, but internet usage in the north is not growing like in other parts of the country.”
Government watch
Before Kannywood can catch up with Nollywood, Mu’azu believes the government must step in. There is a need for policies that encourage investment, support for cinema construction, and improve skills and awareness of digital technologies in the industry.
However, there is a problem of insecurity that affects the industry. In many places in northern Nigeria, there are problems of kidnapping, bushfires, terrorist attacks and the threat of investment in the entertainment industry.
“No one wants to go to a movie in an environment where people want to go home by 6pm,” said Mu’azu.
Before the culture of going to the cinema can be accepted, viewers must feel safe, and this safety is not available. In many cities, business slows down as soon as dusk falls, but going out for entertainment is an unnecessary and dangerous activity, rather than a daily occurrence.
In 2018, gunmen attacked a cinema in Zamfara state, killing 11 people and injuring over 20 others.
Mua’azu added, “We tried to attract investors from Lagos, but the insecurity has become a hindrance. How can you invest when there is no certainty?”
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In such an uncertain environment, filmmakers are trying to make great historical, social commentary and patriotic films about Nigeria that will appeal to audiences outside the northern part of the country.
Mua’azu’s upcoming film, Gamji Zone, is set in the 1960s and depicts the love life between a Hausa man and a Fulani woman during the civil war, and the issues of identity and patriotism, from the perspective of an Igbo soldier.
Speaking about his film, Mu’azu said, “It is not just a love story, it is about understanding Nigeria as a country with a single culture despite the diversity of its people.”
Kannywood is caught between survival and fulfillment. It is currently undergoing a transformation, with a wealth of ideas but weak resources, policy gaps, and a cultural climate.
“Despite the huge potential, Kannywood has not reached its potential,” said Sani Mu’azu.
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