Thursday, 23 May 2013

Movies Should Be Commercial Based- Fidelix Duker


   Fidelis Duker is one of the founding members of Nollywood, Nigeria’s movie industry, founder and director of the ABUJA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (AIFF), he is a foremost filmmaker, and he was a two-time President the Directors Guild of Nigeria(DGN). Three months ago he was elevated as the President of African Festival Network (AFRIFESNET), a continental network. Fidelix has vastly contributed to the metamorphosis and development of the Nollywood across the world. In this chat with OREDOLA ADEOLA, he opened up on a whole range of issues on the industry and personal experience.
You helped to discover actors like Uche Jombo, Desmond Elliot, Bukky Wright to mention but few, would you you are fulfilled?
  Fulfillment is a period when one ceases to exist. Every man has to learn how to improve on what he  has done. As regards discovery of talents, I have been in the past eighteen years as far as 1995. For me it goes beyond that to a point where I can discover as much talent as possible. I don’t feel I am fulfilled, I must be able to leave a legacy behind for posterity.
Have you been able to achieve what you planned for the industry?
 To an extent, I would say yes, in the sense that I have contributed significantly to the development of Nollywood, I was once a two-time President of the Director Guild of Nigeria, I have served as a member of governing committee, regulatory agencies, and I have also been a member of several international bodies.
What impact did you made as the former President of the Director’s Guild of Nigeria (DGN)?
Fidelix Duker
 When I came into office as the DGN President, we really didn’t have a secretariat, this I managed to institutionalize, I was also credited to have created the harmony between the other guilds, and calmed the tensions that Yoruba actors are not part of Nollywood, I worked to the extent of uniting all the various ethnic and sectional guilds together as a member of a general body of actors and directors. I was able to bridge the gap where most practitioners regardless of tribes became the members of the guild, some of them include, Anta Laniyan, Lanre Olanrewaju, Abe Lanre Olaolu Richard, Ebun Olaiya, Lekan Ayinde who were into Yoruba movie production.
 I was able to bring Hausa movie producers into the Guild too. It is also on record that during my tenure, we were able to create a synergy with international guilds and directors. We had affiliation and partnership with them. During my tenure, were able to increase our membership strength and also to establish a functional website for the Guild. We registered over 40 Nigerian film makers. I went to American to sell the film industry to create the awareness which people are enjoying today. We were in about five states in American.
Are your legacies being sustained by successive leadership of the guild?
Yes, things are revolving. Infact assess we had then was not as much as what obtains today. Then we relate with the ministers and today the guild relates with the President frequently. What we were able to do was to lay the foundation for successive leadership. During our time we were fighting for funds from government.  We also tried to register Nigeria as a member of Cannes Film Festival in France, today Nigeria has a stand at the annual festival. To a large extent, every leadership has made substantial effort aimed at building and it is continuous.
What is your take on Nollywood morally and commercially?
I believe that culture should be promoted. We believe that Nollywood producer is a commercial producer who raised funds on his own, and must plan out a strategy to making returns. Being commercial does not mean you should not add creativity to your movies, we must realize when making commercial gains and moral impartation that the end result is not profit. We should realize that the population of over one hundred and eighty million people in the country is a good opportunity to thrive. We do not need any other market in the world to succeed.
For a lady Ibinabado Fiberisma, to have brought peace to the guild, does it make her batter than men?
 The most important part of leadership is not about the sex of the leadership. Ofcourse , it is possible for women to have more opportunities as mothers , but the industry is an evolving industry , Ibinabo Fiberesima the current President of the guild, could possibly be capacitated to stabilize the guild, she met  a different environment unlike others. During my tenure, the amount we had was less than N20 thousand, but we left millions; this has been replicated by successive government. She has tried to bring peace to the guild, and she deserves our commendation. She has done creditably well considering the way she came. She needs to engage our members and members should try and return the gesture. The guild should be a networking environment for people to exchange ideas
How effective has Abuja Film Festival been in the past nine years?
Interestingly, the festival will be 10 next year, in 2014. It is one of the foremost festivals in Nigeria and in Africa, especially in all Anglophone countries in Africa. It is the longest running festival in West African countries. It is competing with FESTACO that has long been in existence. We have done very well in view of our limited resources. This year will be different as we shall be engaging more agencies of government as well as corporate organizations for support.
What should we be expecting this year? 
Abuja Film Festival, will holds in September in the city of Abuja at the Silverbird Galleria, and we shall be focusing on several factors, which include, reflection of our success in the last ten years. We shall also honour those who have supported the festival in the last few years. It is a celebration of films business in Africa. The theme will be: “Using Motion Pictures as a Medium for Security” inview of the security challenges in the country since independence. When the country is not secure, there can’t be peace and we practitioners can’t survive. We shall be seeing to how we can engender peace keeping with our jobs

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