Advocate of New Nigerian Cinema Culture
In 2004, the versatile actor debuted in Nollywood acting alongside Justice Esiri in the movie, ‘Six Demons’, by Teco Benson.
Since the beginning of 2017, Ojo has moved from Lagos to Cairo; from Addis Ababa to India; and from Dubai to London; exhibiting his craft and promoting Nigerian and African movies at international festivals.
Recently, he was in Johannesburg as part of a Nigerian team that witnessed the hugely successful Nigerian theatre production, Kakadu, a musical drama.
Following ‘Fifty’s’ success, a romantic drama – now turned into a TV series – he starred in with some sterling cast of actresses, he also played a lead role in ‘Alter Ego’, acting alongside Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde.
“We worked in a very sensitive manner and it was quite a very difficult role. It deals with sexual impropriety. And to her credit I think she pulled it off. And I hope that I pulled it off too.
“The sex scenes are erotically charged. We are actors doing our best to interpret a part and I believe we did it to the best of our respective abilities,” the actor said.
What could be responsible for Ojo’s high demand in the movie industry?
His response was not far-fetched; timing and the works that’s been made available. He added that most of his works were international and that secured him an international acting agency in California, which represents him worldwide.
Ojo has done a good number of works on the stage, on TV and in films with Hollywood stars in movies like ‘Johnny English’ with Rowan Atkinson; ‘The Guard’ with Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson; ‘The Philanthropist’ with James Purefoy; ‘The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ with Gill Scott; and ‘Hard Case’ by renowned Hollywood director, Guy Ritchie.
His ‘New Nigeria Cinema’ interest in Nigeria’s film industry would see him redefine the contract. “I then told the agency that I have commitment to improve Nigerian film industry. That I have been spending a lot of time in Nigeria.”
That sounds more like an appendage to the concept of Nollywood? “It’s not an appendage to Nollywood,” he said. “It is a development; it’s an evolution in the Nigerian film production. It is a movement from Nollywood video production genre back to the cinema production culture.”
Adding, in perspective, that “Video is video and film is film. But there’s some film you can still shoot and it goes straight to video.”
“But you have to be aware of the language of cinema. And if we are to compete on the world stage, we have to realise that there are some certain festivals that may only accept cinema standard Nollywood films because of the way in which it is made.”
That, he explains is the vision of his ‘New Nigeria Cinema’ movement, to chart a new course in moving Nollywood forward to international level.
“I’ve never castigated Nollywood,” he said. “The early Nollywood was like the movement of those early American filmmakers where they had no support, took a video camera, then went ahead to develop an entire movie industry; an industry that feeds millions of families. So it would be highly disrespectful and dishonourable to disparage Nollywood.
“I am a product of Nollywood. I am only taking it forward with New Nigeria Cinema. I grew up watching a lot of Nollywood actors as a child and I enjoyed that immensely. And a lot of my heroes like Sam Loco (the late Sam Loco Efe) entered Nollywood when it started in the 90’s. Don’t forget that the Nigerian film industry started with films like ‘Bisi Daughter of The River’, and ‘Kongi’s Harvest’, which were shown at cinemas. That’s another separate thing entirely. Here, I’m talking about Nollywood which started in the 90s, of which of course Sam Loco was part of.”
The quality of films he wants to make and see comes from many different influences as diverse as Hubert Ogunde, Tunde Kelani, Wole Soyinka, and Ola Balogun.
“I’m advocating for a wave that was there before Nollywood. To the very beginning when we had cinema. If you look at these early works, blinding! I’m rolling back to that. I’m going right to the very beginning with the New Nigeria Cinema,” he added.
“I grew up watching Sam Loco. I grew up watching ‘Baba Sala’. And if I had to go into Yoruba film genre that’s another thing entirely. But when talking Nollywood, you are talking about the video industry, not the film industry. I look at these things especially our cinematic cast, both in film and video, and that’s why I developed the concept of the New Nigerian Cinema because I realised that what attracted people, especially in the Diaspora were the stories.
“They were tired of Hollywood’s regurgitated storylines of the white hero. They wanted something they could identify with and it didn’t matter to them that the boom was in short. To them it’s like a window into the African culture that they weren’t always having access to.”
From ancestral family homes in Edo and Oyo, his mother and father’s homestead, Ojo is a firm believer of ancient tradition and culture. His Virgo Foundation promotes heritage and conservation of the environment. And he is on the board of the British Film Institute (BFI London), which hosts a programme, African Odysseys, showcasing the best of African cinema on a monthly basis, delivering a platform for a ‘New Nigeria Cinema’ day in which the best of Nollywood films are screened.
Ojo has done a good number of works on the stage, on TV and in films with Hollywood stars in movies like ‘Johnny English’ with Rowan Atkinson; ‘The Guard’ with Don Cheadle and Brendan Gleeson; ‘The Philanthropist’ with James Purefoy; ‘The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency’ with Gill Scott; and ‘Hard Case’ by renowned Hollywood director, Guy Ritchie