Nollywood: Anti-Piracy Efforts Paying Off Says Minister

[Len]

The increased attention and support being given the Creative Industry has started yielding fruits, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said.

Speaking at the premiere of the movie ”Wedding Party 2” in Lagos on Sunday, the minister listed the pioneer status granted to the industry, the stepped-up anti-piracy campaign and the decision to seek stimulus capital for the industry from the Central Bank of Nigeria as some of the positive results.

He recalled that shortly after the Creative Industry Financing Conference in Lagos earlier in the year, he led a delegation of the film industry stakeholders to the Inspector General of Police, which resulted in the formation of anti-piracy units in all the 36 states of the federation.

”The subsequent extensive piracy raids have now resulted in the confiscation of pirated films worth hundreds of millions of naira. In fact, criminal prosecutions of culprits have now started,” Mr Mohammed said.

He also recalled how, shortly after the conference, the federal government granted pioneer status to the Creative Industry to reduce financial burdens on new investments and encourage both foreign and local investments into the film industry.

The minister also congratulated Mo Abudu and all those involved in the production of ”Wedding Party 2”, saying with the blockbusters being churned out by Nigerian film producers, ”we can formally announce to the world that a true film industry has arrived in our Nollywood.”

The grand world premiere of The Elfike Collective’s latest movie release, The Wedding Party 2: Destination Dubai, held at the Eko Hotel & Suites.

The original The Wedding Party premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2016.

Produced with a budget of N60 million, it made over N450 million at the box office, making it the highest grossing Nollywood movie ever.