Interviews with Amaka Igwe, Tunde Kelani, and Kenneth Nnebue

Kenneth Nnebue, Amaka Igwe, and Tunde Kelani, are three prominent Nigerian cinéastes. In the transcript below, a revised and edited version of three interviews conducted separately with each respondent in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 2001, they address questions on a variety of issues related to Nigerian cinema and the home-video industry: theater, video technology, and the emergence of the home-video industry; training and experience in filmmaking; narrative–sources and preferred genres; oral discourses–use and influence; the economics of filmmaking; film scripts, acting, production, distribution, and consumption; gender and sexual politics; reception and criticism; and the future of the cinema in Nigeria. To facilitate comparison, thematic headings corresponding with issues are provided. Just as they have varied educational and professional backgrounds, so do Nnebue, Igwe, and Kelani provide us with varied insights into filmmaking and popular culture in postcolonial Nigeria.