Evolving Nollywood Templates for Minor Transnational Film

This work examines the implications of partial embeddedness in dominant global networks for minor transnational media industries like Nollywood. It focuses on two aspects of the relationship between Nollywood and global media: the probable outcomes of continuing attempts to generate higher profits for Nollywood’s relationship with dominant global media; and second, the potential impact of growing connection with global networks on the relative autonomy of this minor transnational media practice. I argue that initiatives undertaken by individual entrepreneurs to ensure reliable delivery of film narratives to diasporic audiences using distribution channels tied to dominant global networks currently represent the most immediate opportunity for extracting greater profits from this industry. Partial incorporation of Nollywood distribution into the official global economy by way of increased connection with dominant global networks and infrastructure also enable interested parties to compensate for the regulatory deficiencies of the nation-state and thus generate much higher revenues from a relatively undercapitalized industry. Despite this growing interface with dominant global media networks, however, minor film industries like Nollywood will probably continue to exhibit a high degree of creative and financial autonomy with respect to dominant global media.