Middle East & Africa | Nollywood blues

Nigeria’s film industry has taken a viral knock

But covid-19 may force it to sharpen up

Lights, camera, covid

IN THE PAST two decades Nigeria’s film industry has blossomed into a mighty national asset. Its romances, family sagas and tales of derring-do are lapped up by many millions of viewers at home, across the rest of Africa and in the African diaspora. It employs more than a million people and generates nearly $2bn a year from cinema tickets and DVD sales, TV rights, royalties and fees. Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital and film hub, is said to produce more films than there are stars in the sky.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Time to sharpen up”

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