Nollywood actor Gabriel Afolayan has said that the Nigerian film industry needs to be criticized to get better.
He recently revealed that the audience and producers need to unite to make Nollywood better.
Speaking during an interview with Saturday Beats, Gabriel shared that criticism is important to keep key Nollywood players on their toes at all times.
“Criticism is needed. How do we get better if people are not ready to talk about what we are doing? Both the audience and filmmakers have to come together,” he said.
On if the industry is equipped to shoot action films, the moviestar stated that he believes Nollywood is prepared for all kinds of projects, including action films, as long as the filmmakers keep exploring their strengths.
Afolayan stressed that creatives won’t be able to explore the level of the viewer’s intelligence if they don’t push beyond their limits to excite them.
“Nollywood is ready for everything. Trust me, we just need to keep serving. You don’t know how intelligent people are until you create something that will blow their minds.
Even if you believe you’ve made a great film, until an audience watches it and decides whether it’s good or not, nothing else really matters. I feel our audience is ready for everything we have to give them,” Gabriel said.
The actor further praised the average Nollywood fan for their admirable level of understanding when they analyze Nigerian movies, emphasising how the viewers are now intelligent enough to appreciate what actors do on their TV screens.
Afolayan concluded by saying that he has seen medical practitioners break down a Nigerian movie like they were part of the production.
“The taste buds of Nigerians when it comes to different movie genres are very sharp. You see people in the medical field analysing films as if they were part of the production. Ordinary people dissect movies, and you’ll be amazed.
You know why? Because we make these films for them. A film doesn’t belong to the filmmaker; they are just instruments the universe uses to put it together.
And because they love the film, they’ll put money in your pocket as a filmmaker. But even after you release a film, you won’t make anything from it until the audience says it is good enough,” he added.
