‘Actors should be cast based on talent, not Instagram followers’ – John Njamah

In an exclusive interview with Pulse Nigeria, the seasoned filmmaker shared a thought-provoking perspective on the current state and future of filmmaking in Nollywood.

John Njamah is a seasoned Nollywood actor, film producer, and film director. As an actor, he is popular for his role as Rabiu in the TV soap opera, Fuji House of Commotion.He has also starred in television shows likeTinsel, Living In Lagos, Solitaire, Casino, Emerald, Tide, and My Flatmates.

One of the most striking remarks from the interview centred around his filmmaking journey, a statement that underscored his passion for the industry and his vision for its growth.

“What is fuelling me is beyond passion. There’s that knack and need to grow with every month, whatever year. There’s that need to.do something different. This industry of ours is for you to do whatever you want to do and not join the bandwagon. So for me, it’s the originality in me and the need to do something right that is fuelling me Basically, it’s the ever-creative venture in me,” he said.

Njamah also discussed how African stories are evolving, emphasising that there are positive and negative changes that have happened over the years.

“There’s a positive aspect and there’s a negative aspect. There’s a technical input. We’re telling our stories better technically. We’re telling better and bigger stories. The negative is that we are beginning to lose our originality. We are beginning to join the band wagon to tell what is peculiar to other people and not to us. We are beginning to lose a bit of our identity cos there’s no longer us,” he said.

Speaking on the mode of casting in the industry, Njamah pointed out the difference between the industry during his time and the current clime, especially with casting.

“Fuji House was a one-camera shoot with hungry and passionate people. Now we have people who cast people who are beautiful and with Barbie bodies and followership and not necessarily for your talents. Some of us try to be that original because that’s where better stories are told. You want to tell stories with passionate people. Whether you like it or not, it’s a long shot but it’s possible. You want to give the actors that are worthy of the job and not the ones that are based on Instagram followers. We borrow from society and give back to the society by way of entertainment and pedagogical values.”

He also added that filmmakers are lacking in good work ethics, stressing that there isn’t a working system to monitor the performances of the producers in the industry.

“Professionalism is lacking. Respect for those in charge, humility and the like is lacking today. The industry lacks checks and balances. Every Tom, Dck and Harry can wake up and call themselves a producer and just get on board and be doing stuff without being checked and of course, the guild system is not working so they can’t check. There are no criteria for who should become a producer. The system is also not working. Let’s just be mindful as producers, directors and actors,” he added.

He concluded by stating that Nollywood is unique and advocated for a possible invention platform to market and put out our work to curb the dependence on foreign streaming platforms.

“That thing that they don’t like about us is what makes us, us. I am tired of people saying they don’t want to come into the country for coproduction cos we’re that and that and why are we relying on the likes of the streamers? Why can’t we do something that is for us by us so that they will come to us and ask for these things? We are solely depending on them to licence our movies, for survival. Speaking of coproduction, if you tell me you don’t want to come into the country for any reason, I’ll tell you you’re wrong, cos there are amazing producers here that you’ve seen their work. All you need to do is come to them and agree on modalities.”