Ramsey Nouah not impressed by quality of acting in Nollywood

Speaking during a session at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) last week, the Figurine star stressed that creativity needs to reinvent, and that the acting in the industry must catch up with the technical improvements.

The 50-year-old started his Nollywood career well over 20 years ago, and believes acting today is better than it used to be, but just not good enough yet.

He said, “I still find a lot of disconnect between the technicality and creativity in my industry right now. I see that the creative, which is the art part of filmmaking, is still not as deep as I want it to be.

“Performances from the actors are not deeply rooted. We have good quality technicals going on, but it’s almost like oil and water not mixing properly.”

Nouah further said that Nollywood film directors are more responsible for the inadequate acting problem than the actors themselves.

“If you can’t get an Oscar-winning performance from an actor, the fault is not the actor, but the director. If you can’t deliver as an actor, the problem is the director that cast you,” he said.

Nouah made his directing debut with Living in Bondage: Breaking Free in 2019, and has gone on to also direct Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story, a sequel and remake, respectively, of classic Nollywood films from the 90s.

His debut received critical acclaim, and he won a Best Director award at the 2020 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), but the reception of Rattle Snake was mixed.