JUST as they swarmed on him when he revealed, at a funding forum, organised by the World Bank last year, that in spite of doubts expressed by practitioners on the release of the Federal Government's $200 million intervention fund, he has been able to access the funds, practitioners are likely to head to the Lekki office of FilmHouse when they read this report. Kene Mkparu, managing director of FilmHouse, has led the film exhibition, distribution and cinema development outfit to put the intervention fund the company accessed through the Bank of Industry and other funding sources into good use.Mkparu, who, with his team, left Odeon Cinemas, believed to be Europe's largest cinema chain to compete in and redefine the Nigerian cinema space, announced that his outfit was ready to commission four cinemas in its planned chain of 25, which it hopes to establish in six years.According to Mkparu, the cinemas located at the Leisure Mall in Surulere, Lagos; at the Marina Resort Calabar; Heritage Mall, Ibadan; 1st Avenue Mall, Asaba will be put to full use in a couple of weeks.He revealed that the cinema in Calabar is in cooperation with the Cross Rivers State Tourism Board.Deputy Managing Director of Film House, Mr. Kene Okwuosa described the Calabar facility as the first standard cinema to be built in the tourism friendly city. He said: 'The Marina Resort Cinema is exquisitely sited sea-view cinema with an iScream caf view of the Marina, soul food, luxury seating and surround sound.'Also Mrs. Ade Mogaji, who returned to Nigeria last month from Odeon Cinemas in the UK, to join Filmhouse, provided a description of the other cinemas opening soon.According to her: 'FilmHouse Surulere is at The Leisure Mall, Adeniran Ogunsanya street, Surulere, Lagos. Its features include Digital 3D, iScream cafe brand, soul food brand, luxury seating and surround sound. FilmHouse Ibadan is the showpiece of The Heritage Mall, Cocoa Place, Dugbe, Ibadan (first cinema in Ibadan) with iScream caf, soul food brands, luxury seating and surround sound. FilmHouse Asaba 1st Avenue is on Okpanam road, part of a mix-use leisure shopping mall (first in Asaba) and is a full gold class VIP cinema with automatic reclining five star seats, gold class lounge, iScream caf, soul food brands, Digital 3D, luxury seating and surround sound.'However, when the four cinemas become fully operational, they will bring to 10, the number of additional screens available to moviegoers and filmmakers to screen their works. Currently, there are about 13 standard screens in Lagos including the two at the National Theatre and about 30 across the country and analyst believe that the number is grossly inadequate for Nigeria.This is certainly the gap the outfit intends to bridge with its plan to establish 25 cinemas across the length and breadth of Nigeria and West Africa. 'What we created a few years ago was only a prelude. FilmHouse Cinemas is now about to raise the bar and set new standards for modern cinemas in Nigeria. We aim to be the first class cinema chain in West Africa, to be a major employer of the youth and to provide a commercial home for Nollywood films and (not just Hollywood ones),' Mkparu said, even as he assured that his company would continue to play an important role in steering the course of the film industry train in Nigeria and West Africa.'I thank the Bank of the Industry for supporting our business strategy and vision. Our plan is to roll out as many cinemas in as many areas in Nigeria and West Africa as we possibly can. We believe that cinema is for everybody, a reason we are working on having more screens across the country. We are in high level talks with a developer in the north and so we should heading there in no distant time to commission some screens'.Asked how FilmHouse would fare competing against existing cinema chains in Nigeria and what the company policy will be regarding indigenous content considering complaints from Nollywood filmmakers who feel shortchanged in screening of their works in Nigerian cinemas, Human Resources Manager of the film distribution firm, Mrs. Ozioma Sammie-Okposo, explains, 'the management and development teams have over 100 years combined experience in cinema operations as well as in cinema design and building, gained from the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, USA, Nigeria. This experience stands us heads and shoulders above any other cinema operator in Nigeria. Besides, there is enough space in Nigeria today for many cinema players. After all there're over 150 million potential cinemagoers to satisfy. Nevertheless, we're setting new standards and that will stand us out.'On the issue of content policy and whether the film house will also get involved in local distribution, Okwuosa explained that though distribution is part of the organisation's mandate, the immediate focus for the company is getting the cinemas ready.His words: 'Our focus now is in cinema exhibition but down the line film distribution is another area of huge interest for us.'Okwuosa also explained that the outfit would make adequate provisions for the exhibition of indigenous content. 'I think it is something that is very important to us to understand the role that indigenous content plays in the cinema industry in Nigeria. Something we are very keen on doing is to understand that at the very minimal, we will allow for 20 per cent of our films to be indigenous content. I cannot speak for other cinema exhibitors and their practices in terms of the difficulties that Nollywood filmmakers are having with getting their pictures on the big screen. I can only speak for film house and we understand the role that Nollywood and its filmmakers have played in opening up the industry.'For them, we wouldn't be here today. And ultimately, they are our direct market and so, it is important we serve that market and we need to bring it up to a level of importance just much as the Hollywood films are and I think a lot of the filmmakers are in support of our brand.'One thing is, however, clear from this good news from FilmHouse; that is the Federal Government intervention fund is real, it exists and as Mkparu declared at the World Bank forum, 'It has happened and will continue to happen as long as people head to the Marina office of the BOI to get the right information.'Also, at that time, Mkparu explained that the fund was not a grant, and so, practitioners who want to access the fund must state clearly and convincingly how the money would come back.'Besides, he stated that the issue of collateral, which many had complained the bank was very stiff on, was in Mkparu's word 'very relaxed'. 'The bank, like any financial institution would definitely ask for their own collateral but you must also go there with what you have. You then negotiate and try to convince them,' he said.Nigerian born but US-based film practitioner and Chief Executive Officer of Black Ivory Communications, Tony Abulu, who became the first member of the creative industry to access the intervention fund domiciled at the Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM) gave a similar explanation.Abulu led his communication outfit to secure the funds to produce a Nollywood cum Hollywood production titled, Dr. Bello.'We just sit down and talk and criticise and condemn and we don't get to work. That is the problem with a lot of us in the creative industry. The funds are there. It is real and accessible once you have the right business proposals. We were able to convince NEXIM as a company and they granted us the facility,' Abulu said, shortly before the production team departed Nigeria to continue shoot of the movie in the United States.No doubt, moviegoers and filmmakers will be looking out for the screens in Surulere. That reserved residential area but now turned commercial centre on the mainland in Lagos has been yearning for screens. Apart from being the hub of movie production as far as Nollywood is concerned, Surulere is unarguably the nation's unofficial movie capital. Most of the remarkable filmmakers operate from Surulere while the bulk of referenced films from Living in Bondage to Nneka the Pretty Serpent and to Osuofia in London were conceived and produced there. So, it is fitting enough that a cinema will be located there.
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