Saddik Balewa, film director, producer and lecturer, took an interest in movies at a very early age. So when he went to university in 1974 to study Fine Art, after a year doing that but even at that time I was interested in any course that had to do with filmmaking.After doing fine art for one year, in 1975, he saw an advert that a Drama course was commencing and one of the components was Filmmaking. Balewa changed courses, and eventually pushed very hard to make a film with his classmates in 1976. The film, called a 'Packet of Chin-Chin' gave the young Balewa and his friends a chance to garner experience, providing a gateway into how to make a movie. Weekend Magazine cornered the quiet but ingenious filmmaker for a chat. Herewith, are excerpts.Weekend Magazine: What was the first movie you ever made, and when'Saddik Balewa: It was called 'A Packet of Chin-Chin' and was shot on 33mm, in black and white. But since then, it has been a strong motivation. I've always been moving in that direction, consciously to get closer to moviemaking. I later took up an appointment at the Centre for Nigerian Cultural Studies and they had a Cinematography department. But because I had graduated from the Drama/Theatre Arts department, I went to the Performing Arts Company which was at that time the best in the country. You know, people like Kasimu Yero, Umaru Danjuma, Lantana Ahmed, Ruth Sankey and a whole pool of unbelievably talented people at that time. But that was a stepping stone, and then I started lecturing at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU). From then on, to get into filmmaking, I pushed myself into the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). But I realized that there would be limitations and I would need to go somewhere, where I can learn to make a movie professionally.That's when I went to the UK for a couple of years, doing different kind of things. I was even a journalist for a time writing for Concord, West Africa Magazine, etc. But I also became a film festival organiser at the Commonwealth Institute, doing research. It was then I got admission into the National Film and Television School, after getting one of four places, out of thousands of applicants.I think I also want to make movies not just for the commercial sake: making money has never been my primary concern. I think it is more because of the peculiar individual circumstances and history and inclination, thoughts and dispositions, one tries to communicate certain things to audiences. This is the overriding reason I got involved.WM: Speaking of history, do you see the various Nigerian movie industries as uniting factor for various Nigerian regions'Balewa: Moviemaking is only one part of communication. There are many different parts. In itself, it does not help to unite but of course it can play a part in uniting in that general context. There are many different aspects of reality which films try to capture.Don't forget that this phase of development in the film industry is only recent. There have been other phases. Filmmaking has been going on in different eras up to when it was celluloid. A lot of the filmmakers in that period tried to tell stories. A lot of them were tied up to traditional culture.WM: Would you say the advent of video democratized filmmaking'Balewa: Yes it did, no doubt. That helped the take-off as it made it more practical and made it more economically viable. When that happened, it was a great development. When it was the celluloid period, you cannot say the industry was the size that it is today. But now you have teams of people who actually feed from this industry.There are many different aspects to the industry, and segments of the population, especially young people, have something to do in one way or the other. So it is really an important factor, not only economic but political and social, as well.WM: This 'democratization,' don't you think that's what brings about the alarming rise of sex and violence in Nigerian movies'Balewa: It will be wrong to say that because people are making more movies, the society has become more permissive. I think there are many more factors within the reality of our society. You cannot put the blame on the filmmakers. There are a lot of economic, political and social reasons. Films are a means of communicating with lots of groups our society. People like to watch movies. I don't think you'll find somebody will tell you that because someone has watched a movie he could be more violent or increases the actual sexual permissiveness of people.What films have done is to produce a means of entertainment. Now, of course because it is very big playing field, you have all kinds of characters getting into the field. One of the characteristics of filmmaking around the world is self-censorship. People have an inbuilt self-responsibility so the kind of movies they make, before they even come to the screen have gone through a system within themselves to know what they are presenting to the public.WM: We spoke about Nollywood, Kannywood and their offshoots. Would you say that there is any such thing as a Nigerian movie'Balewa: In the old days, one of the biggest academic questions you always were asked was, 'Is this an African film', or 'what is an African film'' I'd say all of them are. We are all telling the stories of different aspects of our reality. Nollywood is, and so is Kannywood. There are many other types of stories which have to be told and I am sure we will have filmmakers who will tell stories from different angles. You cannot exhaust the reflection of reality.Let's not forget that in this country there is no one way of seeing things. The country is so complex and has so many varieties and backgrounds from religion, environment to culture and to politics. Let's not fool ourselves and think that because somebody is telling a story from Maiduguri or Bida or Enugu that we all have to look at the same things. We all have to different ways of looking at things.WM: When was the last time you enjoyed a Nigerian movie'Balewa: Every single day you see enjoyable Nigerian movies. We have different story telling traditions that is what I mean by different characteristics. For example the films that come out of Kano tend towards a certain kind of story with particular concerns. They deal with social issues but also relationships. It is fascinating and a bit different from say the Lagos or Enugu axis. This is very encouraging to me. You see some of the comedies with these different groups which are also different and fascinating.I used to love the comedies of Sam Loco. I think he was a wonderful comedian. I enjoy watching Jide Kosoko. Young actors like Ali Nuhu are doing fantastic work, and I like watching movies he's in. Other times it is the story line that gets me. I am encouraged that now some filmmakers are trying out different things.WM: There is a crop of young Nigerian movie directors coming up, who are not in mainstream Nollywood. What do you think of their emergence'Balewa: It is very encouraging. One of them, Ali Mustapha, is someone whose name is not well-known. The sheer talent that he has, his ability to tell a story in a different way, I think, is very encouraging. He does comedy, dramas and even documentaries. He is basically a filmmaker who loves to tell stories in different ways. For me that is the future of the industry.WM: You are notorious for being press-shy and taking your time on projects you work on. What are you working on now ' and how soon do you think we will be able to see it'Balewa: Very soon. I believe that if you are going to do something, you have to do it well. I am very concerned with Nigerian history and how it tends to get distorted a lot of the time, so I'm involved in doing some historical work. These days I work mostly on documentaries.I'm currently hard at work on two big documentaries. There's the one about Sokoto Caliphate. We have done about thirty percent of that, but the more we get into to it the more we see how vast it is. Telling the story of Sokoto Caliphate is telling the story of half of Africa and it has so many roots and seeds. It has to be done properly. I am more or less saying that it is a long-term project, but we are going to get there.Right now, I am shooting two documentaries which are both related. The first has to do with General Murtala Mohammed, his circumstances and that very interesting period when he was Head of State and how Nigeria was instrumental in precipitating the final phase of the struggle against apartheid in Southern Africa. We have gone about forty percent through it. There is a longer story which we are doing which is looking at Nigeria's general contribution to the liberation of Southern Africa. I think it took Winnie Mandela to remind us some years ago in a lecture organised by Media Trust, of how they came calling in the early years of the 60s and the Nigerian government gave the ANC money to buy arms. They have never forgotten that but a lot Nigerians have. It is good to remind not only Nigerians, but to also present the story to Africans, of how much we have been involved in keeping our brothers over so many years.There is a lot of mystification around Murtala and a lot of distortion too. Some people still claim ' I think, naively ' that he came from Auchi. Actually, he came from one of the most learned Fulani clans of Kano.Doing research reveals things. Researching on the Sokoto Caliphate for example, one begins to appreciate the sheer quality, depth and scholarship of those who lead us. I have the greatest admiration and respect for Abdullahi Gwandu, the brother of Shehu Usman Danfodio. I think he is a first class scholar. The more I found out about him and his writings, I think he is a figure who has not been given the recognition that he deserves. He was a tower amongst scholars.WM: Looking at the movie industry as it is today, what do you think could be done by practitioners earn some respect, as they are seen as peddlers of immorality'Balewa: For change to happen in many different ways, some filmmakers to try and broaden out and try different things. It is easier said than done. But if the absolute priority all the time is money then it is a very difficult task. That is where the government on different levels should come in. But in most cases, whether in Canada, UK or US, you have the involvement of government in different ways, actually supporting and providing a safety net for filmmakers to be creative.WM: Nigerian TV programming, it seems, is not what it used to be. What happened to all the films made for TELEFEST and other festivals'Balewa: This has to do with the nature of television with the new video explosion. In those days, TELEFEST was very popular. You'd see television stations competing to do drama. Don't forget that the video today is basically Nollywood and Kannywood television-based dramas which are marketed in different ways. They are made for the small box. So it is a direct competition.What you will find is that it's not a mistake that some of the best-talented in the early generations, even the Nollywood filmmakers, all came from a television background. That pool of talent has actually gone out to make films. They have gone into Nollywood and Kannywood. I think that is basically what has happened.Look at the days of 'Cockcrow at Dawn'. I don't think any television station can mobilise those kinds of funds and the whole facility to do that now. It is a different world altogether. It is a competition now. Nollywood, Kannywood are all basically television-based kind of drama because you do not go to the cinemas to watch them. You see them on the screen or go and buy DVDs for the small screen. So I am not surprised. You cannot see such again unless there is government involvement, to maybe create a specific television fund for drama or for documentaries. It would be unrealistic to put all that money into producing just dramas.
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