Exclusive: Lancelot Imasuen criticizes Nollywood awards, set to work on Archibishop Idahosa

Award winning veteran movie director Lancelot Imasuen has been doing Nigeria and Africa proud with epic and historic movies he has been focusing on lately while not neglecting modern movies. His movie Invasion 1897 tells the African story the African way and it has won him more laurels than any of his works and still counting. Imasuen spoke to Naij.com met with Imasuen recently and he spoke on the state of Nollywood, awards in Nollywood  and immortalising Archbishop Benson Idahosa among other things. Excerpt….

Looking back at the industry, how will you describe Nollywood in 2016?

I think there has been growth. I keep telling people, the industry has never been stagnant. Everybody has got their perception of the industry. To some they are doing rubbish, to some this is the best thing to happen to the black race, to some dem dey try; to some I don’t watch Nollywood movies. But the reality is that the Nigerian movie industry is growing in leaps and bounds technically speaking. An industry that has been able to strive, navigate through thick and thin and is still standing after 20 something years, an industry that has no support structure government upon government. Before we talked about piracy of foreign movies but today my movie Invasion 1897 has been pirated under two weeks that I released it.

What message are you trying to pass across in Invasion 1897 especially with you coming from Benin kingdom?

Well, it is not about coming from Benin kingdom. The truth is that that was an event in our lives, in our history. They called it the demolition of the last king of Africa. The entire West Africa was affected by this event. That’s why today you still see the Idia plaque has become some sort of a symbol of the black race. Idia is the most priced mask that was carried away by the Whites. The Westerners have been telling this story their own way it is time we Africans tell our story the way it happened. So Invasion 1897 is an attempt by a Benin man to consciously tell that story unapologetically to the world. And things are happening, just recently a school round up artifacts that was stolen from Benin upon protest by some of their students. So that is what we live for not just making film for making sake. We make statements with motion pictures in our own way. Sadly, the new crave is losing the Africanness of movies. A lot of these film makers are trying to silence a lot of things from Africa and a lot of organisations are supporting them making all kinds of foreign-like movies that we are not even getting right. So Invasion 1897 is my attempt of telling my African story in my own way and also indicting some other parts of the world so today when you Google Invasion 1897 two accounts of the story will pop up, the Benin Massacre and The Benin Punitive Expedition but today I make bold to say no, it was an invasion. If there was no invasion there won’t be a massacre. I want people to know that Benin people did not just kill the white guys. That is what I have done and documented forever.

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Do I say Invasion 1897 was an adaption of Ola Rotimi’s book Ovonramwen Nogbaisi?

Well, it wasn’t a direct adaptation of the book; Invasion 1897 is a Benin man’s account of what happened then and it is all over the world.

Before Invasion 1897, which other historical movies have you worked on?

I did Adesua in 2012 and I just tested the waters with it and it was nice. There are still more to come as I am planning working on the first female general.

What’s new with you?

I am presently collaborating with the Church of God Mission on immortalizing the most celebrated preacher around the world, Archbishop Benson Idahosa. We have so much polluted the airwaves with so much negative stories coming from Africa. Heroes like Benson Idahosa must get a space to be celebrated globally. He revolutionizes the Pentecostal mission in Africa. He visited over 152 countries preaching the gospel as far as Russia. These are some of the things we need to consistently tell our stories on.

AMVCA was held recently and it has elicited many reactions from Nigerians and actors alike both positive and negative. What is your take on this?

Let’s not beat around the bush the totality of the award itself needs to be depoliticized, needs to be reorganized,  needs to be allowed to do the job award does. Help encourage healthy competition and rivalry, stimulating growth that people are looking forward to genuinely that I want to win this one. But I have noticed with dismay and optimal embarrassment that a lot of these awards have undertone attachment and I made bold to say that they are not achieving their goals. It can be misinterpreted I don’t care but awards are actually no longer achieving their purposes. Some are purely for commercial reasons; some are purely for political reasons, or for whatever reasons. So we are looking forward to an award system that will create growth and healthy competition in the industry. We have not found one, such that is  very unbiased that will stimulate growth in the industry. I think the organisers know what we are talking about, those of us that are vociferous, vocal will be tagged names and I don’t care. The truth of the matter is whatever they are doing there should be legacy consciousness attached. Making works for posterity, I am not talking about AMVCA. They have their modus operandi, I am saying that all the award system should be overhaul and let us be clear about our intentions. If awards is to reward our friends good but by the time it becomes a recurring decimal then it loses its flavour. We cannot get it all right but at least 80-20 good, 70-30 good but if it keeps repeating itself…. I will not comment more than that but I think for the awards organisers it is voluntary but at least let it be credible. Be it AMAA, BON, AMVCA, they should let us know their purpose of organizing awards. Let us reduce all negative talks that trail awards in Nollywood.

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What legacy do you want to leave behind in Nollywood?

I want to be remembered for being myself. Even in my work I try to be myself. Here lies Lancelot the man who was himself.

Watch Lancelot Imasuen’s Invasion 1897 movie below:

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