Northern Stories Still Underrepresented – DG, Kaduna International Film Festival

In this interview with Bukola Ogunsina, the director general of Kaduna International Film Festival and Chief Executive of the Northern Film Summit, Israel Kashim Audu discusses the Northern Film Summit, its partnership with Turkiye, the challenges facing the northern film industry, and the many prospects awaitingtalks about the Northern Film Summit, its partnership with Turkiye, the challenges facing the northern film industry, and the many prospects that await northern filmmakers.

What inspired the idea behind the Northern film summit and the partnership with Turkiye?

This is the fourth edition of the Northern Film Summit. It started four years ago. We held the first edition in Kano, and the second edition was at the Indian High Commission in partnership with India. The third was in partnership with Korea. And this time around, it’s in partnership with Turkiye.

The inspiration came when we launched the Kaduna International Film Festival in 2018, the first film festival in northern Nigeria. We highlighted so many challenges in northern Nigeria that, if we rely solely on the film festival, we might not be able to address them. So, we came up with the Northern Film Summit to see how we can address most of the challenges. And so far, we are seeing improvement and growth in the film industry in northern Nigeria. It’s a plus for us. We are also partnering with countries from India to Korea, and now Turkey.

The inspiration for us and our partnership with Turkey is that we can come together as countries—country-to-country—to promote cultural exchange and peace. To learn from one another, promote tourism, and explore northern Nigeria. If you also check, some of our film-makers from the north have gone to Turkiye. They’ve shot movies in Turkiye; they’ve done a lot in Turkiye. But now we want to make it official, take it to the next level. And that is the reason why we came up with this summit.

Are there plans for future co-productions between Nigerian and Turkish filmmakers?

Yes, there are plans. At the end of this summit, I, as the DG of the Kaduna International Film Festival, the Chief Executive of the Northern Film Summit, and the Ambassador, spoke about how we can take this further. To have an official discussion or meeting between Nigerian filmmakers and filmmakers in Turkiye to explore possible co-productions and formalise it, with the government also being informed. We are considering signing an MOU to begin implementing this first-time collaboration, which we officially launched today. So yes, we’ll be seeing more of this very soon.

Why was it important to host this event in Abuja?

It’s a northern film summit. We held the first, as I said, in Kano. The second and third were in Abuja, and now the fourth is in Abuja. The fourth reason is that we are collaborating with Turkiye. The embassy and the cultural centres are in Abuja,  and Abuja is the centre. So, for us to achieve what we want to push, this collaboration, we had to make it to Abuja. That is the reason why the event was held in Abuja this year. So, the summit could be held in any of the northern states. The second, third, and fourth were held in Abuja because of the collaborations we’ve had with India, Korea, and now Turkey.

What major goals did the organisers hope to achieve through the summit?

The major goals I would say are co-production, partnership, and the promotion of Tourism, culture, and cultural diplomacy; these are our goals, and they aim to push northern Nigeria to the world. To also say you don’t have to go to Lagos. To also say that we have filmmakers, we have producers, we have a lot of talent in northern Nigeria yet to be seen, producer, we have a lot of talent in northern Nigeria yet to be seen, we have a lot of talent in northern Nigeria yet to be seen yet to be heard. So we are making a mark and sending a message to the world that northern Nigeria also has potential in the film industry and Nollywood as a whole.

How successful would you say the summit has been so far?

The event is a major success, and each year the summit continues to improve. This year, I will tell you it is even better than previous editions, thanks to the major success of establishing this partnership. The first day of the summit was held at the Turkiye Yunus Emre Institute, and the second day was held at the Embassy of Turkiye. Which has sent us a message. To us, it’s a plus that we were able to establish this collaboration, this partnership between Nigeria and Turkiye, and to begin discussions on how to produce together, run cultural exchange programmes, it’s a plus that we were able to establish this collaboration, this partnership between Nigeria and Turkiye, and to begin discussions on how to do productions together, a lot of cultural exchange programmes together, and promote cultural diplomacy.

What gaps in Northern Nigeria’s film industry is this summit trying to address?

Just as you have noted, if the Nollywood Film Industry is there in the south, it’s already ahead of the film industry in the north. That is why, when you talk about Nollywood, most of the things that happen there are in Lagos, in the southern part of Nigeria. We are trying to bridge the gap between the north and the south and the global world. And that is why we are making a mark and also collaborating with Turkiye.

We are not just making a mark, we are not just bridging the gap between Nigeria and Turkiye or between the northern and the southern part of Nigeria, but sending a message that the northern Nigerian film is global and we have lots of potential yet untapped, yet to be seen, yet to be heard.

Do you think Northern stories are still underrepresented in mainstream Nigerian cinema?

Yes, I will say northern stories are still underrepresented. In the north, there are different challenges when it comes to our stories. And sometimes our stories are influenced by religion. You cannot put religion out of our culture, cinema or film productions. There are things you may not be able to do. But the South can do productions, and before you know it, it’s already out there. In the north, it is with a particular audience, and you have to be careful with the kind of production you do and the kind of stories you tell. Those are the challenges. But, notwithstanding, it doesn’t stop us from telling our stories. We continue to push, and that is why we are also collaborating with our counterparts in other countries, such as Turkiye. But I’m sure the narrative will change. With our stories, we will still go global; that is what I tell people. And definitely, a lot will be seen and heard from northern Nigeria in the film industry and cinema.

Will there be grants, training programmes, or exchange opportunities after the summit?

We have been running many training programmes. The Ambassador and I, as I said, started discussing how we can make this go beyond the summit we held. We are going to make this formal, and in the coming weeks and days, we will be putting together programmes in which filmmakers from Türkiye or actors can provide training, retraining, and capacity-building for our Nigerian filmmakers. We did that with the US Embassy earlier in February, when filmmakers had a training in Nigeria on documentary filmmaking. We have started that already with other countries.

It’s not easy for filmmakers in Nigeria to get grants. The government and banks will tell you there are grants for filmmakers, but they hardly access them. That was one of the discussions we had at this very important summit—the challenges of accessing grants. On our part, we will continue to push to provide platforms and opportunities from international scenes for filmmakers interested in applying for grants, as international organisations are willing to offer them. On our own part, that is what we can facilitate for filmmakers in Nigeria.

What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers trying to break into the industry?

What I will tell them is never to give up. I don’t want to sound like a motivational speaker, but what I will tell you is never get tired of pushing. Sometimes, you start something and get discouraged because you haven’t gotten what you want. Some people have been trying for four, five, or six years to be seen and heard in the industry. I will tell you, it’s not an easy one, but keep pushing and expand your network.

We live in a global world now, and we use social media to connect with people who can help us in the industry. Talent is not enough; being wise and expanding your network are what will push you into the global world. Keep doing what you’re doing and keep posting, keep showing the world who you are. So that when people go to your platform on Instagram, Facebook, or X, they see what you are doing. You never can tell; one day you will wake up and see in your DMs that someone is sending you a message about a deal that will make you big in the industry. That is all I will say right now. Keep pushing and never get tired.