Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Kenny George, has voiced deep concern over the growing financial strain within the Nigerian movie industry, warning that actors may soon become the only investors left standing if the current trend continues.
In a candid Instagram post shared over the weekend, George lamented the sharp increase in production costs and actors’ fees, which she said is pushing traditional investors away from Nollywood projects.
“I solidly stand on my word that one day actors will be the sole investors in movie, right now most investors are backing down, the cost of filming is very high, actors fee and co is scaring. You hear an actor who does not even have up to 10k views on his or her channel, day in day out asking 500k per day,” she stated.
Criticizing the sharp rise in actors’ remuneration, she added: “Actors are billing high in the name of economic. To get an actor to collect 100k a day now self na war. Which way now? Very soon, actors will be the only investors in our industry. And as we are going right now, we are heading back to the beginning where it will be a group thing…I help you, you help me for my film also. That’s what we are approaching.”
George also pointed out the instability of YouTube as a distribution platform, noting that it remains the only reliable option for filmmakers, albeit one with unpredictable returns.
“It’s so painful that no one is talking about this problem right now. After shooting, the only sure market of showing is YouTube with unsure revenue, investors are backing out,” she wrote.
She further revealed that due to the financial challenges, many creatives in the industry have had to assume multiple roles to stay afloat.
“We have now become actor, producer, marketer, EP and co. To crown it up, all actors and investors have become full-time dancers,” she said.
Calling for intervention, George urged relevant authorities to address the crisis affecting Nollywood. “I will advise the right authorities to look into it, and let’s all proceed with caution,” she added.
