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.
