Lancelot Returns With Stories Of Nollywood Conquests

Nollywood’s popular director Lancelot Imasuen returned from the United states where he had gone to attend the Pan African Film festival with full of hopes that Nollywood is blessed and has a bright future. He has been speaking about this high hopes even in face of seeming hopelessness. He says of the festival. “We showed Close Enemies, the movie I shot last year in Los Angeles in the Pan Africa film festival. It was another time to expose Nollywood my desire to gradually step into the center stage world over was beginning to get the attention desired. The festival was on and the film was showed on February which according to the organiser has a prime time to show a movie. I was a bit sceptical about the intention to show the film. The director of Pan African festival Ayoka Babu personally presented the film to the audience and the reaction we got at the question and answer segment was great and they said Nollywood will get special mention next year and I believe this is good for us. The exposure I believe will rub off on the quality of production in the country. If you have been following me recently you would know that a lot of things have changed in the way I make my movies. I had a movie which I shot in Abuja last year. All the old ways have changed. I no longer do it the regular way. I had everything in place. Victor Okhai was part of it. He is on renowned film maker here in Nigeria but not as celebrated enough. He was production designer and we tried to bring in the equipment was brought in we had the crane, dollies etc and time was taken. I collaborated with Alfa Bricks Ltd. We had investors to pull money together. The budget is slightly higher than before and we took time to go the extra mile. I have tried to import what we learnt from Hollywood. I didn’t just go to shoot and leave my soul behind. The equipment I have been able to acquire on my own it is no longer the usual three red heads, one 2K lights, camera and tripod. We have passed all that stage, we now go for several. On my last production, we had well over fifteen lamps. We had filters and we now use them better than the days gone. I have bought tapes on how these are done. I have been experimenting when you see the latest movies from me like Games men play reloaded with Desmond Elliot produced by Emem Isong then you will understand that we are not joking. I am challenging anybody we need to move up. Nigerians are getting tougher in the way things are done and by time we are okay, Hollywood will be shocked that we have guys who could do colour treatment and all other post production job. I challenge those in the market to take a Lancelot film of two years ago and see the new one and you would see the difference.”