From Phantasmagoria to Reality: Interrogating the Place of the Nigerian Child in Selected Nollywood Films

Abstract

The argument about film’s contents and the young audience is a topic that has generated interest in places like United States of America, Australia, and some parts of Africa. However, how to strengthen the affairs of children/young audience in films produced in Nigeria is one of the major reasons of this study. In Nigeria, for instance, most of the young audiences watch Nollywood films that are rated and classified as adult films, and on the other hand, there is a serious question about the contents of the films produced for children in the Film Industry. Some of the films interrogate themes of Mischievousness, adult chauvinisms, hatred, demonic possessions, and so on and so forth. The study through the adoption of observatory, investigative, interview, and content analysis designs of qualitative research method analysed some selected Nollywood children films, as well as the result obtained through interview. The researcher therefore recommends that filmmakers in Nollywood especially those who have the interest of the developing child at heart should endeavour to make films that preach love instead of hate, and academic excellence to the Nigerian Child, instead of promoting dullard as could be seen in some of the industry’s children films.