Anyiam-Osigwe brothers: Making successful movies in Nigeria is tough, but…

Darlington and Prince Anyiam-Osigwe are the producers of the award-winning movie ‘Cold Feet’, a Nollywood story of a woman whose love interest with an old flame was rekindled on an anniversary trip with her husband. Starring the likes of Jim Iyke, Joselyn Dumas, Beverly Naya, and Enyinna Nwigwe, ‘Cold Feet’ was screened in Nigerian cinemas and now streams on Netflix. They recently sat with journalists to discuss their sibling relationship and big plans for Nollywood. ROTIMI IGE brings excerpts from that interaction.

 

What was the moment of awakening for you that influenced your decision to be a filmmaker?

Darlington: I have always wanted to be a part of the creative industry. So to me, it revolves around my passion for filmmaking and just waking up one day to take the big step.

Prince: I think it’s a real privilege to make a living doing this job. It’s a great job, the best I can think of. You walk into a room and say, ‘I’m imagining this,’ and then you put finance together to make it real.  So, I’m purposefully doing things that I’m not sure if it’s going to come off or not. Filmmaking is one of those for me.

 

Did your childhood influence your decision to be a filmmaker? Tell us about your early years.

Darlington: I have a desire to tell my own/other people’s stories and I’m never quite satisfied. Movies touch our hearts and awaken our vision and change the way we see things. They take us to other places, open doors and minds. Movies are the memories of our life time; we need to keep them alive. Growing up was tough and the struggles were real. I watched my parents, go through a lot to make sure we survived and to the glory of God, we are not where we used to be. Growing up, I wasn’t interested in academics, but it took the grace of God for me to become a better version of myself.

Prince: Certainly yes. My childhood was a big motivation to become a filmmaker. It started with stage dramas in the church at an early age of seven and my involvement in my school’s social activities. It made me so popular in school, both primary and secondary. I am glad to have had such a platform at that young age till I grew to become a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), hoping to get more opportunities to showcase my talent. Unfortunately, that did not go as I expected. Instead, I was only getting party extra roles and what we call professional ‘waka pass’ (laughs). It became frustrating and I decided to stop wasting my time. I then took a detour into other business ventures to make a living with the hope of coming back into film, not as an actor but a producer.

 

What are some of the projects you have worked on and which is most dear to you?

Darlington: I have worked on so many projects in the past that never saw the light of the day. The last two years have redefined my interest in the creative industry. ‘Turning tables’ was one for the records, ‘Cold Feet’ is most dear to me.

Prince: I had been involved in a couple of projects back in the days with my brother Darlington with Danki Films. But none of the projects was executed due to lack of finance, which is the major problem most of the filmmakers currently face. I am happy we were able to finish ‘Turning table’, our first official movie that was released in 2017, and then ‘Cold Feet’ the movie which was released in 2019. I consider it a project very dear to me because putting the project together wasn’t an easy one, especially when you have to finance such a big project 100 per cent despite all the challenges.

 

How do you develop yourself as a producer and how do you develop your craft?

Darlington: I’m still working to develop myself as a producer to stay on top of industry trends, Suffice to say that I’m a work in progress.

Prince: I would say reading and watching a lot of films have helped me create my track of getting better. As movie producers, we often find ourselves in situations in which we need to decide what’s more important, to get the shot or to preserve the privacy of our protagonist’s intimacy. And we have to decide as we go, often without time to deliberate. We hope that in moments in which there is no time to make rational decisions, we can trust our intuitive integrity.

 

‘Cold feet’ has been doing well in cinemas and now Netflix. What inspired the project?

Darlington: To be honest, the cinema experience was and still is a learning process. Now I understand the parameters on how cinema works. We didn’t do well during the theatrical release and I say this because I don’t see the need to impress anyone. We had a bad run because we had the same release period with Hollywood blockbusters like John Wick and Aladine. And as you will imagine, Nigerians were busy with those. ‘Cold feet’ was a masterpiece; I kid you not. There’s no doubt Netflix is the definitive modern media company, and its impact is felt in several industries and with individuals. I call it the ‘Netflix effect’. So, coming to Netflix is a big deal for me and I know the audience reacted positively about the magic we created. It shows we are working in the right direction. You make another movie, and another, and hopefully you feel good about every picture you make. And you say, ‘My name is on that. I did that. It’s OK.’

But don’t get me wrong, I still get excited by it all. That, I hope, will never disappear. Besides, winning 11 awards at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival 2019 and two from The People’s Film Festival 2020 in the United States is more than enough global recognition that gives me hope and inspiration to never give up.

Prince: Getting good content for a movie is always an inspiration for every filmmaker in the industry and ‘Cold Feet’ was our first cinema project to be on Netflix and the good remarks we are getting so far are very fulfilling and motivating to always do better.

 

How do you handle the pressures of constantly putting out work that matches the ever-evolving industry standard?

Darlington: I’m under no pressure to put out content. I take it one step at a  time because filmmaking requires patience and the key thing is creating content that would thrive.

Prince: I wanted a career that has longevity, and I wasn’t afraid to take risks and face the pressure that comes from being a filmmaker and every successful transition comes with pressure. And I am always calm and smart enough to know that I certainly don’t have all the answers and all I do is to surround myself with smart people and be willing to take risks and be willing to fail.

 

What are your hobbies?

Darlington: I like football, movies, of course, hiking, traveling, cooking, and camping.

Prince: Working out, cooking, playing soccer, reading, fashion, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

 

Tell us about your relationship with your brother?

Darlington: I like to say nothing differentiates us. The only thing we don’t share is women.

Prince: We work together, travel together, play together, and grow together.

A lot of people don’t know we are blood brothers. They think we are the best of friends, which is understandable because that is the vibe we give.

 

What has been the biggest thing that broke you and how did you get through it?

Darlington: Losing my late father in February 2019 was it for me. I was away in South Africa making arrangements and having meetings for the ‘Cold Feet’ premiere when I got the call of my father’s demise. It broke me into pieces and I’m yet to get through it. Until this very moment, I can’t comprehend why and how it happened.

Prince: Being a father at 23 got me scared. But I have grown into a happy father to my little princess. Then in 2019, I lost my father and that came with a heavy shock which is going to take a lifetime to heal from, but as they say, life is what happens to everyone.

 

What tips should a budding producer consider before venturing into the industry?

Darlington: The producer should learn the basics of characterisation because the stories are about the relationships of characters. What makes a great script? A riveting story or memorable characters? You may say both. But for the star whom you want to attract to your script, only one thing matters a great role. Seen from that point of view, you might want to ask yourself whether your script is not just ‘a good read’, but offering something important to an actor. Because like it or not, without stars attached, your script is unlikely to get made. Secondly, the producer should learn the basics of film directing. Respect, and nurture the director’s vision. Producers often leave the directing up to the directors and then lament that the picture went way over budget.

Also, learn the basics of sound and music because sound and music make movies. Producers should consider and understand film marketing and movie publicity. Making a film is just half the battle, getting the budget to shoot a film is tough. Selling a film is the hardest. A producer needs to know the difference between marketing, advertising and publicity.

Prince: As a filmmaker, I ask questions but don’t have answers. Movie making is a philosophical exploration. You have to invite the audience to come on the journey and discover what they think and feel. It has no rules. For me, it’s a full, full experience to make a movie. It takes a lot of time, and you want a lot of stuff in it. You’re looking for every shot in the movie to have resonance and want it to be something you can see a second time, and then I would like it to be something you can see 10 years later, and it becomes a different movie because you’re a different person. So, that means I want it to be deep, not in a pretentious way. I have aspirations that movies should trigger off a lot of complex responses.

 

Are there plans to dive into the international scene?

Darlington: People are always happy to know and read about measures taken by Hollywood to increase diversity. They praise it. But the same bunch goes completely silent when a similar discussion is to be held in Nollywood, I have always dreamt of diving into the international stage, I mean that’s like a big bang. We are working hard to get to that level by the special grace of God.

Prince: Sure, why not? Every filmmaker wants to get international recognition.

 

If not film business, what else would you have been doing?

Darlington: Music executive

Prince: I would love to work in the fashion industry. I have a great sense of style.

 

How many movies are you working on now and when should we be expecting a release?

Darlington: We have a lot in the pipeline. We are currently working on a television series (Dan D Cabbie). My company, Dankfilms, and my brother’s company, Empire House Entertainment, are partnering with Sneeze Films on the project. We just finished shooting the first season and we are in the studio putting everything in order, so the release date is not confirmed yet.

 

Your aunt, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, was recently elected as the national president of Movie Producers of Nigeria, How excited are you about this development?

Darlington: I’m so excited. This is a huge feat and I’m sending my heartfelt congratulations to her. She is an amazon and has done well for the industry over the years. This is a well-deserved position and I’m certain that piracy would be checked to protect intellectual property. Nollywood needs serious regulations to check piracy and law enforcement agencies need to be educated on areas that concern the infringement on intellectual property rights.

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