He has produced several movies and has written a number of scripts too. Nwachukwu Emioma is passionate about movie production and script writing. In this interview by FEMI OGUNTAYO, Emioma talks about his lifestyle as well as some burning issues in the movie industry.
What’s new with you?
I actually have a lot lined up for the year. Already, there’s a project that is in the pipeline and it’s going to be a blockbuster and apparently going to give Nollywood another opening since it’s has international affiliations. A lot of blockbuster movies and again, the New Year haven’t started for me because; I have done major shopping and traveling which relaxes me a great deal. So let’s keep our fingers crossed as everything unfolds.
Tell us about some of your new and upcoming projects
I would rather not talk much about it because people can›t destroy what they don›t know about. Let›s stay in the shuffle and not lost in the shuffle.
It’s been a long time coming for you as a filmmaker, how would you describe the journey so far?
It has been same old same old. The journey in Nollywood is been sweet and bitter and every time I get asked this, I have this sense of entitlement because I do feel I have given Nollywood a lot and I haven’t even reaped one-tenth of that but I do see a silver lining and that still keeps me focused. But all in all, filmmaking is for the brave-hearted and Nollywood is indebted to me. I have given Nollywood over 15 years of my life.
What do you mean by Nollywood being indebted to you?
I have given the industry 15 years of my life and I don’t have a mansion in Banana Island to show for it, neither do I have a mouth watering multimillion Naira endorsements to show for it, so until I can comfortably boast of a mansion in Ikoyi, Nollywood is indebted to me because this is my major occupation.
You travel a lot, especially outside the shores of Africa in the past, and you boast about it too. Would you say travelling is like a hobby for you?
(Laughs) I don’t boast about my travels. I haven’t even made destination trips in years and I’m hoping that this New Year, I would at least travel to 7 countries and be at peace with myself. Truth is, I’m claustrophobic and I suffer such fate as a Nigerian living in Nigeria and considering the kind of profession which needs a lot of energy in unhealthy environments most times, it’s best to even live abroad. Not just to travel and come back. It’s safe to say travelling should be a hobby but I can’t afford it the way I crave but soon enough, it would be a hobby.
Let us into the personal life of Emioma Nwachukwu; can you tell us about your love life and relationships with women?
My love life is a very uninteresting one. Women are complicated by their nature and as such you have to be careful who you are involved with to avoid being emotionally damaged. Besides, I’m of the opinion that a man being rich is like a girl being beautiful, so you have to have all it takes to be the man to a Nigerian woman and sadly, this generation understands money more than anything else. Every man wishes to be with the right woman for their mental health and when you find the right woman, no one tells you it is time. I have a great relationship with women and sometimes it sends the wrong signals to them and that’s why they say playful men are the most promiscuous but my case is different though.
Have you been in a relationship with someone in the industry?
Well, she was a popular actress, so that didn’t make headlines. It’s normal to sort of find companionship with sometimes in your workplace because the more often you meet with people; the more you tend to start developing feelings for them even though it has to be mutual for something to crop.
What’s your ideal woman?
I truly want my mum in the woman to call my woman. I grew up watching my mother power through life without losing her core values as a woman and that has sort of put a label to the kind of woman I would eventually call my wife. She has to be tolerant, enterprising; home groomed and should understand the importance of family. love and appreciate my family and win my heart. I am very family oriented and I want same thing in my woman
Tell us about some of your recent travel experiences?
Since last year May, I haven’t traveled and my international passport was stolen by a family friend who claimed he wanted to maltreat me and I just got a virgin passport that I can wait to dis-virgin. My last trip was in May last year.
In a chat, you spoke about how you returned broke… What do you mean by this? Can you elucidate?
Oh, my last trip out of Nigeria was a funny one. So when I returned from the trip after spending a fortune on hotels, sightseeing, shopping, I came back home and my dollar account was empty and I didn’t know how to uphold the lifestyle I already had, so I had to sell my Rolex Vintage wristwatch which was worth five million Naira for five hundred thousand Naira to Aboki and it’s still a move I regret so much because I would have been able to live through without having to sell the Rolex vintage that meant so much to me.
Even though you may have not hit that jackpot yet, would you say Filmmaking in Nigeria is profitable?
It’s profitable, but you have to target the big screens…Cinema…just like how it is generally in business, you put in more money and you make more money. Also you need to understand the craft and filmmaking goes beyond just making the movie. Marketing is key.
Funke Akindele’s Omo Getto the Saga is the highest-grossing Nigerian movie of all time. What do you think she did differently that gave the movie such prominence in its time?
Firstly, she did a great marketing after making a good movie. Besides, she is a household name and it’s easier for her to drum for support than someone without such grounding in terms popularity.
Are there steps you have taken in the past as a producer that you’ve regretted ever taking?
Well, this has to do with fighting with actors on my set. When I shot the RIVALS, a certain actor misbehaved and I was so angry that I stroke my set. I called off the shoot. Told everyone to go home even when my staffers were begging trying to calm me down not to let my funds go into waste. I told them I would strike the set and 3 days after go to Dubai to cool off just to prove a point to the actor that I wasn’t one of those broke producers they can frustrate into submission. I do regret it because reshooting actually cost money and it was one of my proudest moments
Lastly, what are your words for upcoming actors, star actors in the industry?
Upcoming actors, be humble, listen and learn and be focused because even the superstars you look up to had their humble beginnings. Star actors; appreciate producers who put food on your table, who made you the brand you become today. Be humble because everyone has their prime. You won’t stay relevant forever but the good relationships you’ve built would make producers still call you for jobs even when your face can’t sell a copy of DVD anymore.
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