Early 2017, I sent a list of questions to Director Serge Noukoue with regard to the reception of films in Nigerian languages. In the following short extract, we will see some of the features he associated with Nigerian films during his festival in Paris.
The two movies he programmed being “Taxi Driver, Oko Ashawo” and “Phone Swap” where the Parisian audience without any knowledge of Nigerian English, pidgin, Yoruba and Igbo language, hooked up with the films when they were screened at the l’Arlequin cinema theatre in Paris. It is important to mention that both films had comic scenes:
“The two films mentioned here were selected first and foremost for their cinematic merit. The languages used in the films were never considered an obstacle. If anything, they were an asset as they added more authenticity to these films. Language is not a criterion on its own in our selection process. But originality is and we find that many times when the movies are made in local languages as opposed to official languages, the result tends to be better thanks to the authenticity factor once again…”
When asked if Nigerian languages in films could be a big asset for viewers in France, this is what he had to say “Yes they are an asset because of the French audiences but also the international audiences in general look for what they don’t usually have access to. And they already have access to films in English language obviously. So in that sense it is definitely an asset”.
Nollywood Week Paris Part 5
