AMVCA becoming more about fashion than films — Uche Agbo

By Adegboyega Adeleye

The National President of the Directors Guild of Nigeria, Uche Agbo, has expressed concern that the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA, is gradually becoming more associated with fashion conversations than filmmaking and award-winning performances.

Agbo decried the growing dominance of red carpet trends over film discussions during his appearance on Vanguard’s podcast show, The Nigerian Meter.

According to him, more effort should be devoted to promoting nominated films and performances with the same energy currently invested in fashion publicity surrounding the awards.

“The amount of efforts put into promoting the fashion part of it should be tripled to promote the nomination part of it,” he said.

“Beyond the nomination party, there should be deliberate efforts both from the organisers and filmmakers themselves to sell those nominations to the world. Let it become an iconic event that is primarily about what it is supposed to be, the film.”

The filmmaker lamented that discussions after the award ceremony now rarely focus on acting performances or filmmaking achievements.

“We are not talking about the acting prowess of the actors, we are talking about what they wore to the AMVCA,” Agbo stated.

Using online search trends as an example, he argued that fashion conversations now dominate the public narrative around the award show.

“If you Google AMVCA now, the first thing that pops up is not the winners of the awards, it is the fashion,” he said.

“The question is that? Is it helping the filmmakers, the actors or the fashion industry? If it is helping the fashion industry, is it a fashion event or a film event?”

Agbo, however, stressed that filmmakers themselves must also take responsibility for changing the narrative instead of leaving all promotional duties to organisers.

“The filmmakers that are being nominated must also hire their own publicists and PR team to highlight their own films so that we do not just sit down here and drop the entire work at the doorstep of the organisers,” he explained.

According to him, celebrities intentionally wear attention-grabbing outfits to dominate conversations, while filmmakers often fail to create similar publicity around their productions.

“We are not here saying the AMVCA is not doing right, we are here saying the filmmakers need to think differently because it is a burden on you as a filmmaker to find means to be the trending conversation and take it away from what people wore to AMVCA because people would deliberately wear what will call attention to them. So, you as a filmmaker, what are you now doing to call attention?” he queried.

Speaking further, Agbo also blamed Nollywood’s lack of financial accountability and transparency for the difficulty in attracting foreign investors into the industry.

“The reality if we are talking about budget is that no Nigerian producer as of today can actually tell you his or her actual budget,” he said.

“It is a thing of culture but this is my personal opinion. I will say two things. I think that a lot of Nigerian producers do not pay their tax, that could be a reason. They do not need to say the actual price so that the government do not come for them.”

He added that the industry’s informal production structure also contributes to the absence of verifiable budget figures.

“Another reason is the perception that we do not have enough budget so most times, it is always ‘my guy, my guy’, so you end up not getting the actual budget out of it,” he stated.

Comparing Nollywood with foreign film industries, Agbo noted that movie budgets abroad are publicly accessible because of stronger accountability systems.

“Normally, if you Google some movies abroad, you can see the budget and it is not a hidden thing because their system will not allow you to spend without accountability but here I do not know of any Nigerian movie you can put on Google right now and you will be able to get the budget,” he said.

According to him, the lack of publicly identifiable financial figures continues to discourage investors from committing funds to Nollywood projects.

“That is also where it is hard for investors to put their money because for someone to invest, there has to be some public identifiable figures,” Agbo added.

“We do not have those numbers so for me, I would say it is that lack of trust to one another, in the system and in the industry. There is just this death of trust making producers not to reveal.”

‘Area boys’ can’t disturb registered filmmakers — Agbo

Agbo also advised young filmmakers to embrace industry structures and proper documentation, insisting that many of the challenges they face while filming in Lagos can easily be resolved through the appropriate channels.

Reacting to complaints about harassment and disruptions by “area boys” during productions, the DGN president said filmmakers operating with valid permits and guild backing are often protected by the system.

“I would fault the filmmaker. If you are a director in Lagos State and you belong to the Directors Guild of Nigeria and you have that kind of experience and you call me, it will not take up to two minutes to get that gate open,” he said.

“So young filmmakers must also learn to find themselves in the place of structure and system.”

Agbo revealed that he recently met with officials of the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, which oversees filming permits within the state, describing the agency as supportive and accessible to filmmakers.

“I was with the Lagos State Film and Video Censors Board, who gives the permit when you are filming anywhere within Lagos. Their Executive Secretary is very welcoming. There are phone calls from that gate, in that minute and that thing will be broken,” he stated.

While empathising with struggling filmmakers, Agbo maintained that practitioners must first understand and respect existing industry systems before expecting protection.

“Filmmakers need to know that to practice in an ecosystem, find out the structures, organisations and people who can help to protect their welfare and interests,” he said.

“As the President of the DGN, we have made it easier for younger filmmakers because they need protection. We protect them.”

According to him, some filmmakers unknowingly violate regulations by shooting without official approval from relevant authorities.

“First of all, you do not even know that you are going against the law by filming without a registered permit,” he added.

Agbo further criticised what he described as the unwillingness of many young creatives to follow established procedures while still expecting seamless operations.

“The greatest problem of a lot of young filmmakers is that they do not like the system, they do not like structures, but they want things to work perfectly for them,” he said.

“Everything is not about money, the question is how much is this permit? The system is constantly destroyed by those who evade the system and those who refuse to follow the structure.”

He argued that filmmakers who ignore due process cannot legitimately complain when they encounter operational difficulties.

“Whether it is knowingly or unknowingly, if you, as a filmmaker who went to a film school, claim that you do not know that there is a structure in place, you do not have the right to tell me that that experience is valid,” Agbo stated.

“If you want the system to protect you, do your due diligence first.

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