ABSTRACT
In recent decades, Nigerian video films have experienced astounding popularity and are consumed in homes, street corners, and video parlors in Nigeria, other parts of the continent, and the African diaspora. Nigerian filmmakers produce anywhere between 1,000 (Haynes, 2006) and 1,500 (Barrot, 2008) films per year, shot with handheld video or digital cameras, edited on personal computers, and featuring actors who might not have enjoyed extensive training, but whose names attract audiences in their native Nigeria and its diaspora and whose stardom can make it difficult for them to navigate the streets of Lagos, the epicenter of English Nollywood films. 1 Upon arrival for a research trip to Nigeria during the summer of 2008, I was only vaguely familiar with the staggering popularity of these straight-to-video productions that were handed to me through the car window for purchase during every traffic stop in Lagos. Ultimately it was my Nigerian host family who introduced me to a form of film consumption that is entirely in tune with Nigerian realities and takes place in the familiarity of the home, the video parlor, at the hair dresser, or the market stall. Films are shown on television almost around the clock, and the neighborhood rental stalls are always up to date with the latest release.
