Nollywood Guilds pledge support for smoke-free films campaign

Leaders and representatives of various guilds and associations in the Nigerian film industry have pledged their support for the campaign against smoking and consumption of harmful substances in Nollywood films.

(NAN) reports that the actors committed a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood held in Enugu on Tuesday.

The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) organised the event.

Representatives of the Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Directors, Guild of Nigeria (DGN), Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), and the Motion Pictures Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN) attended the event.

Others included foremost Nollywood filmmakers Fred Amata, Teco Benson, Zeb Ejiro and Nigerian Film Corporation(NFC) representatives, among other stakeholders.

In his opening address, Shaibu Husseini, Executive Director of NFVCB, said the sensitisation programme was to educate stakeholders on the danger inherent in smoking in Nigerian movies.

According to him, besides the health implications, the glamourisation of smoking in films poses a negative influence on teens and young adults, who constitute the largest segment of Nigerian movie viewers.

“As you all know, the film industry occupies a central position in the entertainment and creative sector, and we must continue to place the highest premium on its progress. The NFVCB supports smoke-free movies and Nollywood, and we, therefore, seek your collaboration to develop creative content that discourages smoking and promotes positive health messages. Despite the apparent fact that our culture and heritage are part of our existence, we tend to pay less than optimal attention to the movies produced.

CAPPA said they decided to contact the film industry’s developers and regulators to end the menace of smoking in movies.

Commitments

The NFVCB is well prepared to take leadership in this regard and has planned and begun implementing innovative ways to achieve its mandate.

“The measure is significant at this crucial time when the National Assembly is insisting that there is a ‘Need to Curb the rising spate of cultism, trafficking, consumption of Illicit drugs and other substances among youths in Nigeria,” he said.

At the end of the sensitisation workshop, participants, including delegates of the various guilds present, unanimously pledged their support for smoke-free Nollywood.

They assured members of the public that, moving forward, they would ensure that smoking and other vices are not glamourised, especially in films meant for children and young adults.

Blessing Ebigieson, AMP National President, said filmmaking starts as an idea and story writing before you can assemble a cast and crew, and that is the work as producers. She added that members of her association will ensure that stories, especially those for children’s films, do not have smoking scenes.

Victor Okhai, National President of DGN, said: “We are talking about our children here; we shall ensure that they are protected from smoking by ensuring they are not exposed to such films.”

However, Salisu Muazu, MOPPAN’s Secretary General, emphasised the need for intensive education on the menace of smoking in films and offered to produce a Public Service Announcement (PSA).

Patrick Lee, representing the Cinemas Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), said members would ensure that PSAs against smoking in films are exhibited.

Earlier in his presentation, Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director of CAPPA, said there was a need to reverse how movies and music videos presented smoking and tobacco use as a ‘cool way of life’.

“Tobacco is a killer, and it currently kills over eight million people annually, with over 75 per cent of this from developing countries, where, unfortunately, Nigeria belongs.

“Today, smoking remains very prevalent in our movies, in contravention of the NTC Act and the Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, which explicitly prohibits tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorships in film and entertainment.

“As we tell the Nigerian story, shape our future, and build a genuinely productive society, we strongly believe that Nollywood has a role to play in stopping non-communicable diseases in Nigeria,” he said.

(NAN)