I directed my first movie at age 17 – Kenneth Gyang

Kenneth Gyang:  I was seventeen when I directed my first movie. WM: When did your flair for directing start showing signs? Gyang: When I was in Nigerian Film Institute, NFI, in Jos. I think I had a flair for just writing and acting and I worked with some people in an NGO when I was […]

Kenneth Gyang:  I was seventeen when I directed my first movie.

WM: When did your flair for directing start showing signs?

Gyang: When I was in Nigerian Film Institute, NFI, in Jos. I think I had a flair for just writing and acting and I worked with some people in an NGO when I was in school and the film was properly directed, so I was like I can actually do this thing myself. When I started, people liked and watched all my stuff and that actually pushed me towards directing.

WM: From your profile, you had a course in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Now, the French’s way of producing movies is quite different from Anglophone West Africa’s. How did that impact on your production and direction of movies in Nigeria?

Gyang: Basically, Nigerian movies are like commercials and why I say commercials is that you think of what the Nigerian people want and you give it to them and they take it, but when you talk of Francophone countries movies, you are talking of movies that have issues that affect Africa.

So while I was there, I watched a lot of films and I got a different perception of how films and movies can be used differently in the Nigerian context. In Nigeria, we actually run films like commercials unlike what we have in other African countries that deal with the real issues. So while I was there, I learnt some of the tactics they use so as to be able to implement them in some of the shallow things we do over here in Nigeria.

WM: As at the age you started directing, did you think it was going to be tough, especially in a developing country like Nigeria?

Gang: Yes, of course, I knew it was going to be tough and I always believed that I would be able to make it. You know a lot of people who were there before me have ventured into some other aspects of the society. So it is so tough, though then, I knew it was going to be tough and thank God that we have gone this far and we have been doing stuff and people have been watching and we have been getting commendation and confidence from people despite the job being tough; but then, we still find satisfaction and joy in it.

WM: Despite the job being tough, what has kept you going?

Gyang:  I guess my love for the job. And I always said if I was not into this, I really do not know what I would have been doing. And people keep saying, ‘oh, you are young. You should utilise this energy for something else, and I keep making them see reason that this is what I was mean to do. To summarise it, I will say the work of the art keeps me going.

WM: Do you see yourself as being part of mainstream Nollywood, and if not, where would you place yourself?

Gyang: Hmmm. I can’t really say, because I have attended lots of festivals and have gone to a lot of places and what they just do is to classify everyone from Nigeria as Nollywood. I was discussing with a director the other day and I said instead of saying we are not part of Nollywood, let’s attest to the fact that we are from Nigeria and we are part of Nollywood and we start producing in Nollywood the kind of movies we want people to see and by so doing people will actually see the difference.

I remember that when I was in South Africa, there was this workshop and people were expecting to see the normal thing they usually see from Nigeria and in Nigerian movies, and when they saw it, they were really amazed and actually started talking about it and asking if there are really people like that in Nigeria who can actually make a movie in that context. So I will not say I am not part of Nollywood, I am, but maybe like in a way trying to inject new innovations for Nollywood.

WM: Can you shed more light on your BBC experience?

Gyang: I was in Berlin and someone saw one of the films I had directed and she liked it. She asked me if I could come and work on a project that they were working on for Africa and I was asked to send some of the works that I have done before and my CV. First, they felt I was too young and did not know how well I was going to handle the whole pressure of having a lot of people, so they asked me to start as a full assistant director which I did for two to three months before I started directing proper. So I was one of the five directors who worked on the project.

WM: Now that you are a professional, do you still have the age thing counting against you sometimes?

Gyang: Oh yes! There are places you go to or enter and when I introduce myself as Kenneth Gyang, they tend to look at me with astonishment. People get to see the work and what to meet and even get in touch with me, but they are amazed when they finally meet me taking into consideration how young I am and look, but all the same, they display an aura of confidence in me in the long run.

WM: The look of you does not help matters either, so how are you able to convince them that you have something to offer?

Gyang: (Laughing) I think I have been able to handle the pressure and all that, so at the end of the day, it has to do with your convincing power. You can actually see a person being small, but you can never tell what he or she has to offer and how far he can convince people. You should be able to give them your vision. Take a script, for example. You should be able to narrate or explain explicitly the whole character and theme of the script, so that they get to understand what you are talking about. That’s it!

WM: Judging by how tense a set can get sometimes, hasn’t an actor or actress tried to harass or bully you in any way?

Gyang: (Laughing) No, I haven’t had such an experience. What I believe is that if you show people that you really know what you are doing, they’ll start respecting you from day one. Sometimes, there are tough ones, but when they see that you are serious about what you are doing, they sit up and behave properly. So far, that has not happened.

WM: You speak Hausa fluently. Do you have any aspiration to direct a Kannywood movie in future?

Gyang: Yes, last week, I was in Kaduna where some guys shot a film for the John Hopkins University. They called me to do some things for them. I was able to make meaningful input. I was able to make a connection between English and Hausa films and worked with a lot of Hausa actors and actresses who are really, really amazing people.

When you look at all these Francophone movies, they have to do with the real Africa. But here, many of the films we have are just shallow films talking about a guy falling in love with a girl, etc. There are a lot of films we can actually do to tell our story. And with me coming from the northern part of Nigeria, I saw a lot when I was shooting in Kaduna.

WM: Speaking generally, would you define Nigerian actors and actresses as disrespectful to their directors?

Gyang: I talked to some people who said African actors and actresses are difficult though I have never experienced it like that. But some people say they are like that. What I have been able to gather is that some of the actors and actresses are not professional. Professionalism doesn’t have to do with you being able to talk and being on screen and all that.

WM: Do you also talent-hunt in the course of your work?

Gyang: I like working with young people. The lead character in ‘Finding Aisha’ had never acted before. I went to schools where I did auditions and I got her. I try to strike a balance with professional actors and young talents. I feel comfortable working with young people because they can gain a lot working with me, especially as I am also young.

WM: You are one of the nominees for Future Awards 2010 for the series ‘Finding Aisha.’ How do you feel about that?

Gyang: I was glad when I was told I have been nominated. It is really very nice and encouraging that you are recognised for your hard work. It actually shows that people appreciate your work and it sends encouragement to young people out there.

WM: You said you have been able to handle pressure. Asides work pressure, what other pressures are you faced with?

Gyang: (Laughing) Blood pressure, family pressure and other pressures yes, but I have been able to manage and keep them under control. Girl pressure is personal pressure which I have been able to handle as well.