Kannywood stars saddened over scrapping of film village

The Kannywood family has expressed its sadness and grief over the decision to shelve the proposed film village to be sited in Kano. But stakeholders in the film industry explained that the public and clerics misunderstood what the project was all about. During an interactive session in Kano, the forerunner of the project and a […]

The Kannywood family has expressed its sadness and grief over the decision to shelve the proposed film village to be sited in Kano.
But stakeholders in the film industry explained that the public and clerics misunderstood what the project was all about.
During an interactive session in Kano, the forerunner of the project and a member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumuni Jibrin, said the 20-hectare centre would be equipped with facilities that would make film production easier and generate revenue for the government.
Jibrin also revealed that N1billion would be released by the federal government for the kick-off of the initial stage of the project. 
Islamic clerics in Kano kicked against the project and stated that the film village wouldn’t only promote immorality but also serve as a breeding ground for other social vices, a claim that stakeholders dismissed.
An actor, Ali Nuhu, said he was shocked after he learnt that the proposed project had been scrapped.
“I was shocked when the story broke. I disagree with the clerics who said the film village would promote immorality. They didn’t do justice to us. Don’t forget, we consulted them before we shoot our films, they advise us on what to and not to do and we follow their advices. There are a lot of changes if you compare our new films with the previous ones. We need help not condemnation,” he said.
A prominent director, Falalu Dorayi, told Daily Trust that the public, most especially Islamic clerics, misunderstood what the film village was all about.
He said: “I want people to know that the film village is not a place for promoting immorality or nudity, but a place where there would be strong leadership that will control the activities of filmmakers.”
Another director, Kamal S. Alkali explained that Kannywood’s actors campaigned for President Muhammadu Buhari before the elections and people didn’t call him and asked him to disassociate himself from Kannywood.
“They were happy when we campaigned for Buhari. We used our faces and voices to campaign for him. Why wouldn’t people tell him to stop associating with us? We played a huge role for him to be elected, now as we want to reap what we sowed, people are shooting down the project left, right and centre,” he said.
Another actor, Adam A. Zango, has called on Kannywood stakeholders to stage a peaceful protest in Abuja and explained to the President the importance of the film village not only to Kannywood but to the government.
“We have to assemble in Abuja and urge President Buhari to build the film village…We are using the Kannywood platform to feed our families, pay house rents, school fees for our children and also help the needy. We will tell the President that if he can build it in Falgore Forest, we will like it there,” he said.