‘Nollywood professionals need to be more passionate’

Weekend Magazine: What is your name and what role did you play in Ije? Paula Moreno: My name is Paula Moreno and I am the Los Angeles producer for Ije. WM: Having worked with Nigerians in Ije, what were the challenges you faced? Paula: We didn’t really have challenges because they were all very professional […]

Weekend Magazine: What is your name and what role did you play in Ije?

Paula Moreno: My name is Paula Moreno and I am the Los Angeles producer for Ije.

WM: Having worked with Nigerians in Ije, what were the challenges you faced?

Paula: We didn’t really have challenges because they were all very professional as far as Genevieve and Omotola are concerned. They came out very prepared, so we didn’t really have any challenges, because that was the fear we had. We thought it was going to be difficult coping with the Nigerian cast.

WM: Being a producer for some years now, how many awards have you had?

Paula: I myself have received three awards. Ije alone has received eight awards.

WM: What inspired you to shoot the movie?

Paula: Actually, it was the story, the way the script was written. It was Chineze who came up with the story idea.

So then she had somebody to finish her script. From there, we just had a go based on what was on the script. So, part of it was shot here in Nigeria and the rest of was shot in Los Angeles. The inspiration came from Chineze.

WM: How did you gather your cast?

Paula: Gathering the cast all came back to the script itself. In the script, you have the Hispanics, an African-American boy and then you have some girls from Africa and some Americans. Chineze already had a mind set on the qualities of cast she wanted on the movie. The best in Nigeria is what she brought. The rest of the international cast, we had to go through an audition process and we had a pretty large cast. Her hard work and determination saw her through at the end of the day.

WM: Having had a stint with Nollywood, how would you rate the actors and actresses?

Paula: Honestly, I think they are beyond fabulous. They are the ones who stood out in the film. When we were going through the film, they were the ones whom a lot people were like, “who are they, where did they come from?” It was just amazing. They stood out in the crowd.  They made Nollywood believable to those who thought it was about trash.

WM: Ije is not like the regular Nollywood movie so what helped in making it so real?

Paula: We had a production crew in Los Angeles. The story helped and the crew helped as well. When you film something in Los Angeles, everybody puts their heart and soul in it so they make it easier for you because your whole crew is your team and they will want the movie to look as good as I do and as good as Chineze wants.

WM: What does the name of the movie, Ije, mean?

Paula: Ije means the journey and it is in Igbo. Everybody has a journey in their life and Chineze just decided that it was the name she wanted especially as she wanted to bring in the Nigerian culture.

WM: What was the experience like working with a Nigerian and an American cast?

Paula: It was very good because we were very selective in our crew. We didn’t just get anybody. Before we hired anybody, we made sure that they were going to (1) commit to the project like everybody else did, (2) they had to be experienced to be able to pull off something amazing, something different, something that could stand out and something that could make Nigeria proud. That we are glad we achieved.

WM: After working with Omotola and Genevieve, where do you see Nigerian actors and actresses in the nearest future?

Paula: I think everybody who brings down Nigeria and Nollywood films and say they are not up to the standard of other films, with ‘Ije’, people are already starting to change their mind. We are talking about people in Canada, Mexico and the United States who have started accepting the film. We got into ????? festival one of the hardest film festivals to get into, we broke the record because everybody was surprised that Ije worked in there ????? festival is a city where it is only Americans and white people. To bring an African film from a Nigerian director, it was the first time ever and it gave a positive feedback. People don’t look at it as a Nollywood film, rather they look at it as an international film, an African film that is what made everybody to enjoy the script. When people look at it, they look at it as a story. That is the reaction we are getting.

Everybody loves the story.

WM: Did you expect the story to turn out the way it did because as it is now, many Nigerians are overwhelmed by the movie?

Paula: Yes, I did. Seeing other Nollywood films, I knew that this was different and unique. My job was just to deliver the project and to make sure that it met the whole world’s standard and as long as that happened and after doing my research on Nollywood films, I knew that people were going to embrace it.

WM: What kind of reaction have you gotten since the movie’s premier?

Paula: I got nothing but positive results. We had some fans say that they were going to go back and have a look at it, and then I found out that it had been sold out. I think that speaks for itself

WM: What helped the movie to be concise without missing important points?

Paula: We did our job during production but post production played a big role in making sure that everything was on point.

WM: You are a female producer in a male dominated profession. How do you cope?

Paula: I think a lot of people underestimate the women and Chineze and I were in the U.S, we were both females and both minorities. People underestimate us but once they see how much we work and how much we loved doing what we do, they start respecting us. A lot of people in this industry just talk and Chineze was able to deliver and so was I.

WM: Do we see you coming back to Nigeria to shoot a purely Nollywood movie in the nearest future?

Paula: Yes, as I said before, as long as it is not rubbish and meets the standard, I would take it.

WM: How will you rate Nigerian movies because Nigeria is one of the highest producer of movies on a daily basis?

Paula: I think that the talent is there but the passion for it needs to be there more. There are lots of wonderful actors and actresses whom I see. They could be better.