Gambian Movies: Toils of Young Filmmakers

 

Author: Pa Modou Cham

As the African film industry continues to evolve and many youngsters get commendations in their various countries and abroad, young Gambian filmmakers continue to stumble to gain recognition, opportunities, and income.

Over the years, the Gambia’s film industry has attracted some Nigerian and Sierra Leonean filmmakers who joined other Gambian movie-makers to produce content for both domestic and international audiences.

Although some young Gambian movie-makers get frustrated along the journey due to financial constraints, and lack of government support and sponsorship, there are a few who continue to struggle and hope for transformation.  

The movie industry is expected to utilize over two thousand young people ranging from camera operators, tailors, video editors, actors and actresses, make-up artists, drivers, sound operators, event planners, scriptwriters, and more. Thus, it contributes to the socio-economic development of the country by creating job opportunities for young people within the arts and entertainment sector.

Speaking to youngster Modou Lamin Sowe, alias Gambia’s ML Sowe, Director and CEO of Young Stars Movie Production, said the current Gambia’s movie industry is as dry as a desert. He added that filmmakers struggle to produce content, thus leaving few in the field to make ends meet.

“The film industry is not where it is supposed to be because there is no support from the government and other private sectors to make it happen. One of the things that need to be done in the film industry is to have the opportunity to get all the materials needed to put things forward,” director ML Sowe stated, reiterating that the government should also try to support youngsters in the movie industry to be able to continue.

Dwelling more on recognition, ML Sowe, the first Gambian to have his movie on Amazon, explained that the stories that need to be produced should be of quality and up to standard compared to other countries. He emphasised that if quality content is produced and the industry is supported, then the industry can be the home for the jobless, dreamers, and hard workers.

He continued that if Gambians produce good content, there is a likelihood that it would travel far, saying to be recognised, producers need to produce vigorous and watchable movies.  He calls on the government to start creating opportunities for filmmakers.

Musa Darboe Junior, a Gambian Nollywood actor who fled the country’s movie industry, in an interview with The Point, disclosed his frustration with producing films in The Gambia, saying he has been producing movies in the country using his own money without getting anything in return.

He said: “When I got the opportunity to go to Nigeria to further my career with Nollywood, I went and did three films with big Nollywood stars, thinking that if I came back to Gambia things would be okay but when I returned, things continue to be worse. I called for premiering and the turnout was worst. Then I decided with my family to return to Nigeria to pursue my career.”

The Gambian-Nollywood star stated that the Gambian movie industry could not get recognition because of infighting, saying some don’t want to see others winning and are hardly happy about other’s progress. He called on movie-makers to come together, embrace each other, and work for the progress of the industry.

He delved into the audiences, saying most Gambian movie lovers would use their money to watch foreign movies instead of their own. Darboe thinks that producing distinctive stories with good quality products will get them recognition.

“People make movies in Nigeria and earn a lot and the government also knows that they can make huge revenue from movie-makers,” he considered.“I have seen government officials investing in the Nollywood movie industry. We also expect the Gambia government to do the same. Nollywood has created job opportunities for so many young people and has made many millionaires. Those who make it in Nollywood are coming into the streets, picking people, and making them stars to be famous and have the income to take care of their families. We can do the same in The Gambia.” 

In an interview with this medium, Hassoum Ceesay, director general of the National Centre for Arts and Culture (NCAC), said the movie industry is progressing at an “unprecedented level”, thanking individuals and the collective efforts of players.

He explained that history revealed that films were a state activity that the Gambia government created in the late 60s as a form of communicating to the public through cinema. He added that the film united later trained individuals who later became pioneers of the film industry.

“Over the past decade and a half, a lot of effort has gone into the industry. There has been support by the efforts of the government through the legal framework of the NCAC, and the Copyright Acts will protect the intellectual moral and economic rights of filmmakers and producers,” DG Ceesay stated.

Ceesay acknowledged the challenges faced by movie-makers while disclosing that there is a problem with media showing films in cinema houses and capacity-building training.

Dwelling on the obstacles resulting from the movie-makers not being able to get the recognition they deserved, DG Cessay noted that one is the low-budgeted films that cannot be featured on Netflix, Aljazeera, CNN, and other powerful media platforms. He also linked the deterrents to the lack of cinema houses in the country and capacity building.

“Despite all these challenges, there have been lots of good products out of the country’s film industry,” he said.“Some of the filmmakers and actresses have won international prizes. There is a lot of potential to do better. Imagine if a 30-minute documentary can employ more than 30 people, then we should see the film industry as a generator of income, jobs, and contributor to social stability.”

He called for the Gambians to endorse the movie industry while highlighting that Gambians give more attention to the musicians. He noted that the government has recently brought into law the regulation establishing the National Endowment Fund for Arts and Culture to support artistic projects in the country. 

Baboucar Manka, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Film Producers Association of The Gambia (FPAG), said the industry is floundering to generate the right content, theme, funding, and support to shove ideas into worthy content for recognition within and outside the country.

He added that due to lots of challenges in capacity, some of “The Gambia films are not able to cross borders”. He said filmmakers may not have the funds to transform good ideas into good content for the global markets.

“Within the last three years, things have been very promising for the Gambian filmmakers,” he assessed.“I have seen people collaborating and doing very good films. Film is an expensive business and one cannot make Netflix standard film with a D40,000 budget or less. Even if you have the same skills as Nollywood or Hollywood directors; without having good equipment, it wouldn’t work.”

PRO Manka called on filmmakers to produce content, quality, and standards that would gain them distinction within and outside the country, thus creating more prospects to have their films played on television. 

Ebrima John Jaiteh, President of the Screen Actors Guild of The Gambia, explained that the Gambian film industry remains relatively small compared to other countries due to infrastructure, funding, and exposure challenges. He noted that there has been a notable increase in the number of filmmakers creating content across various genres.

“The industry primarily produces low-budget films due to limited resources but has shown growth potential. Filmmakers often focus on telling stories that reflect Gambian culture, social issues, and history,” he said.

Jaiteh continued that the lack of recognition for Gambian filmmakers largely stems from limited exposure and resources. To uplift the industry, he emphasized that there should be increased investment in infrastructure and equipment that would help filmmakers produce higher-quality films.

He said access to funding, grants, and incentives for local productions can encourage more creativity and innovation. He further added that international collaborations and participation in film festivals could provide exposure on a global scale.