The impact of Covid-19 pandemic on film production, distribution and exhibition in Nigeria

Abstract

The corona virus, a pathogenic viral infectious disease otherwise known as Covid19 is an appalling catastrophic pandemic. Since its emergence in 2019, the disease has spread like wildfire across the world. The pandemic has ravaged almost every sphere of human endeavour-socially, economically,  culturally, religiously, politically and otherwise. There is no continent in the world that the disease has not touched. Covid-19 has become a cliché and  buzzword of the decade that has transmuted man’s way of thinking and reasoning. With its attendant health challenges, film production activities are at  its lowest ebb. This paper sets out to examine the praxis of motion picture production, distribution and exhibition as practiced in Nigerian vis-à vis the  coronavirus pandemic era. The paper also examines social distancing which negates the collaborative environment film enjoys as an art form. The  Nigerian experience is no different from other film producing nations of the world. The Nigerian film industry popularly known as Nollywood has reduced  its production capacity drastically causing unemployment and loss of millions of naira in earnings. Qualitative method of research was adopted,  using published documents and interviews of stakeholders. The paper critically examines the numerous challenges film producers are facing worldwide  and the search for creative means to surmount the problems of social distancing and how to curtail the spread of the disease on a shooting location. The  paper concludes that coronavirus has negatively affected film industry in the area of production distribution and exhibition around the world including  Nigeria.