Young Nigerian sci-fi film-makers get Hollywood nod
Based in northern Nigeria, The Critics have become social media sensations thanks to their innovative film-making skills.
CAPE TOWN, January 5 (ANA) – Someone better tell Steven Spielberg to watch out – a group of young Nigerians who call themselves The Critics are creating short films with unimaginable effects using just their mobile phones.
Based in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, the 10 young people have become social media sensations in the West African country thanks to their innovative film-making skills.
According to a CNN report, the group’s editor and VFX artist, Raymond Yusuff, said that in 2015 they taught themselves to make films and experiment with green screens and used to superimpose images onto a different background, all by reading Wikipedia and watching YouTube tutorials.
The Critics have so far drawn a large social media following due to the intriguing movies they create.
According to CNN, so far they have caught the attention of American film executives such as Franklin Leonard, Scott Myers and J.J. Abrams, the director of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”.
Leonard reached out to the group via Twitter after he discovered their movies and told them they were doing a great job. He then asked them to send him a list of equipment they might need to make films.
In August, the group received a large shipment of gear, including high-end gaming PCs, monitors, cameras and stabilisers from Abrams and Leonard.
The dream for these aspiring Nigerian film-makers doesn’t stop at making films. The Critics have now evolved into a fully fledged production company, producing more than 20 short films.
In December, their short film “F.N.B.W” won the award for best short film at the fourth edition of the African Smartphone International Film Festival.
According to online publication Africa News, Nigeria’s multimillion-dollar film sector, Nollywood, is ranked second largest in the world after Bollywood (India’s movie sector) by quantity of films produced.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Yaron Blecher