Ever since Lancelot Imasuen's new film, Invasion 1897, hit the movie scene in Nigeria, the director has been working hard
to ensure that everything works according to plan.
"After we premiered the film at the Abuja International Film Festival in September, we held another screening in Benin City and moved from there to Lagos. We have also screened it in Dallas in the United States and in Toronto, Canada," he says, in an interview with our correspondent.
As part of his effort to promote the film, Imasuen has entered into an agreement with some major television companies in
every city that boasts a cinema in the country. He has also authorised the mounting of billboards in some selected
cities and even invested on advertorials on the Internet.
Yet the real challenge facing the movie director is how to get millions of movie fans in the country to see the film.
"A lot of people have commended the film.
They have been saying positive things about it. Some of them can't even believe that it is a Nollywood film and I have been telling them that it is 100 per cent Nollywood. But the question is how do I recover the money that I investment on this film? I spent over $1m on it. I have to recover this money or I
will be in trouble" he says.
Imasuen also laments the fact that he has been funding such promotional strategies without assistance from external sponsors.
Although he got support for the production of the film, he is practically on his own now.
As soon as the film is released in the cinemas, the next step will be to take it on a tour of university campuses and other
tertiary institutions around the country. But getting additional funds to achieve this already seems like an uphill task to the
filmmaker.
"But I won't relent. If it means selling everything I have to keep the project going, I will do it. I wish we had a sponsor or
somebody who understands that we have a good product and is prepared to assist us," he says.
0 comments: