by Wilfred Okiche

The Nigerian film industry has since become one of the most heartwarming stories to come out of the country. Built almost exclusively by the hard work, sweat and passion of a gathering of individuals, it now commands the world’s attention, seducing with it’s tales of quality that only Hollywood and India’s Bollywood can dare to compete with.

Such success demands careful scrutiny and coverage and while Hollywood has had industry trade bibles Variety and The Hollywood Reporter for a long time, Nollywood is still at yet learning to tell its own story.

Which is why the arrival of Nolly Silver Screen, a new online magazine that is completely devoted to covering the Nigerian film industry is an important development. A novel concept, if accepted widely, Nolly Silver Screen may prove to be indispensable for a film industry still finding its feet.

Published and edited by Isabella Akinseye a film critic and journalist who has written for a number of media platforms, NSS is a propose monthly magazine that can be downloaded straight from a laptop or mobile device. The first issue has the talented O.C Ukeje on the cover and the photography and accompanying feature depicts him as the regular boy next door. At 16 pages, it is short enough not to lose the audience interest and long enough to pack in some exciting information about the fast-rising film industry.

Akinseye has assembled some of the brightest young minds in film journalism to contribute their talent and experience and this collaboration gives the magazine some level of authority.

There are film reviews, celebrity birthday notices, a vox pop segment and a red carpet spread for the fashion lovers. A lot of the content appears fluffy and patronising but it is probably deliberate to avoid offending anyone especially in its infant stage. Time and subsequent issues should improve on the content to give it more heft.

No one will cover Nollywood better than film lovers and scholars and some of the finest are gravitating towards Nolly Silver Screen. Lay out and design is bright, playful and easy on the eye but there is this feeling going through the pages that the best is yet to come. In my book, that is a good thing.