One thing often lost in the pointless (and totally stupid, we just have to say) Old Nollywood vs New Nollywood debate is the place of the Yoruba arm of the Nigerian film industry.

Besides the fact that that branch of the industry appears a lot more interested in just producing work and not subjecting people to such banal categorisations as “new” and “old” (or, at least, a lot less interested in taking public shots at new entrants,) we’ve never really bothered to ask how “they” are adapting to this new age of multiple telenovelas, soap operas, mini-series, webseries, etc.

Of course, even with all the talk, “English Nollywood” (we really need to think about these categories) has seen quite a number of noteworthy, high-profile crossover successes. Take RMD in Hush, or Oge Okoye’s revelatory turn as Patricia in Hotel Majestic (one of the best performances of her career, we have to say.)

And then of course there was Ngozi Nwosu, one of our most beloved and reliable “old” stars, who came out of nowhere to steal the spotlight on Skinny Girl In Transit. This is all the more poignant given that this was a show created by Ndani TV, which is basically the encapsulation of everything that is said to be “New Nollywood.” Think about it, an “old Nollywood” star known for home videos, takes up a role in a TV series, broadcast, free, on the internet, funded by a bank.

And now, it appears Fathia Balogun is about to do something similar.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMp_4r5ghpr/

There she is on set for upcoming The Naked Convos/Red TV series ‘Our Best Friend’s Wedding’.

An “old Nollywood” actor. Known for Yoruba movies. On set with Oreka Godis. For an online TV series.

The times; they are changing.

Media Blogger