Emem Isong
In the Nigeria’s motion picture industry globally known as Nollywood, the name Emem Isong is synonymous with good scripts and quality productions. Since her arrival in 1993, the former banker turned moviemaker, has consistently churned out blockbusters in both the English and her native Akwa Ibom genres, to the delight of many, especially her core fans and followers.
As one of the pioneer female filmmakers in Tinsel town, Isong has also contributed immensely to the growth and sustenance of quality flicks. With over 30 interesting and didactic movies to her credit, effervescent and bespectacled Isong, has still not rested on her creative oars. To the amazement of many, she has continually strived for excellence in all her productions, thus carving a niche for herself.
Single and unperturbed, the theatre arts graduate of the University of Calabar, in this interview, spoke eloquently on her vision and mission for the industry, the challenges, prospects, and how it can be hugely harnessed for greater potentials. She also talked passionately about her latest project, a movie titled Reloaded, its recent premiere, and how she intends making a global statement with the big budget project.
Enjoy the interaction!
Congrats on your recently held premiere. But how did you and your colleagues conceptualize the idea of two world premieres under one roof?
Thanks; actually, it was conceived because we wanted to do something unique, which has also never been done in Nollywood. My colleague and I made the films individually but the idea came one day while Desmond Elliot, Vivian Ejike, and I were brainstorming and concluded that it would be nice to premiere both big budget movies under one roof. We actually put in our best in order to make sure it was a big success.
At the end of the day, did the two-in-one premiere meet you peoples’ expectations?
The premieres doubled our expectations, though it was tedious at the beginning, but what eventually happened on the D-day was awesome. And very soon, we would be storming Abuja, Ghana, London and the US to further premiere and create awareness for these movies.
What was it like, especially in the areas of challenges, for the three of you working together on this project?
We are very focused and also run our individual businesses, we only came together for this purpose. We are individual moviemakers who came together to work on this project. We also brought in our individual exposures and experiences within and outside Nollywood. We also combined all our resources to make it work. Above all, we respect one another, therefore, there was no room for any problem.
Like how much was expended on your own movie alongside the premiere?
For Reloaded, jointly produced by Desmond and I, we spent over N12 million and we are still spending. It’s a combination of our personal funds and the ones sourced from willing corporate bodies. Again, we are also confident about refunding these funds at the appropriate time. We are also working hard to ensure that these movies reach the appropriate quarters within our shores and beyond.
How soon should Nigerians, especially movie buffs, see these flicks on shelves nationwide?
All things being equal, we are looking at the month of September, but due to the way we want to go about the premiere, it might be slightly delayed. Our coming out also depends on the market, we all know there is a lot of re-organization going on. We would like to see and know what is happening before we come out.
Desmond Elliot is known as an actor, how did you manage to convince him to co- produce the movie, Reloaded, with you?
I have always liked working with Desmond Elliot and also noticed he has good ideas. He has also confided in me that at some point in his career, he would like to go behind the cameras and ply his trade. But the whole thing started taking shape when I went to produce a movie for him in Abuja. It was supposed to be two movies, after we finished work on the first one, I decided to work on the script of Reloaded and Desmond saw it and told me he would like to be part of it.
You also abandoned your known duties of script writing and producing to feature in the movie, Reloaded. Why the move?
I can’t never abandon producing and script writing for acting, I just felt like showing my face a little bit in that production. I have actually done what you will call ‘wakapass”, in most of my movies. I remember doing something in Critical Decision, Games Men Play and a few others.
No doubt, the name Emem Isong is synonymous with quality and well scripted movies. What other stuffs stand her out in Nollywood?
Sincerely, I don’t know whether I’m in a position to say that, but maybe because, I like good things, and likes watching good movies. In fact, I don’t know whether I should say I’m a perfectionist, so if anything I’m involved in is not up to standard, it irritates me. I go out of my way to do the best I can to make sure that I give people what I want to see. In a nutshell, I try to do the best I can on my scripts. Again, I don’t work on my scripts alone, most times, I have script conferences too.
You started as a banker. Why did you abandon banking for entertainment?
In the banking sector, I was not living my dream, in fact, I was not meant to be in the banking industry, besides, I had always wanted to be in the entertainment industry and when I had the opportunity, I quickly jumped at the offer. Even at that, when I left the University, what is today known as Nollywood, was almost non-existent. I was with now defunct Lion Bank.
When exactly did you join Nollywood?
I joined Nollywood as a producer and scriptwriter in ’93, that same year I co-produced the movie, Jezebel, with late Francis Agu, it was an Igbo movie. But my first major outing was the movie, Breaking Point, in 96. For me, the movie, Hit and Run gave me my break in Nollywood; but Emotional Crack, was the movie that gave me more recognition.
In your views as a professional, what makes a good script?
Firstly, from me, a very good plot, it has to be gripping, the style of writing, the story must be well told, good dialogue, treatment in the sense that you could have a wonderful story with a very poor treatment. These good ingredients from my point of view, makes a good script.
What is your style of writing and how do you write?
My style? My style is different because I don’t follow any laid down rules or norms. Again, I read a lot of the big names in script writing and screenplay. Since I don’t follow any rule, I write from my heart with passion. If I’m passionate about a script it flows, my best writing time is in the morning between 5am and 6am.
As a producer cum scriptwriter, you have no doubt churned out several blockbusters. But which among your numerous works do you cherish most?
For me, I will say Critical Decision and I don’t know why I’m so emotionally attached to that job. I really enjoyed writing that movie. But commercially, I think it’s between Games Women Play and Games Men Play. In these movies, people recognize a bit of whatever game they play.
Like how many works do you have to your credit?
I would say over 30 movies to my credit, but I have written over 50, because sometimes, I write for other producers too.
At least that makes you a multi-millionaire?
I wish I could say that, we are still on the way. We are not complaining either, I’m also trying but it could be better.
You seem to have conquered your immediate territory, so what is the next level for you?
Making movies that would compete favourably and globally, especially with my counterparts’ outside our shores. Telling our stories to our own people globally with a view to impacting on them positively.
In your views and assessment, do you think the government has done enough for the industry?
I do not think they have done enough; they should create an enabling environment. I like the Tinapa initiative, but I do not think it’s being sustained, we need studios. Funding is secondary, government should as a matter of urgency, provide the enabling environment for us to work effectively. For example, if you need to shoot a movie scene with the Police headquarters, the authority should provide that without wasting your time, or even delaying it for too long.
Most importantly, they should build studios and standard film villages. We have the lands and the other resources to do all these, entertainment we all know is capital intensive. The government is trying, but they could do better. Why I’m also not blaming the corporate bodies is because the industry is chaotic at the moment. As long as the distribution is still not right, it’s difficult for you to go and meet corporate bodies to invest. We are all trying to work on the distribution aspect in order to get it right. When corporate bodies are sure that the environment is right, there is no way they won’t give loans for us to shoot quality movies.
The government should urgently do something about piracy, it can’t be wiped out completely, but at least, it could be reduced to the barest minimum. If we open more outlets as filmmakers and work for the collective good of the industry, things can get better. Once we get the right distribution channels, the industry will automatically pick up. I don’t want to sound like a broken CD; piracy is our biggest problem in Nollywood today. Distribution drives quality very well. If your movies are properly distributed and you get enough revenue for what you have done, there is no reason you won’t pay more attention to details. Everybody is complaining about the poor quality of our works. How can you make a good movie with N2 million, for me, a good movie should be made with nothing less than N20 to N30 million.
Let’s get a bit personal with you, starting with your background.
Emem Isong, as you already know, is my name. I am from Akwa Ibom State, Ikono LGA, to be precise. The first child in a family of three; my parents are living in Akwa Ibom. I attended the Federal Government Girls’ College, Calabar, and later the University of Calabar, where I studied theatre arts. My studying theatre arts was an act of volition and my parents then objected to it. I grew up in Akwa Ibom and growing up was fun. I did my youth service in Lagos State and that experience was also fun.
What weighs you down?
I try not to worry too much especially about things I don’t have control over, so I do not allow anything to weigh me down.
How old is Emem Isong?
Sorry, no way. I won’t divulge that, it’s not for public consumption.
We would like to know more about your love life. Are you married?
I am not married yet, because the right person has not come.
What kind of a Mr. Right are you looking for?
My ideal man must be honest, have integrity, and be responsible with a good sense of responsibility and very God fearing.
Are you insinuating that all the men you are coming in contact with lack the above qualities?
No, I’m not saying or insinuating that most of the men that I have come in contact with lack the above qualities. For matters like this, things will fall in place at the appropriate time. And there is no need to fret over anything.
As the first child, are there no pressures on you to be married from your parents?
Naturally, in an African society, definitely, there will always be pressure on you to get married, but on your own, you should not let these pressures get to you, so that you do not take the wrong steps. I cope simply by running away from these pressures. At the right time, everything will be okay. If the right guy comes, I will also settle down, but I’m not in haste.
In what ways do you think Nollywood can be made better?
First and foremost, we need constant training and retraining for all stakeholders. There is nothing wrong for a fantastic actor or director to go for further trainings.
Your latest movie, what is it all about and why do you think movie buffs should look out for it on the shelves?
First, there is something in Reloaded for everyone. The movie is about relationships, relationships for everyone. It’s a real good movie that will leave you laughing. In fact, after you finish watching this movie, you will find something very interesting. It was jointly directed by the duo of Lancelot Imasuen and Ikechukwu Onyeka.
How do you cope with pressures and attention from men seeking intimate friendship?
I’m diplomatic, but it could also be flattering when men flatter you for friendships. At least, a woman should be chased. There is a man in my life, but I want to keep that to myself, because it’s strictly a personal affair, not meant for public consumptions.
First published, August 2008.
