A Study of the Evangelical Genre in Nollywood: Ugo Ugbor's 40 Days in the Wilderness and Ifeanyi Ogbonna's Years in Rome as Case Study

Abstract

Nollywood has continued to grow in leaps and bounds in spite of the enormous challenges that manifest in such technical spheres as effective camera manipulation; the utilization of highly suggestive and objectively revealing lighting in the depiction of atmosphere and mood; the application of suitable sound and sound effects to highlight actions so as to educe appropriate emotional response; the evolution of interest-generating and interest-sustaining storylines; the attainment of far-reaching casting methods and approaches and such nagging management questions as worthwhile production management strategies. The reasons for this success story can be traced to the commercial viability of Nollywood films; the topicality of the subjects they treat; the array of stars they parade and the range of genres they patronize. The evangelical genre characterized by the teachings, practice and the belief of the Christian faith with the ultimate aim of establishing the supremacy of God and winning adherents in the name of Jesus Christ has come to occupy a dominant place in Nollywood. It is for the foregoing that this paper which adopts the literary, historical and artistic methodology, has examined the evangelical genre in Nollywood using Ugo Ugbor's "40 Days in the Wilderness" and Ifeanyi Ogbonna's "Years in Rome" as case study. The study reveals that evangelical films are essentially for the propagation of the tenets of the Christian faith. The paper recommends that churches and government should sponsor evangelical film production as this would provide job opportunity for many theatre/media practitioners as well as encourage professionalism in the industry.