The Executive Director/CEO, Dr Shaibu Husseini presenting an Award to Sandra Oyewole of DLA Chambers during the National Film and Video Censors Board Masters Class Series 01 at Muson Center, Lagos.
Veteran actress Joke Silva has called on Nollywood practitioners to respect professional boundaries and stop wearing “too many hats at once”, saying the practice fuels conflict and weakens the industry.
Silva made the call on Thursday at the maiden NFVCB Masterclass Series held at MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
The event, themed “Professionalism, Innovation, and Sustainability”, was organized by the National Film and Video Censors Board, NFVCB.
Delivering the keynote, Silva decried a growing trend where stakeholders function simultaneously as producers, actors, directors, and guild executives.
“Many stakeholders simultaneously function as producers, actors, directors, and guild members,” she said. “This creates conflicts of interest that often undermine collective decision-making.”
She urged creatives to represent the interest of each role objectively, instead of allowing personal commercial interests to dictate industry decisions.
Silva described the masterclass theme as the three pillars on which Nigeria’s creative future must rest.
On professionalism, she said it is what transforms talent into a respected, bankable industry. Key indicators, she noted, include honoring contracts, meeting deadlines, transparent finances, protecting IP, and strengthening guilds.
“The absence of these standards discourages international investment, weakens distribution opportunities, and perpetuates piracy,” she warned.
On innovation, Silva highlighted Nollywood’s leap from direct-to-video to global streaming on Netflix and Prime Video. She also cited the global rise of Afrobeats, animation, gaming, and digital content as proof of Nigeria’s creative influence.
She commended NFVCB for shifting the conversation “from identifying problems to building capacity and implementing solutions.”
“Professionalism attracts investment, innovation ensures relevance in a digital world, and sustainability guarantees growth for present and future generations,” she concluded.
Speaking on “Production Standards and Best Practices”, filmmaker Dr. Femi Odugbemi described film as an ecosystem where every department matters.
“Once a film gets online on platforms like YouTube, it becomes global. Therefore, everything must be perfected during production,” he said.
Odugbemi urged Nollywood to tell original Nigerian stories rooted in culture and tradition, especially through epics that can travel globally.
He stressed the need to understand target audiences, invest in travel for knowledge exchange, and move beyond formulaic love stories that ignore family structures.
“Accountability, capacity building, and skills are the basic areas we must focus on,” he said. “Film is a team effort. The most projected aspect is not more important than others. It’s not just about who owns the film.”
In his welcome address, NFVCB Executive Director/CEO, Dr. Shaibu Hussein, said the Masterclass fulfills a promise made at the 5th PAO Nigerian Digital Regulatory Conference in November 2025.
“Participants requested a platform to explore those issues from a practical perspective. We listened, and today we are fulfilling that promise,” he said.
Hussein noted that AI, streaming, and new business models are changing filmmaking daily. “In such an environment, talent alone is no longer enough. Success demands continuous learning, adaptability, and understanding both the creative and business sides.”
He said the Masterclass is built on three pillars of Legal Framework & IP Protection, the Business of Creativity and Production Excellence.
“As a regulator, our responsibility extends beyond classification and compliance. We have a duty to encourage professional excellence,” he added. “This is an investment in people and in the future of Nigeria’s creative industry.”
The Masterclass, he added, is an investment in people and in the future of Nigeria’s creative economy.
The event drew guild heads, producers, directors, actors, policymakers, and other stakeholders.
NFVCB said the Masterclass Series will run quarterly across the country to upskill practitioners for a global market
