Nigerian cinema, often unofficially called Nollywood, includes films made in Nigeria; its history dates back to the colonial era, at the end of the 19th century. At that time the first means of watching movies in Nigeria was watching movies through the peephole. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get original essay According to Emeagwali (2004) "These were soon replaced in the early 20th century with better cinema presentation devices, with the first set of films shown at the Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos from 12 to 22 August 1903." The first film made in Nigeria was Palaver, a romantic drama made in 1926 by Geoffrey Barkas. It was also the first ever to feature Nigerians in speaking roles. "By 1954, mobile movie vans were being shown to at least 3 million people in Nigeria, and films produced by the Nigerian Film Unit were being shown free of charge in 44 available cinemas. The first film copyrighted exclusively by the Nigerian Film Unit is Fincho (1957 ) by Sam Zebba; which is also the first Nigerian film shot in color" Goethe Institute. According to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA 2001) "television broadcasting in Nigeria began in the late 1950s as the Western Nigerian Government Broadcasting Corporation (WNTV) and initially received much support from the government. By the mid-1980s every state had its own broadcast station." (NIFICON 2010) stated that “the law restricted foreign television content, so Lagos producers began televising local popular theater productions.” These were also distributed on videocassette, and a small-scale unofficial trade in video films developed. Some people point to the 1992 film Living in Bondage, a film about a man whose activities with a cult lead to the death of his wife, as the industry's first notable film that can be called a "blockbuster". “In the span of 25 years, so many films have been released that they number in the tens of thousands, as it has been claimed that Nollywood produces a whopping 1,500 films per year” (Flock 2017). One of the first Nigerian films to attract international attention was the 2003 release of Osuofia In London, starring Nkem Owoh, a famous Nigerian comedian. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Customize EssayThe most productive auteur in modern Nigerian cinema is Chico Ejiro, who directed over 80 films in a period of 5 years and boasts that he can "complete the production of a film in just three days". Chico's brother, Zeb Ejiro, is the best-known director of these videos outside Nigeria.