Chineze Anyaene, remember her? The lady who in 2010 shot the award winning blockbuster, Ije: The Journey that featured Time 100 gal, Omotola Jalade-Ekehinde and screen diva, Genevieve Nnaji at a whopping $2.5 million.
Indeed, the flick did well in Nollywood, grossing millions of naira. However, due to the sharing formula that gives 60 per cent of revenue to studios, she was unable to recoup the money invested in the movie.
But could this be the reason Anyaene has not shot another flick ever since?
The filmmaker confirmed this much when she said: “I wouldn’t say I made much money from the film. We should all understand that the cinema owners have their rules and regulations. It depends on the contract you have with them. I have not recovered my money.”
However an industry watcher corroborated her: “Chineze was young and starry-eyed and wanted to change Nollywood. And she came well prepared. Having done a course on movie production at New York Film Academy, the sky was definitely not the limit for her and Ije: The Journey did achieve that. But at the end of the day, all the money made went to cinema houses and she only went home with a pittance. If you are still wondering why we haven’t heard anything new from her despite the success of the film, you need not wonder anymore.”