Duker: Anyhow You Look At It, Filmmaking Is Part Of Me

Fidelis Duker, a thespian-turned-filmmaker and film festival organizer, is the founder of, the Abuja International Film Festival. In this interview with TONY OKUYEME, Duker talks about the inspiration and motivation behind the festival, its challenges and impact, and why he wanted to be a television producer…

Can you share with us the inspiration and motivation behind founding the Abuja International Film Festival, and how has the festival evolved over the years?

Basically, at that time in 2003, there were no film festivals in Nigeria. We were the first to start a film festival in Nigeria. At that time we felt there was need to create a platform were filmmakers can network, exchange ideas and also see films.

Also, at that time too, the films were basically shown or marketed in big markets in Idumota, Lagos, Upper Iweka Road, Onitsha, Aba, and in the North too.

So, nobody saw films in the cinemas, and there no cinemas too. And we felt, why not create an environment where people can come together, exchange ideas, watch films. Interestingly, at that time too, as I said, there was no cinema in Nigeria. The SilverBird Cinemas we have today, the Film One and Genesis Cinemas were not there.

So, we had to use makeshift spaces in hotels where we had to put our own projectors, screens and people watch films. I remember with nostalgia, we have the likes of the late Amaka Igwe, Peace Anyam-Osigwe, Ralph Nwadike, Tunji Bamishigbi; a lot of filmmakers would come to Abuja, to watch films on the screen without even going to see a cinema film.

And of course, we also felt it was a platform for young filmmakers who normally could not have their films in the big distribution markets like the ones we have in Idumota, Alaba, and Upper Iweka, or the big market in Kano, to have their films also shown on the big screen, and be given that sense of belonging.

That was what we had in mind when we started the film festival. And, importantly, before then, the Nigerian government had done a film festival called the National Film Festival, which was done in Lagos, at the National Theatre.

That was in 1992. And it took them 10 years before a new festival took place in 2002, and they had promised that after that 10 years it would be annually. By 2003, it didn’t happen, and that was when wee said no, this cannot continue. We won’t wait for another 10 years for another film festival in Nigeria. And that was how we started the Abuja International Film Festival in 2004.

Interestingly, almost 21 years ago when we started the festival, there was so much apprehension, even the government agency like the Nigerian Film Corporation which had done the National Film Festival, thought we couldn’t do it. They felt we didn’t have the capacity.

But today, thank God, we have close to about about 50 festivals in Nigeria, including the one done by the government. They’ve started doing their festival annually now. That time, they didn’t want to do a festival. Nobody wanted to do a film festival.

That you see many festivals are springing up everywhere, we are the one that pioneered film festival in Nigeria; we are the first independent film festival in Nigeria. And for 21 years we’ve ran this festival successfully all across the world.

How do you see the film festival landscape evolving in the coming years, and what role do you believe festivals play in the promotion of emerging filmmakers and diverse storytelling?

It has improved tremendously. If you look at it, when we started 21 years ago, we were probably the only film festival. It took about almost 10 years after we started before the next set of festivals emerged.

And we have been the most consistent; we’ve never missed a year. Even the year we had the COVID-19, we still had the festival online.

We had to put an online platform for the festival to run. So, we’re probably the longest and most consistent film festival we have in Nigeria till date, and even in Anglo-Phone West Africa, apart from FESPACO that is Franco-Phone.

But beyond that we also think that the film festival landscape would grow because, as I speak to you know, we have almost 40 film festivals in Nigeria. I can’t count the number we have in Africa, and of course, the number globally.

Festivals would continue to grow; festivals are platforms for distribution, platforms for networking, for exchange of ideas, platforms for training, capacity building, which is one area we’ve consistently in the last 21 years, adequately put. We can tell you the number of filmmakers we’ve churned out from the festival who have either gained some level of experience from the festival.

Is it our Acting Masterclass, our Directing Masterclass, our Cinematography Masterclass or our Producers Masterclass? We’ve done virtually all these areas of masterclasses and workshops at the festival, train young filmmakers who have gone on to become big filmmakers today.

So, the festival platform is for emerging talents; it is one area that we have taking very seriously and we would continue to take very seriously and we would continue to take very seriously.

For us, emerging talents are the future of the film making industry globally, and we as a festival we must continue to give them a chance for them to also showcase their work, and also express themselves. For us, Abuja festival is basically a platform for cinematic expression, where you can express your self and also enjoy the beauty of being a filmmaker.

Can you discuss any memorable moments or highlights from past editions of the film festival that have left a lasting impact on you and the audience?

Of course, there have been several, in the sense that the moments where young filmmakers have the opportunity of film screened, moments when we see filmmakers who have gone through the festival, who had their feet at the festival, one year or the other, and now major filmmakers.

We had moments where international film distributors come to the festival and acquire films. So, there are several. I can tell you that at every point in time, the festival has had its own very memorable moments.

Moments when you get the appreciation from young film makers who hitherto did not have a platform to screen their films, and they come to you and say thank you. Those are memories we would never forget.

What are the challenges you have encountered and how have you been able to handle it?

Funding has been one of the major challenges. But we’ve been very consistent even with the challenges of funding, because we’re very innovative.

Every year we create new platforms, new opportunities, new programmes, that other festivals, even the so called big ones would copy.

We’ve had instances where when we were doing the masterclass that had to copy exactly what we were doing. For us at the Abuja International Film Festival, innovation is key. And there is something new we’re bringing at the festival this year which I wouldn’t want to reveal. We’re trying to bring something very innovative, something different in the festival this year.

One of the things that has kept us going is our innovative tendencies. We do not want to do what everybody is doing. We do something different; we change the landscape. And we’ve also been able to create homogeneous environment where everybody has a stake to play. The festival is not about Abuja alone, it is an international festival, a global festival.

But we try to also explore and promote the city of Abuja as a major platform because Abuja is also a major tourist destination. And that’s why we move on we want to collaborate with other major stakeholders in the creative ecosystem and see how we can also be more innovative, bring more ideas, bring everybody to the table and build an enduring legacy with the Abuja International Film Festival.

What advice do you have for aspiring filmmakers looking to showcase their work at film festivals, and how can they make their submissions stand out in a competitive market?

The first thing is to make the film. I always tell any young filmmaker who wants to make a film to make the film. Make the film, submit it.

You might not be selected at the festival this year, but very soon you will be selected one day. Also very important is that aspiring filmmakers must also put in the best when they’re making their films.

There is no way you’ll do a good film that it will not be selected. Selection is based on the principle of quality. We do not for any reason say because you’re a young filmmaker we won’t accept it. We’ve even had young filmmakers who have had their films screened at the festival that even went on to win awards.

It is not a factor of whether you are young or old. For us, we also encourage young filmmakers to put their films and we give them a chance to showcase their work. The film festival is basically a showcase platform for anybody that has a good quality film to put out there.

You have produced several films, including ‘Skeleton’, ‘Nemesis’, ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘Enemy Within’, ‘Baka Boys’, ‘Paradise In America’, ‘London Blues’, ‘A Means To An End’, and ‘Senseless’, which of them is your most challenging so far, and why?

All my films have been challenging. As a filmmaker, from my first film, which was a Yoruba film called ‘Ese Atijo’, to other film like ‘Skeleton’, ‘Nemesis’, ‘Baka Boys’, ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘Enemy Within’, ‘Paradise In America’, ‘London Blues’,

‘A Means To An End’, ‘Senseless’, and many others, I have done over 100 films, at every point in time, the different films had the different challenges they came with. However, I have a number one on the list, which is ‘King of Money’. That’s one of the films that I’d always remember. I know it was very challenging.

It went beyond just film making to other things that happened during the filming. But, it was also a learning curve for me, an opportunity for me to learn some other things I wouldn’t have learnt. Looking back now, if it is today I am going to make that film, I don’t think I would have done some of the things I did about 25 years ago.

That film was made in 1999. I don’t think I would do some of the mistakes I made in that film. I call them mistakes because, with hindsight now, experience and age, I would have done it differently. But it was also an experience for me. As I said, all my films have their different challenges. I remember, ‘Not My Will’, which was the one that gave me the first national attention.

That was probably the first film that was screened at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, when it just opened in 1996. For me, anyhow you look at it, film making is a part of me. It does not also have anything to do with the festival. They’re two different part of the film ecosystem. So, I am able to marry the two of them, any how you look at it.

Did you really set out to be a filmmaker? Why?

Initially, I wanted to be a TV producer. Of course, I started as an actor. I was acting on stage, featured in some production at the National Theatre.

But I wanted to work as a TV producer. I grew up seeing television programmes like ‘The Village Headmaster’ (later became the New Village Headmaster), ‘New Masquerade’, ‘Adio Family’, ‘Cock Crow At Dawn’, and others. Those were the golden years of television in the 70s and 80s. Growing up as a young boy, seeing all these on the television, I wanted to be like those people.

So, I came to NTA around 1988 or 89, I met Danladi Bako, who I think, had just finished a television project he was working on and he was to begin a television soap opera called ‘Blossom’. Interestingly I worked on that project with him, worked with him on ‘The Morning Ride’ show, and a couple of other productions.

But interestingly, too, I wanted to be on the television screen. Of course, film was not that commercial as it is today. At that time, it was more of television. Subsequently, ‘Living in Bondage’ came out in 1992, and I was among the friends that felt we should do a film in English language, and I did ‘Devils Empire’.

So, I wanted to be on stage, I wanted to be behind the screen, I wanted to produce, I wanted to write. Yes, I wanted to be a filmmaker, but not really using the word filmmaker at that time. It was to be a television producer, but when Nollywood came in 1992, I quickly ventured into the film industry and I became what I am today.