The festival, which will be held at the Cinema l'Arlequin in Paris, France from 2 to 5 June 2016, will feature a more diverse film selection, more events and more audience surprises. "We are excited about this year's edition, which is growing into a global model and promises to be even bigger and better," says co-founder Serge Noukoue.
In just three years, this unique film festival has already made its mark with some noteworthy achievements:
• 24 Nigerian films translated into French and screened in Paris
• Over 20 Nollywood actors, directors and producers hosted in the city of lights
• Partnerships, acquisitions and co-production deals for people active in the industry
• Over 5,500 attendees over the past three years
The co-founders Noukoue and Nadira Shakur are now looking forward to accommodating the growing audience size, as the festival gains attention from surrounding European countries. "Every year we receive festival goers from various countries outside of France and we want this to continue. This festival has become the festival to watch the best of Nollywood in Europe and this year will not disappoint," stated Shakur.
NollywoodWeek Paris has also raised the profile of a stigmatised industry, by enforcing a very strict film selection process that only allows top quality works to be in the official selection. "We want the terms 'NollywoodWeek' and 'quality' to be synonymous in people's minds," added Noukoue. "The festival also helps the directors get a feel for their audience and through the Public Choice Award, we can measure the audience's preferences."
