By Oluwaseyi Oduneye-Ogunwomoju
The Community Cinema model has been identified as a way out to the limited
reach of formal cinemas and the growing need to reconnect with Africa’s
communal viewing culture.
An actor and filmmaker, Tunde Ojobaro, said this in Ibadan on Friday, highlighting
some of the model’s gaps.
Ojobaro cited Femi Adebayo’s community cinema experiment with the film,
Ageshinkole, saying it was a bold and timely intervention in Nigeria’s film
exhibition space.
“On the positive side, community cinema democratizes access, bringing films to
audiences priced out of mall-based theatres and to communities far from urban
cinema hubs. It also revives a shared viewing experience that encourages
conversation and cultural bonding.
“For filmmakers, it offers an alternative distribution route, reduces dependence on
a few cinema chains, and allows indigenous stories to meet their most natural
audience,” he said.
Ojobaro, however, noted that the model raises critical concerns.
“At present, there is no clear structure for revenue transparency, and without a
standardised system to track ticket sales across multiple community locations,
revenue declarations remain difficult to verify independently.
If Ageshinkole, for instance, declares ₦1 billion in ticket sales, the industry must
ask: ‘How is this figure monitored, audited, and validated?’
“There is also the risk of quality erosion. If community cinema becomes poorly
regulated, more filmmakers may adopt it as an easier route to exhibit their works,
potentially lowering production and screening standards.
“Over time, this could mirror the decline in quality seen on open platforms like
YouTube, where volume often outweighs craftsmanship. What should expand
cinema culture must not dilute it,” he said.
He, therefore, said that the community cinema idea should be seen as a
complement, not a replacement, to the traditional cinemas.
“Its long-term success depends on transparent revenue systems, standardised
exhibition quality, and clear industry guidelines.
“If these safeguards are put in place, community cinema could strengthen Nigeria’s
film economy; without them, it risks undermining the very culture it seeks to
grow,” Ojobaro said.
