After H'wood & B'wood it's Riverwood

Nairobi: The black sports car manoeuvres through the shoppers thronging Nairobi's River Road and stops. Ringtone, a Kenyan gospel singer, steps out and heads into Nduti One Stop Shop to check on sales of his latest music video.

"He's sold more than 10,000 videos in the last five months. People like watching songs of prayer," says shop worker Vera Washira, sticking labels and price tags onto stacks of CDs and cheap digital videos known as VCDs.

This bustling street in Kenya's capital is at the heart of a flourishing low-budget video market, nicknamed Riverwood in a nod to the movie-making heartlands of Mumbai and Los Angeles.

It's a market Kenya's fledgling film industry wants to conquer.

Filmmakers in the predominantly Christian country see the success of home-grown gospel music videos, by singers like Ringtone, as one reason for optimism.

Local filmmakers have also been inspired by the success of Nigeria's film industry, known as Nollywood.

Nollywood, which produces low-budget films, took off after cash-strapped Nigerian producers, priced off the big screen, turned to the made for video market.

Now, Nollywood films are hugely popular across east Africa, despite pedestrian scripts and often wooden acting.

Nollywood soap operas are shown on satellite television in Kenya as well as on local channels, which favour foreign programmes.

Movie lovers in the former British colony can also watch the latest releases from Hollywood in cinemas.

Changing these tastes is a priority for Kenyan film makers. "It's about time we saw things that are familiar to us and the world we live in day-to-day," says actress Lucy Nyaga.

Taking films to the people

The success of gospel music videos — which have no story line but show stars singing outside their homes or in quiet gardens — has helped foster a taste for home-grown videos, which nonetheless must compete for buyers with offerings from Nollywood as well as cheap pirated versions of Hollywood films.

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Films and music videos are sold on streets, in markets and in retail stores for just 250 shillings ($3.40) each — meaning returns can be very low for filmmakers.

River Road is at the heart of the distribution network. "I come and buy discs here and then sell them at my stall in Makweni district," said Pauline Muthoko after purchasing 200 discs at Nduti One Stop Shop.

Those working in the industry say it is essential to harness this hunger for videos to promote homemade movies.

"I want to make six films by the end of the year. If I can penetrate this (homegrown) market, I'm there," says Alison Nguibuini, a producer who worked on The Constant Gardener, parts of which were filmed in Kenya.

Until now, Nguibuini's main job has been to facilitate foreign crews working in Kenya.

Across Africa, the advent of digital technology has made it easier for filmmakers to produce movies — digital cameras are cheaper and the film can be stored on computer hard drives, edited and distributed for a fraction of the costs involved with traditional 35 mm prints.

But filmmakers are still hamstrung by a lack of investment as well as small audiences in countries where most people will never be able to afford a cinema ticket and many do not own televisions.

Nollywood generated some $200 million since 1992, according to the Nigerian Copyright Commission.

Kenyan producers say they too can make a significant contribution to the economy, and there are some prominent international figures committed to developing stories told and produced by Kenyans and other east Africans.

Director Mira Nair has created the Maisha Laboratory, which helps east African screenwriters and directors develop scripts.

Authorities have also made it easier for foreigners to shoot in Kenya by creating a film commission and a favourable tax structure under which production companies can operate.

If the homegrown film making industry is still in its infancy, it does have one advantage — Kenya itself. The country has long been a favoured location for foreign directors.

The 60 or so foreign films made here include classics like Out of Africa and Born Free.

"I don't know any director who hasn't wanted to come back," said Jenny Pont, a producer who has worked with many of the foreign film crews. "There's a certain magic here."