Nollywood’s Omotola J. criticizes Hollywood for killing kids in Hunger Games movie

Omotola Jalade Ekeinde

While visiting Jamaica last month  Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade Ekeinde gave her opinion on the ‘Hunger Games’ and it was quite damning. Seems a film that showed children killing each other was too much for the actress. She said that the Hunger Games is sign that Hollywood’s filmmakers have lost the plot. The Hunger Games is an American science fiction film that was released in US theaters earlier this year based on a young adult trilogy of the same name by Suzanne Collins. In the film teen boys and girls are selected by the government (the Capital) from 12 outlying districts to fight till the death on a deserted booby trapped Island. When asked about Hollywood here is what she had to say:

               Are you interested in making a leap from Nollywood to Hollywood?

They need to make the leap to me. What am I supposed to do in Hollywood, they’ve done it all. I mean, did you see The Hunger Games? I thought it was the worst movie on Earth. It’s ridiculous, I mean when you’ve explored everything and you start to kill children, then I think you’ve lost it. It’s the most pathetic, saddest thing I’ve ever seen on motion picture. I can’t believe anyone allowed that film to come out… it’s as sad as the movie itself. The movie is about people watching children killing each other in gory ways, using axes, arrows and knives. It’s one of the things the American Government and Hollywood need to sit down and discuss because sometimes there are some freedoms of expression that can be too much. Freedom is good but it has to controlled.

Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/Cocktails-With-Omotola-Jalade-Ekeinde_12345893#ixzz26vEvqPGB

“I can’t believe someone allowed that to be made. Hollywood needs to find Africa.  Yes, they are superior in terms of financing and technology. But for great  stories they need to come to us,” Omotola said.

As an African I understand Omotola’s position but movies are movies no? I mean how many times have we seen fathers and mothers do sacrificial killings of children and loved ones in Nollywood productions? To an American audience it would seem totally insane to see a shrine scene in a Nollywood flick over and over again. At least in the Hunger Games there is no where in America that you can actually find government sponsorship of teens killing each other but last I heard people believe heavily in their festish and things in Naija and ritual killings do occur. For me films are all about escapism and entertainment, not to be taken too seriously.