A Kannywood director, Sunusi Hafeez, popularly known as Sanusi Oscar 442 has said some actors rely on palliatives from politicians since the coronavirus pandemic caused a lockdown in parts of the country.
Speaking with Daily Trust Saturday on how COVID-19 has affected the entertainment sector, particularly Kannywood, Hafeez said since there are more of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in the industry, such persons get palliatives from political leaders. “Those of us who support the opposition can’t expect much because APC is the winning party. However, we were able to share some food to members, most especially Kwankwasiyya and PDP supporters,” Hafeez said.
Hafeez said some in the film industry are not sure of what will happen after lockdown because some film makers spent their monies during the period.
“We directors rely on the work we are given. Some of us lack the capital to produce and sponsor our own films. So we don’t have any specific plan on what to do. We will just wait to see what will happen after the complete easing of the lockdown. But we are thankful to God. Some of us engage in advertising related to Covid-19 and incidences of rape,” he said.
As the federal government and some states eased lockdown, some level of businesses activities has returned.
In March this year, the regulatory body, Motion Picture Practitioners’ Association of Nigeria (MOPPAN), ordered the suspension of all film making activities, including the shutting down of cinemas. Since then, the industry was visibly silent with many turning to producing shows on YouTube such as ‘Izzar So’ in Bakori TV, ‘Haram’ in AWA24 TV and many more. Some artistes also released their songs on YouTube, like ‘Jaruma’ by Hamisu Breaker which was directed by Hafeez and several more.
