The Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria (CDGN) on Tuesday advised creatives to collaborate with government to promote film contents capable of influencing the youth positively.
Mrs Joy Osawaru-Akinyemi, National President of CDGN, gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Osawaru-Akinyemi said creatives should focus more on contents that would combat social vices like: robbery, sexual immorality, smoking, hooliganism, rape, drug addiction and cultism among others.
She said every individual involved in the value chain of film production should see themselves as agents for positive change in the society.
“I advise all creatives like film producers, directors, scriptwriters, costumiers, makeup artists, location managers, property and production designers to collaborate with government to engage in research that will improve film content.
“Recently, our industry regulator, National Film and Video Censors Board held a smoke-free Nollywood conference in Enugu, letting us know that messages can be passed without puffing cigarettes.
“We can preach against the other vices without actually practicalising it in films.
“I think the industry, rather than being sucked in, should partner with the government to promote film content that can discourage the growth of cultism and other vices.
“Government can fund research programmes for actors in the process. “I want to say laziness is the reason we are not doing enough research; we need to do more because the contents are just there; we are not tapping into them, but foreigners are everywhere gaining access to our stories to tell,” she said.