Steve Ayorinde set to unveil book celebrating new Nigerian cinema

Steve Ayorinde, the former Lagos commissioner for tourism, is set to unveil his book titled ‘30: Three Decades of The New Nigerian Cinema – A Bystander’s Verdict’.

In a statement obtained by TheCable Lifestyle on Wednesday, Ayorinde said the book is to celebrate the “achievements and outstanding practitioners in the Nigerian film industry”.

The six-chaptered book also appreciates past and present Nollywood movies like ‘Asewo To Re Mecca’, ‘Living in Bondage, ‘Glamour Girls’, ‘King of Boys’ and ‘Eyimofe’.

In the project, the former commissioner also celebrates veteran actors including Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Pete Edochie, and Richard Mofe-Damijo.

The book launch event is expected to hold in Lagos on May 18.

“Nollywood, one of the fastest-growing movie industries in the world, is projected to reach a revenue of $14.8 billion by 2025,” the statement reads in prt.

“From its humble beginnings of self-funding and self-help in the early 1990s, the industry has experienced remarkable growth thanks to dedicated pioneers and talented creatives who have driven it to new heights. Thus, documenting the history that informs this remarkable projection is part of a broader, larger purpose.

“From timeless classics like Asewo To Re Mecca, Living in Bondage, Glamour Girls, and Mortal Inheritance to recent box office hits like King of Boys and Eyimofe; faces such as the legendary Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Pete Edochie, and Richard Mofe-Damijo to the scintillating Bolanle Austen-Peters and dashing Damini Egbuson, among others, 30: Three Decades of The New Nigerian Cinema – A Bystander’s Verdict presents a vibrant panorama of the films and personalities that have reshaped and revolutionised the Nigerian film industry in the past three decades.”

Speaking about the 183-page book, Ayorinde said ‘30: Three Decades of The New Nigerian Cinema – A Bystander’s Verdict’ is also aimed to laud the efforts of filmmakers “that are no more on planet earth.”

“This book simply seeks to celebrate and document some of the outstanding films, directors, actors, and landmark events, which have in the past 30 years or thereabout, defined the industry we now celebrate today; without forgetting other legendary names that played their parts but who are no more on planet earth,” Ayorinde wrote in the preface.

Giving his foreword, Jonathan Haynes, an academic scholar and professor, lauded Ayorinde for his “observation and judgment” which culminated in the book.

“Ayorinde has moved around but he’s never lost sight of the movies, and the fruits of decades of steady observation and judgment are here in this new book, which I’m pleased to be able to help welcome into the world,” Haynes wrote.

Ayorinde is the chief executive officer of Patrons Media and publisher of The Culture Newspaper.

He studied music at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria, and earned a master’s degree in Globalization and Communications from the University of Leicester in the UK.

His career has spanned three decades in the field of journalism, having worked at The Guardian Newspapers, The Comet, The Punch, and National Mirror.

Ayorinde served as the commissioner for information & strategy and later tourism, arts and culture in Lagos between 2015 and 2019.