The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) says it received and censored 541 movies produced by the Nigerian film industry in the year’s second quarter.

Adedayo Thomas, the executive director of the NFVCB, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

Mr Thomas said the figure was made available by the Department of Film Censorship and Classification of the board in its second quarter report for the year.

He said the report is for onward submission to the relevant federal government agency as input for the compilation of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the second quarter (Q2, 2023).

The report shows a dramatic increase in the number of movies produced from 280 in the first quarter of the year to 541 in the second quarter, representing over 90 per cent upward slope.

The board said 287 of the films came in from the Abuja censorship centre of the board, representing the chunk of the movies produced during the period under review, and is followed by Lagos with 155 films.

As indicated in the report, the Onitsha censorship centre is next with 82 films, the Kano centre raked in 12 films, Port Harcourt three, while Abeokuta and Kaduna centres got one film each.

“The remarkable increase in output is an indication of the increased contribution of the film industry to economic growth in terms of direct and indirect jobs in the entire value chain in filmmaking.

“ This undoubtedly reiterates the fact that our film industry remains a key contributor to the national economy as the films being produced are a clear reflection of the direct and indirect jobs the sector is creating.

“Our cordial relationship with the recognised guilds/associations in the industry has also played an important role, and we urge them to ensure that their members submit their films for censorship and approval,” Mr Thomas said.

(NAN)