Dear reader, help us understand your Nollywood preferences by filling out our audience survey—your input is invaluable and deeply appreciated! Click this link. The epigraph at the pilot episode of Princess On A Hill poses […]
How can Black voices across continents reunify in a world shaped by colonialism and exploitation? This is the central question posed by BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions, an ambitious, experimental documentary by acclaimed visual artist Kahlil […]
We live in volatile times, many are quick to point out. But haven’t we always? There’s always a looming conflict on the horizon or one raging in the background, whether or not it receives media […]
In 2009, when flip phones were still a thing and the world hadn’t been taken over by Instagram and TikToks, Toyin Abraham released the first instalment in the Alakada franchise, which slithered its way into […]
From King of Thieves to Jagun Jagun, House of Gaa and Lisabi, Femi Adebayo is no stranger to the Yoruba language films that have enjoyed mainstream popularity in recent times. His onscreen presence is often […]
After the culmination of the Merry Men series last year (hopefully), Ayo Makun is back with another comedy thriller in The Waiter. Although AY says this film is different from his previous movies, between the […]
In a retrospective I wrote last year, I hailed Isoken as Jade Osiberu’s best film and praised how well it executed its premise: “[this is] a simple romantic story, Russian-dolled in another one about self-confidence, […]
From December 10th to 13th, at Alliance Française, Lagos, the S16 Film Festival marked its fourth edition to welcoming embrace. Four years since its genesis (ideated by the S16 Collective trio of Abba T. Makama, […]
The day after Everybody Loves Jenifa had its theatrical release, I went to my local cinema looking to purchase a ticket. The only thing the attendant had to offer, however, was disappointment: “Come back tomorrow. […]
Cinema is a specificity of vision. It’s an approach in which everything matters. It’s the polar opposite of generic or arbitrary and the result is as unique as a signature or a fingerprint. It isn’t […]
Let’s get this out of the way: Suspicion is a terrible title, especially for what turns out to be a good film. Apparently, the film started out as a short released in 2008, titled The […]
When the average Nigerian describes the personnel of the Nigerian military, they would most likely conjure up a fearful image of a camouflage-wearing brute, barking orders that are often reinforced with physical violence and the […]
Film Mischief: Shedrack Salami’s Beyond Olympic Glory opens with Cynthia Ogunsemilore walking through the streets in her sports attire. Her voice rises gently: “People in the community were saying stuff like, ‘As a girl, why […]
Film Mischief: Wrong Way is a Ghanaian parable about guilt, consequence, and the cruel nature of fate. The film opens with a phone conversation between Manan, a young man, and his mother. The mother’s voice […]
Film Mischief: Stories, ideas and instructions passed down from generations continue to shape our present and future. We often don’t know their origins—my mother told me and her mother told her so you must hear […]
Film Mischief: Even among the independent outings in Nigerian cinema, coming across a film described as a comedic sci-fi short is rare. Titled Cause, Effect, and Maybe Consequences?, the story is an extended interaction between […]
Film Mischief: Denzel Owoo’s Fofo Means Father opens with calm images of nature: of tall trees, a stretch of green field, and then the structure of a tall man standing in the frame. The air […]
Film Mischief: There’s a scene in Behind the Smile towards its end where the colour palette of one of the main characters is imposed on the second character in a clumsy bait and switch move […]
BFI: Vincho Nchogu‘s debut feature One Woman One Bra is a sardonic examination of intersecting failures that ensnare vulnerable women in rural Africa: archaic patriarchal systems, predatory NGO culture, and the performative benevolence of white […]
BFI: Idris Elba’s directorial effort Dust to Dreams, produced by Mo Abudu for EbonyLife Films, arrives with a premise brimming with potential. In execution, however, the acclaimed actor’s 20-minute short film amounts to little more […]
Say Who Die is a film that is constantly moving. The film starts mid-movement: Omon Ighalo (Meyi Abu) is preparing for her trip to the United Kingdom on a scholarship, and her twin sister, Odion, […]
Cinema seems more suited to recollection than any other art form. Unlike photography, which deals in still images, film unfolds across time, evoking more powerfully the eerie feeling of being pulled into the past and […]
