This week on Nollywood Distilled, the industry moved on several fronts. Nigeria picked its Oscar submission, new film infrastructure opened in Lagos and London, Agbara Nla: The Return delivered a major box-office opening, and new opportunities emerged across filmmaker development, television and archival practice. Here are the stories that shaped the week.
NOSC Selects Dear Ajayi as Nigeria’s Entry for the 99th Oscars
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) has selected Damilola Orimogunje’s Dear Ajayi as Nigeria’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, marking the country’s return to the category after making no submission for the previous edition. The Nigeria–Germany co-production enters the Oscar race following a world premiere at Venice Days, where it won the Premio Enrico Fulchignoni and Premio Bisato d’Oro for Best Cast and Performances, before continuing its festival run across Rio and El Gouna. Set in 1990s southwestern Nigeria and led by Bimbo Akintola and Tosin Adeyemi, the film will now compete with submissions from other countries for a place on the Academy’s 15-film shortlist, due in December, ahead of the final nominations in January.
EbonyLife Place London and Euphoria360 Expand Nigerian Film Infrastructure
Two new creative hubs opened this week in Lagos and London, expanding the physical infrastructure around Nigerian and African screen culture. Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Place London officially opened as a multi-use entertainment and hospitality destination built around Black and African culture, bringing together cinema, dining, event and exhibition spaces, lounges and other hospitality offerings. Its 160-seat cinema auditorium will also host screenings during Film Africa later this month. The opening was attended by the Mayor of London, alongside figures from across the creative and cultural industries.
Back in Lagos, actor-producer Femi Adebayo opened Euphoria360 Hub, a creative hub housing two cinema auditoriums, post-production facilities, meeting spaces and other production infrastructure, with plans to also train emerging filmmakers. Euphoria360 is the company behind productions including King of Thieves and Jagun Jagun.
Agbara Nla: The Return Hits 170 Million Naira Opening Weekend, Heads to Liberia
Agbara Nla: The Return has opened to 170 million naira at the box office, delivering the biggest October opening weekend, the biggest opening for a faith-based film, the biggest non-December opening weekend, and the third biggest Nollywood opening weekend of all time. The film also set the biggest single-day preview gross ever recorded ahead of release. Produced by Mount Zion and distributed by Nile, the strong opening proves the enduring commercial strength of the franchise, while also continuing 2026’s run of legacy Nigerian screen properties returning to cinemas. As its box office momentum builds in Nigeria, Agbara Nla: The Return is also beginning a regional rollout, with the film set to open in select cinemas in Liberia from October 9.
Aiman Mimiko’s Native Authority Selected for Sundance–ISF Fellowship
Nigerian-American filmmaker Aiman Mimiko has been selected for the fourth cohort of the Sundance Institute and Islamic Scholarship Fund’s Building Bridges Fellowship with his project Native Authority. One of six filmmakers chosen for the 2026 cohort, Mimiko will receive an unrestricted artist grant, mentorship, professional development and a tailored Sundance Film Festival experience. A Princess Grace Award winner, BAFTA Connect talent and Pillars Artist Fellow, he was most recently credited as editor on Kaelo Iyizoba’s The Spectacular Death of Prisca and is also known for his 2023 AFRIFF short Mr Bold which screened at Night of Shorts 2026. His selection follows Nigerian-British filmmaker Simisolaoluwa Akande’s entry into the Sundance Institute Ignite x Adobe Fellowship earlier this year.
Africa Magic Rolls Out October Slate With Afobaje and The Ten
Africa Magic has stepped up promotion for its October programming slate with official trailers for Lota Chukwu’s psychological thriller The Ten and Yoruba drama Afobaje, two of at least five new originals premiering across its Showcase and indigenous-language channels this month. The Ten, starring Patrick Diabuah, follows ten former kidnapping survivors trapped together after a murder, while Afobaje centres on a royal succession crisis rooted in a 29-year-old betrayal. The wider slate also includes Better Half, Hausa-language Sirrin Amarya and Igbo-language Onu Ahia Nwanyi, giving Africa Magic new October titles across contemporary drama, thriller and indigenous-language programming.
Goethe-Institut Opens Phase II of Post-Memory, Post-Archive
The Goethe-Institut Nigeria has opened applications for the second phase of Post-Memory, Post-Archive, its programme supporting practitioners engaging with Nigerian archival material. Selected participants will begin with a five-day Lagos workshop on pre-Nollywood film history, archival power and digitisation, followed by a six-to-eight-week residency in early 2027 and six months of supported development. The programme provides a production grant, stipend, travel and accommodation, and is open to Nigeria-based practitioners across film, sound, writing, photography, visual art, performance, curatorial and research practice. Phase I produced 11 films from filmmakers such as Didi Cheeka, Ogochukwu Umeadi and Philip Fagbeyiro that premiered in Lagos and later travelled to seven cities. Applications for Phase II close October 31.
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