This week on Nollywood Distilled, new venues, development labs, industry gatherings, audience initiatives and international recognition all pointed to the growing ecosystem surrounding Nigerian cinema. Here are seven stories that captured that momentum.
EbonyLife Place London Sets October 8 Opening
Nearly two years after announcing its expansion into the UK, EbonyLife Place London will officially open its doors on October 8, with founder Mo Abudu unveiling the first images of the venue’s Amani Auditorium ahead of launch. The London hub builds on the model established by EbonyLife Place Lagos, bringing together cinema, dining, event spaces and hospitality under one destination while targeting both the African diaspora and wider international audiences. Located in Wandsworth, the venue has been positioned as a cultural and entertainment hub for African storytelling in the UK. The opening follows months of renovation updates shared by Abudu as the project moved towards completion. With the first public look now revealed, the London expansion comes on the back of the success of EbonyLife Place Lagos, whose cinema was recognised as the highest-grossing single cinema location in Anglophone West Africa in 2024 before ranking second in 2025, according to the FilmOne Nigerian Box Office Yearbooks.
‘Black Market’ Draws 51,000+ People to Record-Breaking Screening
Black Market, directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay and produced by FilmOne, Rixel and Signet Ring, has officially set a new Guinness World Record after drawing more than 51,000 people to a synchronized screening at Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos. The event surpassed the previous record of 43,624 attendees, set in 2015 by the Philippine film Felix Manalo. Produced by Switch Visuals, the record-breaking screening followed weeks of public mobilisation, sold-out tickets, an additional 1,000 tickets released after resales emerged at inflated prices, and audience engagement activities throughout the day which kicked off at 2pm before the screening at 7pm. The achievement marks one of Nollywood’s most ambitious exhibition events outside cinemas, as the film gears for its theatrical run in October.
Lateefah Mayaki Joins AuthenticA Series Lab 2026
Nigerian writer, director and cinematographer Lateefah Mayaki is one of four African creatives selected for the 2026 AuthenticA Series Lab, a six-month television development programme organised by the Realness Institute in partnership with The StoryBoard Collective, with support from the Canada Media Fund and Series Mania Forum. Chosen from 144 applications across 27 countries, Mayaki joins fellows from Ghana, South Africa and Cameroon to develop original episodic projects while retaining full intellectual property rights to their work. The programme includes residencies in Ethiopia, Switzerland and France, culminating in a pitch at Series Mania Forum, Europe’s largest co-production market for television series. The selection builds on a growing profile for Mayaki, whose work has screened at festivals including DOK Leipzig, Carthage and iREP, while she has also participated in programmes such as Sunny Side of the Doc, the NEWF Female Cinematography Lab and StoryMi Academy.
‘The Spectacular Death of Prisca’ Earns TIFF Short Cuts Honourable Mention
Kaelo Iyizoba‘s The Spectacular Death of Prisca has received an Honourable Mention from the jury in the Short Cuts section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. While Greek-Dutch short MAMMALIA won the Short Cuts Award for Best International Short Film, the jury singled out Iyizoba’s film for its “delightful mashup of melodrama, action and comedy” and praised its “remarkable precision in both filmmaking and performance.” The jury also commended the film for creating “its own singular tone, full of personality and completely free of pretension.”
Kunle Afolayan Strengthens Industry-Building Efforts With ITAN and KAP-SOPA
Kunle Afolayan has unveiled plans to make ITAN: The Screen Gathering and Awards an annual platform, with the second edition scheduled for October 2027 following its inaugural event this year. Conceived as a meeting point for filmmakers, producers, distributors, investors, policymakers, educators, archivists and technology leaders, ITAN aims to foster dialogue around the future of Africa’s screen industries. The first edition brought together industry figures including Tunde Kelani, Femi Odugbemi, Keith Shiri, Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Chioma Ude, Tade Ogidan and more. The announcement comes as the KAP-SOPA Pan-African Filmmaking Bootcamp celebrated the graduation of its first cohort on September 18. Organised in partnership with SOPA SACOM in Benin Republic, the 12-week programme trained 20 emerging Beninese filmmakers through workshops, cultural exchange and collaborative productions across Benin, Lagos and KAP Film Village.
After Credits Club Joins Growing Wave of Community Film Screenings
A new film exhibition initiative, After Credits Club, is set to launch in Lagos this October, offering audiences a different kind of cinema experience. Built around the idea of blind screenings, attendees purchase tickets without knowing which film will be shown until the event begins. The launch comes amid a growing number of community-driven screening initiatives in Nigeria. Projects such as Saving Cinema, now preparing for its fifth edition, have demonstrated increasing interest in curated film events that bring audiences together beyond the traditional theatrical model. While each initiative has its own format, they reflect a broader effort to create new spaces for film appreciation, conversation and community outside the conventional multiplex experience.
‘A Fantastic Tale’ Heads to Cinekid Junior Co-Production Market
Nigerian producer Josh Olaoluwa and Kenyan writer-director Vincho Nchogu will present their sophomore feature, A Fantastic Tale, at the 2026 Cinekid Junior Co-Production Market in Amsterdam. Selected among 18 projects from 20 countries, the Nigerian-Kenyan live-action fantasy follows a young boy who embarks on a journey across the Epe Lagoon in search of a mythical pink fish he believes is tearing his family apart. Produced by Moving Slates and Kilastory, the project continues a strong international development journey, having previously won the $50,000 Red Sea Souk Market Prize and participated in Gotham Week and the Africa Investors Roundtable. The Cinekid selection will connect the filmmakers with producers, financiers and distributors as they continue towards production. The announcement comes shortly after Nchogu’s debut feature, One Woman One Bra, was selected as Kenya’s entry for the 99th Academy Awards.
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