Reviews
‘Alahun: The Weaver’ Review: Dare Olaitan’s Long-Awaited Epic Adventure Return Takes Too Long to Get Going
Dare Olaitan returns to the director’s chair with Alahun: The Weaver, a Yoruba epic adventure filled with spirits, mythical creatures, and an unlikely hero at its centre. The film asks many questions, such as what the measure of a true hero is, and how love can transcend societal limitations.
Locarno Open Doors 2026 Review: ‘Concrete Moves’, ‘Time to Change’, ‘sKINs’, ‘Submergido’ and ‘Goat’
The following five short films screened as part of the 2026 Locarno Open Doors, taking place from August 5-10, 2026. The five directors were also invited to take part in the Open Doors Directors programme. […]
Short Film Review: Adebayo Oduwole’s ‘When Tari Met Voke’ Makes a Familiar Meet-Cute Feel Alive
Few things are better than a romantic comedy that keeps both of its promises. Very few things. (A plate of smoky party jollof, perhaps.) I suspect this, among other reasons, is behind the runaway success […]
‘Remi and Nneoma’ Review: A Nollywood Biblical Retelling Too Devoted to Become Its Own Story
The Bible, like any other text, exists to be adapted and retold. Its stories are constantly updated for language and context. The King James Version for the purists who want little lost, The New International […]
‘On Different Grounds’ Review: Nollywood Veterans Elevate Mildred Okwo’s Uneven Romantic Comedy
A Nigerian wedding party, as much as it is a celebration, is often a power play. A place where influence is tested, alliances are forged and a pecking order is established. There is a clashing […]
‘Blood Sisters’ Season 2 Review: EbonyLife’s Netflix Thriller Expands Its World of Excess, for Better and Worse
In a rare Nigerian series continuation on Netflix, Blood Sisters returns four years after its first season in 2022, picking up directly from the Ademola family shooting. While Uncle B (Ramsey Nouah) dies from the […]
‘MKO’ Review: Ose Oyamendan Revisits the Wound of June 12 and Nigeria’s Greatest Political What-If (Sheffield DocFest 2026)
Hope, they say, is a very, very stubborn thing. It survives military coups. It survives broken promises. It survives politicians campaigning the language of change and turning around to enforce the language of power just […]
‘Call Of My Life’ Review: Uzoamaka Power Dials into the Nigerian Romcom Canon with Heart and Familiarity
The definition of a romcom is a well-documented and defined concept, parameters are often rigid and the story must follow a formula: hot boy plus beautiful girl plus almost fantastical meeting equals forever after. Dammy […]
News
Orobosa Ikponmwen’s Young Adult Drama ‘Pushing 30’ Sets October Africa Magic Premiere (Watch Trailer)
A film about a group of young adults is heading to the small screen in Orobosa Ikponmwen’s Pushing 30, premiering on Africa Magic Showcase in October. And we have the first trailer. The film follows […]
Nollywood Distilled: The Stories That Mattered This Week
Nigeria is named Country of Focus at FIC Luanda, Dear Ajayi maps its journey from Venice to Nigerian cinemas, Kava celebrates one year and prepares its first original, FilmJoint opens submissions for 2027, Night of June 7th faces a regulatory delay, and The Headies continues to spotlight music created for film and television.
Korede Azeez, Fulfilment Nwaturuocha and Hajarat Alli Join Africa No Filter Cohort With ‘Daddy Bear’
With Difficulty Comes Ease director Akorede Azeez alongside producer Fulfilment Fuchi Nwaturuocha and screenwriter-director Hajarat Alli have been selected as part of an Africa No Filter cohort of filmmakers from Nigeria and Kenya creating gender-equitable, […]
Nigeria and Ghana Head to TIFF 2026 With Films Across Four Programmes
Nigeria and Ghana will have a notable presence at the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, with four West African films selected across TIFF’s Special Presentations, Centrepiece, Short Cuts and Discovery programmes. Arie and Chuko Esiri’s […]
Nollywood Distilled: The Stories That Mattered This Week
Blue Pictures embraces vertical drama distribution, Film Lab Africa reveals its second-edition creative teams, Tunde Kelani restores Saworoide, Africa No Filter backs a new Korede Azeez project, Iyabo Ojo begins her next theatrical campaign, and The Almajiri finds a new audience through a regional cinema rollout.
Amartei Armar’s Ghanaian ‘Ego Reach We All’, Idrissu Tontie Jr. Win at Locarno 2026
Ghanaian filmmaker Amartei Armar and actor Idrissu Tontie Jr. have won two awards at the 79th Locarno Film Festival for Ego Reach We All (Our Time Will Come). Armar’s debut feature won the Pardo for […]
Tunde Kelani’s ‘Opalaba’ Adds to Nollywood’s Expanding AI Footprint
Veteran filmmaker Tunde Kelani recently unveiled Opalaba, a Yoruba-language satirical micro-web series that uses AI-assisted visualisation, animation and post-production tools. The filmmaker announced that principal production is expected to begin before the end of August […]
Nollywood Distilled: The Stories That Mattered This Week
From international expansion and festival development to streaming releases, theatrical rollouts and the start of another festival submission season, this week’s Nollywood Distilled traces six developments from the previous week that should be on your […]
Essays
Nine Trends Defining Nollywood in Early 2026
Let’s take a look back on the Nigerian film industry, through dozens of stories that we have covered, to identify broader emerging patterns so far in 2026. There have been standout box office performers, major […]
‘Love and Life’ Review: Rita Dominic, Nse Ikpe-Etim, and Michelle Dede Fail to Shine in Unengaging Plot About Love and Loss
First Features is a Nigerian initiative dedicated to empowering a new generation of film directors who will bring their many talents and unique voices to the industry. The plan is to mentor and assist 12 […]
Collins Okoh and Akinlabi Ishola Discuss Writing a Blockbuster and Answer ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ Burning Questions
Did you know that the script for the highest-grossing Nollywood film, A Tribe Called Judah, was written in five weeks? The writers of the blockbuster film, Collins Okoh and Akinlabi Ishola, reveal this in an […]
Afrobeats Superstar Tiwa Savage Stars in Drama ‘Water and Garri’, Coming Exclusively to Prime Video Globally in 2024
Prime Video will launch Nigerian movie Water and Garri, starring international singer Tiwa Savage, exclusively in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide in 2024. The drama tells the story of Aisha (Savage), an ambitious […]
‘School Run’ Review: Showmax’s First Nigerian Original Feature Stumbles and Falls Flat
After a run of original series like Diiche, Crime and Justice Lagos, and Flawsome, Showmax has finally released its first Nigerian original feature, School Run. The film stars Ifeanyi Kalu and Amanda Iriekpen as its […]
‘No Way Through’ Review: Casualties Pile Up in this Drug-Fuelled Prime Video Crime Thriller
In crime thrillers, an occurrence that consistently intrigues me is when the protagonist, presented with an opportunity for revenge, delays the kill for a triumphant speech. Unfortunately, this often grants the enemy an additional chance […]
