Reviews
‘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 […]
Nollywoodweek 2026: Ema Edosio’s ‘When Nigeria Happens’ Review
Nollywoodweek: In the final scene of When Nigeria Happens, we see how submission has been tortured into Fagbo as he mindlessly marches with a group of men, shorn of his former locs and despair sat […]
NollywoodWeek 2026: Laju Iren’s ‘Onobiren’ Review
NollywoodWeek: Nollywood has drawn sustained criticism for its reductive portrayals of women. This tendency emerges from a convergence of socio-cultural frameworks—particularly established patriarchal norms—and external narrative inheritances traceable to Classical Hollywood Cinema, privileging archetypal characterization […]
Nollywoodweek 2026: Thomas Letellier’s ‘Batwing Unmasked’ Review (Documentary)
Nollywoodweek: There is a familiar thrill that runs through Batwing Unmasked. Not the thrill of a recognition of a hero (Africa has had many, and visual and comic artist Loyiso Mkize highlights Ororo as an […]
NollywoodWeek 2026: Orire Nwani’s ‘Hussaini’ Review (Short Film)
Nollywoodweek: There is a very good chance that Hussaini would break your heart. The eighteen-minute-long film opens in a mosque, where Hussaini, among a small congregation of men, bows in prayer. We then follow him […]
NollywoodWeek 2026: Uyoyou Adia’s ‘Evi’ Review
NollywoodWeek: As the internet has grown, we have found some familiarity with the machinations of the entertainment industry; people talk like record label executives, giving armchair expert advice on album rollouts and PR relationships and […]
News
Kobby Boateng’s Ghana–Swiss Co-Production ‘The God of Odds’ Enters Post-Production, Reveals New Teaser (Exclusive)
Exclusive: The God of Odds, a new Ghana–Switzerland co-production from ASAP Studio and 9 NIGHTS, has completed principal photography and entered post-production. What Kept Me Up can exclusively unveil the film’s second teaser. Written & […]
What ‘My Father’s Shadow’ Meant to the Anikulapo-Kuti Family at Private Screening
I am plugged in to My Father’s Shadow Soundtrack, 2026 AMVCA Best Score winner, as I scribble down my experience after a private screening of the film with members of the Kuti family ahead of […]
Talents Durban 2026 Announces Nigerian Participants Across Projects and Talent Press
Nigeria will be represented across multiple strands of Talents Durban 2026, with two projects selected for development, a critic participating in the Talent Press programme, and two industry figures returning as part of the initiative’s […]
AFP Critics Prize Heads to Locarno Open Doors 2026
Following its launch at the S16 Film Festival in 2025, the AFP Critics Prize is heading next to the Open Doors Screenings at the Locarno Film Festival as an award partner, where it will be […]
‘Call of My Life’ Debuts at Number Ten on Top Ten Highest Grossing Nollywood Films Of All Time
Dammy Twitch’s feature directorial debut, Call of My Life, has now boldly made its way to the top ten highest-grossing Nollywood films of all time at number ten, as well as becoming the highest-grossing Nollywood […]
Blessing Bulus’ Documentary ‘Mi Tazi’ Selected for Durban International Film Festival 2026
Nigerian documentary Mi Tazi, directed by Blessing Bulus, has been selected for the student competition at the 47th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), joining 11 other emerging filmmakers from South Africa, South Korea, Morocco, Spain, […]
Nigeria’s ‘I Live in V.I’, Ghana’s ‘Too Much Music’ Head to Locarno Open Doors 2026
Among the selections for the 2026 edition of Open Doors at the Locarno Film Festival, Nigerian and Ghanaian projects are in the mix, following last year’s participation by Dika Ofoma and Blessing Uzzi, as well […]
Five Years After ‘La Femme Anjola’, Mildred Okwo Returns With ‘On Different Grounds’ (Watch Trailer)
Mildred Okwo (La Femme Anjola) returns to cinemas after five years with On Different Grounds, a romantic dramedy produced by Nicole Ndigwe (Before Valentine’s) under her HB&Q Impressions banner. The film’s official trailer arrives ahead […]
Essays
Why Are African Films Expected to Be So Heavy at International Festivals?
A girl with a big smile plastered on her face is surrounded by heart-shaped decorations. She is bathed in a warm, saturated red and pink light that evokes a romantic atmosphere. Heart-shaped props are held […]
‘Merry Men 3 Nemesis’ Review: Comic Crime Thriller Franchise Becomes More Pointless
Merry Men becomes more outrageous with each installment, increasing the stakes to ridiculous heights and presenting far-fetched scenarios, like a low-budget Fast and Furious. The Guardian branded their Merry Men 2 review “low-budget Fast & […]
‘Charlie and the Boys’ Review: Come for the Thrills, Stay for the Humour, Be Confused by the Drama
Heist movies come in all shapes and sizes. For some reason, there’s something about seeing a team of highly skilled people steal large sums of money, priceless artifacts, or some other MacGuffin that gets us […]
‘Something Like Gold’ Review: Sandra Okunzuwa, Kunle Remi and Mercy Johnson Deliver Spirited Performances in a Confused Blend of Family Drama and Romcom
Tamara Jola-Scott (Sandra Okunzuwa), daughter of rich Lagos socialite Jolayemi Scott (Patrick Doyle), is a spoiled rich kid who treats everyone (friends included) as if beneath her. The news of her father’s involvement in an […]
“Why are Nollywood Movies So Bad?”
Nollywood is a cultural phenomenon and no doubt one of the most enduring ones of the 21st century. Like other industries, through the decades, it has had to adapt to various societal shifts and technological […]
‘The Black Book’ Review: Editi Effiong’s Debut Film is an Ambitious Skyscrapper in Search of a Foundation
Editi Effiong’s The Black Book has a lot of bright ideas. On one level, it’s an action flick about a former member of a private undercover elite squad. Even people with power and influence tremble […]
