Reviews
‘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 […]
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 […]
News
Nollywood Distilled: The Stories That Mattered This Week
As Nigerian projects continue to expand their international footprint, new films line up for cinemas, established companies enter fresh corners of the business, and filmmakers experiment with emerging technologies, this week’s edition of Nollywood Distilled […]
‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Records Biggest Opening Weekend in West African Box Office History
Spider-Man: Brand New Day has recorded the biggest opening weekend in West African box office history, setting a series of new theatrical benchmarks following its release across the region. The film delivered Sony Pictures’ biggest […]
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee Opens Submissions for 99th Oscars (Important Dates)
The search is on again. The search for a film to represent the country at the 99th Academy Awards as the Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) opens the portal to submissions. According to the committee’s […]
Nollywood Distilled: The Stories That Mattered This Week
The past week saw another steady stream of trailers, first-look images, release-date announcements and production updates, alongside news from across exhibition, training and international collaborations. Looking beyond the daily headlines for this week’s Nollywood Distilled, […]
France and the UK Drive Akinola Davies Jr.’s ‘My Father’s Shadow’ Past $1.1 Million Worldwide
Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow has crossed more than 1.1 million dollars in publicly tracked worldwide theatrical earnings. Figures published by Box Office Mojo and The Numbers show that the Cannes-premiered film had grossed […]
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 […]
Nollywood Distilled: The Stories That Mattered This Week
Welcome to Nollywood Distilled, WKMUp’s weekly roundup of the developments taking shape within the Nigerian film industry. Piloted on our Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn pages, the series now expands to our website, where we’ll bring […]
Damilola Orimogunje’s ‘Dear Ajayi’ Sets World Premiere at Venice 2026
Nigerian filmmaker Damilola Orimogunje’s second feature, Dear Ajayi, will have its world premiere in competition at the 23rd Giornate degli Autori (Venice Days), the independent parallel section of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The […]
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 […]
‘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 […]
‘Bitter 17’ Cast and Director Interview: Set Experience and Making an Important Coming of Age Film
After the just-released trailer of Bitter 17 trailer, we sat down with the AMAA-nominated director, Vosa Tosin, and the two members of the cast, Patrick Popolampo and Uche Chika Elumelu, to discuss the film, their […]
