Reviews
‘Alive Till Dawn’ Review: Nigeria’s Claimed First Zombie Apocalypse is Derivative, Politically Oblivious, and an Illusion of Innovation
The Nollywood horror genre has declined over the years. This can be attributed to a combination of moral and religious panic, alongside the industry’s formulaic mode of operation. Over time, Nollywood has found other formulas […]
Sundance 2026: Praise Odigie’s ‘Birdie’ Review (Short Film)
Sundance: In Birdie, Praise Odigie Paige evokes an ideal countryside with scenic shots of a home nestled in fields of green and a stream cutting through. There are no neighbours and it is isolated from […]
Sundance 2026: Olive Nwosu’s ‘Lady’ Review
Sundance: Some film endings comfort. Others provoke and leave us uneasy. Some quietly ask us to act. In these moments, the final frame becomes the film’s last word, the image that follows us out of […]
Short Film Review: Uchenna Ugwu’s ‘I Too, Crave Death’ Carries Heart and Soul, But Burdened By Visual Impatience
The almost absent representation of mental health in our films reflects our collective social and cultural ideologies concerning the topic. People struggling with psychological challenges are often labelled as confused, mad, or even possessed. At […]
Short Film Review: Jeremiah John’s ‘Market People’ is a Tale of Bodies Seeking Warmth in a Cold World
“Aiyé l’òjà, ọ̀run n’ilé” is a lifelong Yorùbá adage that translates to ‘life is a marketplace, home lies beyond (heaven). It reflects on the transient nature of existence; life is full of trade-offs, people come […]
‘Behind the Scenes’ Review: Funke Akindele’s December Blockbuster is Surely Relatable, Likely to Be Profitable, But Creatively Stuck
The Funke Akindele moral lesson cinematic universe has been expanded with the addition of her latest, Behind the Scenes. Co-directed by Tunde Olaoye, it is a film that follows the wealthy, benevolent Ronke Fernandez, who […]
S16 Film Festival 2025 Reviews: ‘My Jebba Story,’ ‘Obi is a Boy,’ ‘About Sarah’ and More
Traces Of The Sun S16 Film Festival: Directors working in the ten-to-thirty-minute range for short films can fracture time, dissolve narrative causality, or abandon dialogue entirely, treating form itself as the primary subject rather than […]
S16 Film Festival 2025 Reviews: ‘Ode!,’ ‘70×7,’ and ‘The Passage’
The Passage S16 Film Festival: In The Passage, South African filmmaker Ntokozo Mlaba shoots scenes with a jazzy lightness that veers into an almost supernatural aura. The scenes are slightly elevated from real life with […]
News
‘Lady’ Wins at Sundance, But Nigeria’s Actors Had to Watch From Home
Award ceremonies are always regarded as an actor’s biggest night. For the cast of Lady, that moment unfolded from a distance. Despite winning the Special Jury Award for Acting Ensemble at the just-concluded Sundance, and […]
‘Mothers of Chibok’ and The Return of Nigerian Documentaries to Cinemas
Between the peak streaming years and today, Nigerian documentaries skipped cinemas entirely. Streamers like Netflix were testing out ideas. Festivals provided prestige. And urgency-driven independent docs could be found on YouTube. That context makes Joel […]
Neptune3 Studios Announces New Project in ‘Best Friends in The World’ Universe
The Best Friends in the World universe is growing up. Neptune3 Studios is taking the beloved series into feature-film territory with a new project, titled Best Friends in the World: The Year Between. The film […]
Play Network Announces ‘Silent Night,’ A Nigerian Reimagination of The Birth of Jesus Christ
The Nativity story is heading to Nigerian screens, but not exactly as told in the gospels. Play Network has announced a new project, Silent Night, a reimagining of the birth of Jesus Christ retold within […]
No Nigerian Title in Berlinale 2026 Main Competition Lineup, Strong Presence in Other Sections
Earlier this month, we published a story on Nigerian talents to watch across early 2026 international film festivals. Since the end of December, major festivals including Sundance, the International Film Festival Rotterdam, and the Clermont-Ferrand […]
Our Most Anticipated Nigerian Titles of 2026
In a 2025 filled with uncertainty, new distribution paths and global appearances, some debut producers and directors began to make their mark with projects like Red Circle, Freedom Way, Reel Love, and The Herd. Globally, […]
EbonyLife’s ‘The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives’ Screen Adaptation Now Headed to Cinemas
The long-anticipated screen adaptation of Lola Shoneyin’s “The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives” is moving from a previously announced series for Netflix (where EbonyLife had a multi-title deal) to a feature film for cinemas. […]
Nigerian Titles and Talents to Look Out for at Early 2026 Film Festivals
Seasons come and go in the yearly film cycle, but one season that never really goes away, at least for film publications, is the festival season. Selections for early 2026 international film festivals have already […]
Essays
Is Nollywood’s Future on the Big Screen or Online?
There was a time when going to the movies in Nigeria meant calling friends, buying tickets, and heading to the cinema for a big release. During the week, students and NYSC members could walk into […]
‘Disconnect: The Wedding Planner’ Review: A Romantic Comedy with Very Little in the Way of Romance or Comedy
If you ever watched Teen Wolf, the MTV high school fantasy drama series that ran from 2011 to 2017, then you’re probably familiar with the riddle, “When is a door not a door?” The answer […]
‘All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White’ By Debut Feature Director Babatunde Apalowo Heads to Berlinale 2023
Babatunde Apalowo’s All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White has been selected for its world premiere at the Berlinale 2023, competing in the Panorama Section of the film festival, one of […]
Kunle Afolayan Announces Next Netflix Project, ‘IJOGBON’, a Coming of Age Family Adventure Film Written By Tunde Babalola
Kunle Afolayan has announced the commencement of production on a new project, Ijogbon, written by frequent collaborator Tunde Babalola, heading to Netflix. Ijogbon follows four teenagers—3 boys and 1 girl—from a rural village in South-West […]
‘The Trade’ Review: Blossom Chukwujekwu-led Timely Story Gets Required Attention and Care
In recent years, one of the most committed crimes in Nigeria has been kidnapping, with an increase in the number of reported kidnapping cases, including a recent high profile case where passengers on an Abuja […]
Appraising the Mystery Casing of Rian Johnson’s ‘Glass Onion’
In 2019 we were thrust into the life of stylish detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) in Knives Out when he was summoned to solve the mystery of the murder of author, Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). […]
