Reviews
NollywoodWeek 2026: Seko Shamte’s ‘East West Love’ (Opening Film)
NollywoodWeek: Romance, in Nigerian cinema, is often mistaken for ease. It is treated as a genre that requires little or no more than nearness and sentiment—two beautiful people, a mild obstacle, an expected resolution. Yet […]
‘The Other Side of The Bridge’ Review: Tobi Bakre and Demi Banwo are Rivals on Opposite Sides of The Ring in Tame Boxing Drama
In Fiyin Gambo’s The Other Side of The Bridge, class tensions find their outlet in the clashing bodies of Tobi Bakre and Demi Banwo in a story that follows two boxers from opposite backgrounds competing […]
Short Film Review: Ifeoma Chukwuogo’s ‘Dear Dija’ Finds Tenderness in The Limits of Young Love
Seeing the world through the eyes of adolescence feels different in a way that’s hard to ignore. It’s a perspective that hasn’t been tainted by the weight of adulthood yet, where things are still a […]
‘99% Virgin’ Stage Review: Bunmi Awolowo’s Pregnancy-Scare Comedy of Faith and Panic That Doesn’t Quite Commit
Onto virgins, babies are delivered. Debby Whyte who plays the lead, Olamide, anchors this straight-forward comedy about a young woman kicking up a storm over a pregnancy scare. Wary of a shameful loss of face […]
‘Aba Blues’ Review: Jack’enneth Opukeme’s Style Meets a New City and Another Interesting Female Lead in a Faltering Story
The women of Jack’enneth Opukeme’s films are attempts at complexities to varying levels of success. In Adire (which he wrote), the titular character is bringing emancipation to the women of the town through the power […]
‘Headless’ Review: A Meta-Thriller About Nollywood’s Inner Workings
Michael Ndiomu alludes to the concept of “cinema faces”—peculiar figures whose presence alone can summon footfall to the cinema—through the character Erastus Okpanachi in his feature directorial debut, Headless. As I sat in my empty […]
‘Love and New Notes’ Review: Kayode Kasum’s Part Horror, Part Romance, Part Drama, Part Heist, Part Comedy Film
Religions and cultures agree: desperation has a way of becoming spiritual. The woman who cannot bear a child, the man whose mind is poisoned by money; these are not just personal tragedies in Nigerian storytelling, […]
Berlinale 2026: Jeremy Comte’s ‘Paradise’ Review
Berlinale: It is in the final moments of Jeremy Comte’s first feature that he renders the moments giving the film its title, in lyrical realism. “…it burns,” our one-hand protagonist — far from his Quebec […]
News
NollywoodWeek Announces 2026 Opening and Closing Films, Unveils Festival Ambassador
More programming details for the 13th edition of the NollywoodWeek Film Festival, including its opening and closing films, documentary selection, and the official festival ambassador, have been announced. The festival which is scheduled to run […]
MBO Capital Doubles Down on Nollywood Despite Distribution Challenges
A lot of the conversations at the second edition of the MBO Capital Management Film Financing Conference circled back to distribution and infrastructure, and the lack of in Nollywood. These challenges came up across the […]
New African Short Film Market AISFM to Hold First Edition in Lagos
Industry eyes have been on the inaugural edition of the African International Short Film Market (AISFM) since it was first teased at a preliminary virtual event about a year ago. The first major details have […]
Nigeria in Tribeca Festival 2026 Lineup with ‘One Woman, One Bra’ and ‘Crocodile’
Nigeria records another modest presence in the 2026 Tribeca Festival lineup, with two projects set to make their North American premiere, One Woman, One Bra and Crocodile, a pan-African collaboration and a Kaduna-set documentary already […]
Esiri Brothers’ ‘Clarissa’ Selected for Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2026
Arie and Chuko Esiri’s sophomore, Clarissa, has been selected as one of 19 feature films to screen at the 58th edition of the Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, taking place from May 13-23 alongside the main festival, […]
How Two Filmmakers Are Trying to Save Cinema From Lagos
“One thing I appreciate about Nigeria the most now is how backwards it is,” Adebayo Oduwole says with a laugh. On the virtual call in mid March with his collaborative partner Praise Okeoghene Vandeh, the […]
NollywoodWeek 2026 Unveils First Nigerian Titles and Expands Programme with New Industry Partnerships
The NollywoodWeek Film Festival will return to Paris from May 6 to 10, 2026, with Nigerian films forming the core of its programming. Over the years, the festival has grown into a key international stop […]
Nigeria–Kenya Film Collaborations Continue with Cheta Chukwu’s ‘The Child Will Carry You’, Ella Chikezie’s ‘Nwanne’
A growing number of film projects linking Nigeria and Kenya are beginning to hint at a deeper creative exchange between both industries, with Cheta Chukwu’s The Child Will Carry You and Ella Chikezie’s Nwanne emerging […]
Essays
Showmax Shuts Down: The Defining ‘Prestige’ Legacy It Leaves for Nollywood
Showmax’s expansion to Nigeria in 2019 was such a calculated move by MultiChoice. They adopted a measured, experimental approach to one of Africa’s most active film and television industries. Obviously, Nigeria had the volume, but […]
Ramsey Nouah to Direct Crime Thriller ‘Tokunbo’, With Gideon Okeke as Titular Lead
Ramsey Nouah’s next directorial effort is Tokunbo, a crime thriller set to star Gideon Okeke as Tokunbo in the story of an ex-car smuggler caught in a race against time and a web of lies, […]
First Look Images: ‘The Stone Drew Ripples’, Drama Starring Meg Otanwa, Zainab Balogun, Tina Mba, Gbemi Akinlade and Gold Ikponmwosa
First look images have been released for The Stone Drew Ripples, a drama directed by ORIMZ. The Stone Drew Ripples is a film about a middle class Nigerian family faced with the dilemma of saving […]
‘Country Hard’ Review: Paul Utomi’s Long Dive in a Sea of Sadness
Chima (Timini Egbuson) in a conversation with Jubril (Paul Utomi), out of desperation, describes Nigeria as a sea of sadness, and that is what director Utomi set out to do with Country Hard. This film […]
‘The Griot’ Review: An Enjoyable Storyteller’s Woes Boosted By the Acting Performances
The Griot joins the list of culturally themed Nollywood film releases in 2022, as the year seems to be a year of introspection for Nollywood, with many filmmakers deciding to tell original traditional stories. Adedimeji […]
‘Otiti’ Review: Ema Edosio’s Family Drama Struggles to Find its Footing
There’s a moment in Ema Edosio Deelen’s Otiti, where the titular protagonist is passing through a market, and as is the unfortunate practice in a lot of Nigerian markets, she is being touched and pulled […]
