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
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 […]
Canal+ and Anakle’s Flying Whale Build 10-Film Television Partnership
Canal+ has partnered with Nigerian production company Flying Whale, a production label within Anakle Films, on a slate of ten made-for-television films as the French company expands its African content strategy following its acquisition of […]
Homi TV Adds Nigerian Short Film ‘Ekún Ìyàwó’ to Its African Streaming Catalogue
Homi TV has licensed the Nigerian short film Ekún Ìyàwó: A Tale of a Runaway Bride for global streaming, adding another Nigerian production to its growing catalogue of African films. The 12-minute romance drama, written, […]
Exclusive: Big Cabal Media Sets July 25 Return for ‘Zikoko Life’ Second Edition, Reveals First-Look
Almost exactly a year after debuting Zikoko Life, Big Cabal Media has unveiled the anthology’s second edition (as stylized), which will begin rolling out on YouTube from July 25. Alongside the announcement, What Kept Me Up can exclusively reveal first-look stills from the three new films.
CJ Obasi is Busy AF: Every Announced Project From The Nigerian Filmmaker
“On your marks.” Three words C.J. ‘Fiery’ Obasi needed to accompany his announcement of The Boy Who Runs, his latest project based on the life of Ugandan Olympian Julius Achon. While the caption referenced 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 […]
‘Brotherhood’ Review: Falz and Tobi Bakre Lead Ambitious Crime Thriller
Thrillers that have twins as the lead characters seem to always have exciting plots whether the characters are working together against a common adversary or whether they are on opposite sides. Brotherhood joins films like […]
Short Film Review: ‘Of The Essence’
I do not think we’re meant to see films once. Stanley Kubrick once said, “The whole idea that a movie should be seen only once is an extension of our traditional conception of the film […]
‘The Woman King’ Review: Authenticity Shelved for Themes and Aesthetics
Tẹjú Cole states in his 2018 essay “On the Blackness of the Panther”, “many movies made by Hollywood have engaged in thought experiments about Africa. Some, made for American whites, resurrect colonial fantasy, with the […]
EXCLUSIVE: ‘Freedom Way’ Cast Announcement: Meg Otanwa, Mr Macaroni, Timini Egbuson, Bimbo Akintola and Bucci Franklin to Star in Olalekan Afolabi’s Directorial Debut
EXCLUSIVE: Debo Adedayo (Mr Macaroni), Timini Egbuson, Bucci Franklin, Hungani Ndlovu, Meg Otanwa, Taye Arimoro, Sophie Alakija, Jide Kosoko, Bimbo Akintola and Femi Jacobs are set to star in Freedom Way, the directorial feature debut […]
6 Questions with Abdul Tijani-Ahmed: Co-writing ‘Brotherhood’, Importance of Set Visits and Writing Without Restraints for a Blockbuster
After years of fighting to survive on the streets of Lagos, two brothers, played by Falz and Tobi Bakre, fall on opposite sides of the law. The bonds of brotherhood are put to the ultimate […]
