From left to right, Simisola Gbadamosi, Eso Dike, Uche Jombo and Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde are seen during a panel at the Essence Film Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 6, 2024. Courtesy That Good Media

Nigeria’s thriving film industry, Nollywood, is aiming to gain worldwide recognition similar to the rapid growth of Afrobeats.

Ranking as the third-largest film industry globally in terms of annual film production, Nollywood has been a major cultural influence in Africa for many years.

Originating in the early 1990s, filmmakers started creating low-budget, direct-to-video films that strongly connected with local viewers.

As time passed, Nollywood has progressed by adopting better production standards and exploring a wider range of storylines, attracting the interest of international audiences and major streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon.

Global Aspirations

Presently, Nollywood has evolved beyond mere entertainment. It serves as a significant platform for cultural representation and storytelling on a grand scale. “It’s time for the world to receive our stories and content,” says Toyosi Etim-Effiong, a key figure in the industry and founder of That Good Media talent management agency.

The worldwide success of Afrobeats, with artists such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido gaining international recognition, serves as both an inspiration and a model for Nollywood, according to Ettim-Effiong, who has led a delegation of Nollywood stars to the Essence Film Festival for the past three years.

“Afrobeats has done wonders for the continent, and I believe it’s time for more partnerships in the film and TV industry. Our stories have universal themes and unique cultural insights that resonate with audiences worldwide,” she told CNN at the Essence Festival held in New Orleans and now in its 30th year.

Similarly, Nollywood aims to captivate global audiences, not just with entertainment but also by sharing African culture and stories on a larger scale, Etim-Effiong adds.

Nollywood at the Essence Film Festival

During the Essence Film Festival, a newly added event to the broader festival honoring Black culture and accomplishments, Nollywood celebrities and stakeholders convened to deliberate on their aspirations for global expansion.

The festival offered a prominent stage for Nollywood to exhibit its capabilities and engage in constructive discussions regarding the industry’s future trajectory.

“It’s important to me that Nigerian and African stories are told in a way that is authentic to us,” Etim-Effiong says. “I facilitate opportunities like this where our stories, content, and key players can get a seat at the table … that way the rest of the world gets to know about us and we get to know how similar we are (to the rest of the world). Nollywood is open for partnerships.”

Nollywood veterans, such as Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Uche Jombo, alongside emerging talents like child star Simisola Gbadamosi and Nollywood heartthrob Eso Dike, participated in a panel discussion emphasizing the significance of bridging cultural divides through storytelling.

Jalade-Ekeinde, a distinguished member of the Academy, the prestigious Oscars voting body, underscored the imperative of accurately portraying African realities.

“We are telling our stories and defining how we want to be seen,” she said. “I’ve been advocating for our voices to be heard and respected. It’s time for change.”

Gbadamosi, aged 13, recently completed her role in Disney’s groundbreaking African animation collaboration titled “Iwaju.” She emphasized the significance of the industry in delivering genuine narratives and expressed her aspiration to contribute as a writer in the future.

“I have plenty of story ideas in my head that I want to create in the future,” she told CNN.

Pushing the Boundaries

The film industry does not solely revolve around its actors; it also involves the creative directors and producers who are constantly pushing the limits of what Nollywood can accomplish. Editi Effiong is a prime example of such a person, with his revenge thriller "The Black Book" establishing new standards for the industry.

Made with a humble budget of $1 million (a groundbreaking figure for Nollywood at that time), the film quickly climbed to the third spot on Netflix's worldwide movie rankings in 2023, attracting more than 20 million views globally.

“We spent time on the scripts, we spent about two years writing and preparing the script. Usually, Nollywood films are shot over two to three weeks. We shot this over four months,” he said.

Effiong credits the film’s triumph to meticulous planning and an unwavering commitment to quality: “We did everything to the highest standards, from scriptwriting to filming,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

Effiong's triumph serves as a prime example of the emerging generation of Nollywood filmmakers who are unafraid to dedicate time and resources to producing top-notch content that can stand out on the international platform.

Renowned figure in the film industry, Moses Babatope, recently introduced the establishment of Nile Media Entertainment Group, a fresh production and distribution studio managed by a team of accomplished female executives.

As a co-founder of FilmOne, Babatope has been instrumental in elevating Nigerian cinema to a global level.

His efforts have broadened the influence of Nollywood, having previously secured partnerships with Disney, Netflix, Prime Video, and Warner Bros. (Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN and Warner Bros.).

As Etim-Effiong of That Good Media puts it: “Nollywood has no shortage of talent and ambition and there’s so much development and investment going in right now. Our time has come.” CNN