Her journey has run parallel to the growth of Nollywood itself. From its early, experimental years to its current global visibility, Silva has watched the industry evolve, expand, and adapt. Yet through all its changes, she has remained anchored to the foundational values that shaped her as an actress.
In a conversation with Guardian Life, she reflected on this journey, the state of the industry, and the responsibilities that come with experience and influence.
Foundations in Theatre and Television
Silva credits her grounding as a performer to two key spaces: theatre and television. Theatre, she explained, gave her a classical foundation—discipline, structure, and a deep understanding of character. Television, on the other hand, was where she refined her on-screen technique and truly learned the mechanics of working with the camera.
Film, by contrast, was never a constant presence in her career. It came, as she put it, in “spurts,” rather than as a steady stream of work.
Leading the AMVCA Judging Panel
Her appointment as head judge for the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards places her once again at the centre of a defining industry moment. Yet she approaches the role with humility and a clear sense of duty rather than prestige.
She describes the position as one that requires balance, fairness, and the ability to resolve disagreements within a panel of highly skilled judges. For Silva, the responsibility is less about authority and more about stewardship—ensuring that the awards maintain their credibility and standards.
While audience votes determine winners in certain categories, she emphasised that the non-voting categories are driven strictly by professional judgment. These, she noted, are not popularity contests but recognitions of craft and technical excellence.
What Defines an Award-Winning Performance
For Silva, the distinction between a good performance and an award-winning one lies in transformation. The actor must not simply play a role but fully inhabit it, convincing the audience completely.
Although the idea sounds straightforward, she acknowledges the reality of filmmaking conditions in Nigeria. Tight timelines and limited resources often make it difficult for actors to fully immerse themselves in their roles. That is precisely why performances that achieve this level of authenticity stand out—they overcome the constraints of the system.
Nollywood’s Growth Amid Structural Challenges
Silva’s assessment of Nollywood is neither overly critical nor blindly celebratory. She recognises the industry’s remarkable achievements, particularly its ability to maintain global attention despite significant limitations.
Productions are often made on what she describes as “almost cutthroat budgets,” yet they are still compared to international films with far greater resources. This mismatch, she suggests, creates ongoing tension within the industry.
Beyond production costs, she highlights a deeper economic concern: the shrinking Nigerian middle class. With fewer people able to spend on entertainment, filmmakers face challenges in recouping their investments. This affects everything—from the scale of productions to the risks creators are willing to take.
Without strong distribution systems and reliable returns, budgets remain constrained, and quality is forced to compete with circumstance. Still, Silva insists that Nollywood practitioners deserve recognition for sustaining the industry’s vibrancy against these odds.
The Centrality of Research
Research, in Silva’s view, is indispensable. Whether a story is historical or contemporary, it must be rooted in context and accuracy.
She stresses that research should not be limited to writers alone. Actors, production designers, sound engineers, and music teams all have a role to play in ensuring authenticity. Every layer of a film must align with the world it seeks to portray.
Streaming Platforms and Narrative Control
Having won Best Actress in a Supporting Role at the 4th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2008, Silva understands both the opportunities and complexities of global exposure. While platforms like Netflix and Prime Video have expanded the reach of Nigerian films, she remains cautious about their influence.
Her concern centres on ownership and narrative control. If major distribution platforms are largely foreign, she questions who ultimately shapes the stories being told—and how those stories influence public perception and identity.
Rather than viewing recent shifts in global streaming strategies as purely negative, she sees an opening for Nigeria to build its own platforms and reclaim greater control. She even points to institutions like the Nigerian Television Authority as potential foundations for renewed investment and innovation.
Encouraging Signs—and Lingering Gaps
Despite its challenges, Silva is optimistic about the direction of Nigerian storytelling. She expresses particular admiration for the improvement in scripting, noting that stories are becoming more layered and reflective of real-life complexity.
Across genres—comedy, drama, and horror—she observes tighter narratives and more thoughtful filmmaking. However, she identifies editing as an area that still needs significant improvement. In her view, pacing often feels slow, suggesting the need for stronger post-production traditions.
Her critique is measured, rooted in a belief that the industry is capable of much more.
Youth, Migration, and the Role of Storytelling
At this stage in her life, Silva’s reflections extend beyond the screen. She is increasingly concerned about the mindset of young Nigerians, many of whom see leaving the country as their primary goal.
For her, this trend raises deeper questions about belonging, opportunity, and national confidence. She challenges storytellers to consider how their work might help reshape this narrative—how stories can inspire hope and a sense of possibility for those who choose to stay.
“Mothers of Chibok” and the Nature of Resilience
One of her most meaningful recent projects is Mothers of Chibok, directed by Kachi Benson, which she produced. The documentary stands out to her not only for its technical quality but for its emotional honesty.
Rather than centring solely on grief, the film captures the everyday lives of the women—their routines, humour, labour, and determination. Grief exists, she explains, but often in quiet, understated ways.
This perspective shapes her broader understanding of emotion. She pushes back against exaggerated portrayals of grief in film, noting that it is often subtle—sometimes just a turned face or a single tear.
The project also deepened her reflections on motherhood, which she describes as an enduring responsibility that extends far beyond childbirth. It reinforced, too, her belief in the resilience of Nigerians—an ability to endure, adapt, and continue despite hardship.
A Final Word to Aspiring Storytellers
Silva’s advice to the next generation is clear and uncompromising: pursue training and strive for mastery. Basic skill, she suggests, is not enough in a competitive global industry.
What Nollywood needs is a critical mass of highly trained, deeply grounded professionals—individuals capable of matching their international counterparts in both technique and creativity.
Through her reflections, Silva presents a vision of Nollywood that is both honest and hopeful—an industry rich with talent and potential, yet in need of stronger structures, deeper investment, and greater control over its own narratives.