Nigerian actor and filmmaker champions authentic storytelling, international collaboration and cinema’s role in promoting peace.
Nigerian actor and filmmaker Uzee Usman has taken his experience in Nollywood into the classroom, engaging students at Toronto Film School in Canada on filmmaking, authentic storytelling and the realities of working in Nigeria’s film industry.
The session offered the filmmaker an opportunity to share lessons from his career as an actor and producer while discussing the creative principles that have shaped his approach to developing stories for the screen.
For Usman, authenticity remains at the heart of effective filmmaking.
“I love telling realistic stories,” he said during the engagement.
His remarks formed part of a broader conversation about the value of drawing inspiration from lived experiences and creating characters, situations and narratives that audiences can recognise and relate to.
With Nollywood operating across Nigeria’s diverse languages, cultures and social environments, Usman also highlighted the ability of storytelling to bridge differences and connect communities.
Building bridges between Nollywood and the world
The filmmaker spoke about the relationship between Nigeria’s film industry and the wider international creative community, expressing interest in stronger partnerships between Nigerian filmmakers and their counterparts abroad.
He said he hopes to contribute to building stronger connections between Nigerian and American filmmakers through collaborations, creative exchanges and the sharing of industry experiences.
Such partnerships, he suggested, could enable filmmakers from different backgrounds to learn from one another while creating opportunities for Nigerian productions and talent to reach audiences beyond their traditional markets.
The conversation comes at a time when Nigerian cinema continues to gain visibility internationally. Streaming platforms, film festivals and cross-border productions have expanded opportunities for Nigerian actors, directors and producers to connect with audiences in different parts of the world.
Usman himself has gained international streaming exposure through his portrayal of Scourge in The Covenant, adding to his profile beyond Nigeria.
His engagement at Toronto Film School also came during the period surrounding the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the major events on the international film calendar.
‘Peace can be advocated through storytelling’
Beyond the commercial and professional possibilities offered by international filmmaking, Usman used the opportunity to discuss what he considers the wider social responsibility of storytellers.
He argued that cinema can contribute to greater understanding between communities by allowing audiences to encounter experiences and perspectives different from their own.
“Peace can be advocated through storytelling,” Usman said.
“When people understand each other’s stories, they begin to understand each other.”
The message reflects Usman’s previous advocacy for peace and greater understanding, including issues affecting communities in Northern Nigeria.
For the filmmaker, the value of cinema extends beyond entertainment. Stories can introduce audiences to people, communities and experiences they might otherwise never encounter, potentially creating a greater appreciation of differences and shared human experiences.
Bringing Nollywood into the classroom
Usman’s interaction with Toronto Film School students also provided a perspective on Nollywood from someone working directly within the industry.
Nigeria’s film industry has developed distinctive production practices, business models and storytelling traditions, often under circumstances considerably different from those experienced by filmmakers in North America.
Bringing those experiences into a film-school setting creates an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to examine how different film industries operate and what they can learn from one another.
For Usman, whose career has been built largely within Nollywood, the engagement represented another opportunity to participate in that international exchange.
His emphasis on realistic storytelling also speaks to a broader challenge facing filmmakers working for increasingly global audiences: how to remain culturally authentic while creating stories that can resonate across borders.
Usman believes the two objectives can coexist.
Stories grounded in genuine experiences, he suggested, can travel because the emotions and human experiences at their core remain accessible to audiences regardless of where they live.
His Toronto appearance therefore differed from the international exposure associated with film premieres, festivals and red-carpet appearances. The focus this time was on knowledge-sharing with students preparing to enter the film industry and on offering insight into the realities of working within one of Africa’s most active filmmaking environments.
As Usman continues his work as an actor and filmmaker, the engagement also points to a wider ambition: creating stronger pathways for Nigerian stories, talent and creative ideas to participate in international conversations about cinema.