This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s new guide to LagosNollywood has come to be recognised as shorthand for Nigeria’s bustling and rapidly expanding mainstream film industry. In terms of quantity of output, it competes favourably with Hollywood and India’s Bollywood. In terms of economic value, however, there is a huge lag. The average Nollywood film is modestly budgeted, tells a simple, often moralistic story of good versus evil that is steeped in local culture and incorporates an indigenous language. The origins of the moniker, derived as it is from Hollywood, are contentious. There is no consensus on what exactly Nollywood means and how much ground it should cover. Nollywood can refer to a particular genre: the economically produced, melodramatic type of film long recognised as an industry staple. It is also useful to understand Nollywood as medium-driven, based on a particular style of production that is rooted more in television than celluloid filmmaking. Is Nollywood restricted to the English-speaking mainstream or does it accommodate the various indigenous-speaking communities? It all depends on who you ask.Filmmaking activity in Nigeria goes back to the British colonial project. The post-independence celluloid work of the likes of Ola Balogun, Eddie Ugbomah and Ade Love ushered in what is often considered Nigerian film’s golden era. The oil boom of the 1970s led to increased purchasing power among citizens, which was key to sustaining a thriving cinema industry. By the late 1980s, Nigeria’s economic fortunes had declined due to political instability and poor resource management. Cinemas were forced to shut down and, for almost two decades, television became the central medium for entertainment, as prohibitive exchange rates made it impossible for producers to continue to work on celluloid. VHS became increasingly attractive as a cost-effective alternative.The first Nigerian film produced in the video format came out in 1988, but the birth of Nollywood as it is recognised today arrived in 1992, almost by accident. Established lore has it that an artistically inclined businessman, Kenneth Nnebue, had imported an excess of empty video cassettes from Taiwan. With his experience of producing films in the past, Nnebue was convinced that he could sell more cassettes if they had actual content recorded on them. He co-penned a screenplay set in Lagos about a desperate man who kills his loving wife in exchange for quick wealth but is haunted by her avenging ghost. ‘Living in Bondage’ (1992) kickstarted Nollywood’s VHS eraLiving in Bondage became a runaway success even though it was predominantly in Igbo, one of Nigeria’s three major languages. The film was influenced more by television than cinema, but people immediately responded to the novelty of watching characters like themselves on screen. With video, audiences could exert more control over their viewing habits, unlike television programming. “I watched Living in Bondage in awe, and I felt seen!” superstar actress Rita Dominic has said. Living in Bondage single-handedly revitalised an entire industry, with production hubs and job opportunities materialising out of nowhere. As Nigerians emigrated, these films found increased viewership in diasporic communities in the Caribbean, Europe and the Americas. Kenneth Gyang, a Nigerian filmmaker, says: “Nollywood was able to champion a sort of cultural presence for Black people on screen that was different from what Hollywood was peddling at the time. This really matters, because there are over a billion Black people in the world and they need to feel represented onscreen.”The films were modest in ambitions, made with tiny budgets and with producers often favouring quantity over quality. What they lacked in technical detail, they made up for in storytelling gusto. A star system for actors was soon developed, with distributors assuming gatekeeper roles and determining who was bankable. This system, weakened by piracy, would be decimated around the turn of the century with Nigeria’s return to democracy following decades of military dictatorship. Encouraged by a revitalised economy, cinemas — long absent in the cultural life — made their comeback, and filmmakers began to upskill in order to transition to this medium. The 2009 critical and commercial success of The Figurine: Araromire, a supernatural thriller by Kunle Afolayan, would mark a shifting point as the mainstream industry moved properly from video to cinemas. Video-production hubs in local languages continued to operate, but they had been displaced to the sidelines. Nollywood’s core centre became the Lagos-based, English-speaking mainstream. Seeing opportunities in these recent developments, graduates of film schools both home and abroad began to enter the industry in greater numbers with ambitions of competing favourably with global standards. Nigeria’s more artistically inclined filmmakers looked to film festivals for exposure. This wave of filmmaking marked by improved production values, bigger budgets and stronger narrative discipline, has been described as the “New Nollywood.” Nollywood has always struggled with funding for proper film development and a less-than-efficient distribution backbone. Video, television and cinemas have not been able to get the films to the consumers in a way that also makes economic sense for the producers. While the marketers from the VHS era figured out means of reaching the remotest corners, cinemas are available in only the big cities and not in sufficient numbers. Then there is the prohibitive cost of buying tickets. Streaming companies looking to boost subscription numbers have been attracted recently, and while Amazon Prime has abandoned ship, Netflix remains active in some limited capacity and filmmakers continue to experiment with YouTube. The challenges persist but Nollywood’s appeal endures. The films speak directly to the desire for representation, offering simple, relatable stories that reflect local values and are culturally resonant. Here are six films that epitomise not just the best of Nollywood but also track its evolution from accident to cultural behemoth.‘Glamour Girls’ (Chika Onukwufor, 1994)Gloria Anozie and Jennifer Ossai in ‘Glamour Girls’ Billed as the first English-language Nollywood film, Glamour Girls (also produced and written by Kenneth Nnebue) was poised to become an instant cultural phenomenon. A cautionary tale of empowered single ladies trading sex in the big city, it came about as a response to societal anxieties about the evolving role of women at the time. Lagos is merely a backdrop here, as the film is composed mostly of conversational scenes shot in interior locations by director Chika Onukwufor. With its immensely quotable lines and to-die-for wardrobe, Glamour Girls launched the film careers of a new generation of actors. A sequel followed two years later, as did a dismal Netflix reboot in 2022. Where to watch: YouTube‘The Wedding Party’ (Kemi Adetiba, 2016) ‘The Wedding Party’ starred Adesua Etomi-WellingtonNothing spells Lagos like a wedding party, the more lavish, the merrier. In the madcap romantic comedy The Wedding Party, director Kemi Adetiba seized on this classic Lagosian trope, crafting a warm-hearted if familiar love story that also manages to both celebrate and lampoon the multimillion-naira Nigerian-wedding industrial complex. It was hugely successful at the local box office, and its influence goes beyond the middling Dubai-set sequel, which arrived two years later. The film has inspired countless imitators and spawned a Nollywood sub-genre of big-event films — think weddings, burials and birthdays — that remains popular to this day. Where to watch: Amazon Prime‘Lionheart’ (Genevieve Nnaji, 2018) Nkem Owoh and Genevieve Nnaji in ‘Lionheart’, which Nnaji also directed © Netflix/Everett Collection/Alamy Lionheart seems like a curious addition, considering it was set and filmed further east in Enugu state. Its inclusion here makes sense, however, because Nollywood as an industry consists of several active production hubs, many of them away from Lagos. Lionheart, the directorial debut of Nollywood sweetheart Genevieve Nnaji represents the eastern axis. This conventional family drama about a young woman (played by Nnaji) who comes into her own while running the business she inherits from her imposing father also serves as a bridge between the scrappy VHS-era industry and the more advanced system that evolved. Nnaji is also the perfect conduit for this as she cut her teeth as an actor in the VHS era, becoming the brightest star to emerge from that system. Where to watch: Netflix‘Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)’ (Arie and Chuko Esiri, 2020) Temiloluwa Ami-Williams and Cynthia Ebijie in ‘Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)’ © Janus FilmsMentally, the protagonists of Eyimofe, the excellent debut feature by twin brothers Arie and Chuko Esiri, live in Europe. Physically, though, these characters find themselves tethered to the mean streets of Lagos by crippling lack of opportunity. Shunning the melodramatic beats of Nollywood, the Esiris derive their influences from the new Taiwanese cinema and the work of Indian master Satyajit Ray. Gorgeously shot on 16mm film, Eyimofe is a clear-eyed deconstruction of emigration that speaks to the japa trend — the waves of young Nigerians considering moving overseas. Suffused with wisdom and empathy for its characters, Eyimofe makes sure to find grace notes in the face of relentless tragedy. Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Hulu ‘All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White’ (Babatunde Apalowo, 2023)Riyo David and Tope Tedela play two men struggling with their feelings for each other in ‘All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White’ Films based in and about Lagos tend to focus on the wealthier districts on the Island where the top one per cent live — the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge is essentially a character in Nollywood films at this point. All the Colours does something different by staying on the mainland, with characters representing the everyday people who make up the majority of Lagos residents. Directed by Babatunde Apalowo, this melancholic drama approaches a taboo subject in Nigerian society: homosexuality. The film starts with an appreciation of the unique character and ruggedness of the city, but also recognises that just beneath the surface lies the ever-present threat of violence. Where to watch: Max (Europe) and Apple TV+ (Denmark) ‘Gangs of Lagos’ (Jade Osiberu, 2023) As well as ‘The Wedding Party’, Adesua Etomi-Wellington also stars in ‘Gangs of Lagos’ © Amazon Prime VideoWhen it comes to mapping out the visual energy of contemporary Lagos on screen, no other Nigerian filmmaker working today comes close to Jade Osiberu. This fascination with Lagos started in the web series Gidi Up and manifested in independent films such as Isoken and The Trade, before her ambitious action thriller Gangs of Lagos. Amazon Prime Video’s first original African film, it is a gritty ride through the darker corners of Isale Eko, one of Lagos Island’s most iconic neighbourhoods. Stylish in its depiction of violence, Gangs of Lagos connects the duplicitous political class with the street-level thugs who enforce the status quo. Where to watch: Amazon PrimeWilfred Okiche is a writer and cultural criticWhat’s your favourite Nigerian film? Tell us in the comments below. 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Welcome to the Lagos-born film planet known as Nollywood.
