AFRIFF 2024: ‘Dynamite’ Review
AFRIFF: Music exists at the core of Uche Aguh’s Dynamite, a short film in which a music star`s facade of perfection dissolves as she finds new love in the most familiar of places: her band. […]
AFRIFF 2024: ‘Phoenix Fury’ Review
AFRIFF: To weave a fictionalized past and present into a working tapestry of film is a test of many aspects of the process: the writing must be tight and every excess must be trimmed; the […]
AFRIFF 2024: ‘The Man Died’ Review
AFRIFF: To adapt a book is a struggle of ideas, to adapt a Soyinka book is a struggle of ideas and style, to adapt The Man Died is a struggle of ideas, style, form and […]
The 10 Best Nollywood Movies of 2021
The question came up, “why ten?”. I took time to ponder, “it could be 25, we should even be listing 50. It’s a celebration of movies for Christ’s sake”. But the industry is not there […]
Best Nollywood Directors in 2021
A film director has a style, and after multiple projects, a pattern is detectable, even when working across different genres and eras. Their influence, depending on the kind of project, can be seen and felt […]
Best Nollywood Actresses and Actors in 2021
Welcome to our ranking of the best performers in the Nollywood movies we watched this year. We reviewed quite a number of Nollywood movies, and one argument that has repeated itself throughout the year is […]
2021 AMAA Winners List: Nigerians are Given Five More Reasons to Anticipate Eyimofe’s Return
The African Movie Academy Awards 2021, hosted by actress-comedian Chigul, took place on Sunday night. Representing Nigeria were Eyimofe, Omo Ghetto: The Saga, La Femme Anjola, Ayinla, Shadow Parties, and Oba Bi Olorun in various […]
‘Alter Ego’ Movie Review: The Wrong Story at a Wrong Time
Alter Ego is one of the less than a dozen movies Omotola Jalade has appeared in, in the last decade. This Moses Inwang (Lockdown) picture since its theatrical release in 2017 has found its way […]
Gulder Ultimate Search: Toke Makinwa Under Pressure, as Fans Agitate for Host Replacement
Written by Okediran AdeyemiTwitter : OkediranAdeyem1Instagram: Yemi_Write It is quite disheartening and pathetic to see, that the most anticipated television show in Nigeria, Gulder Ultimate Search, is not getting as much favourable reaction as a lot of the fans had thought […]
‘Detour’ Review: An Undercooked Mystery-Thriller
Jide Okeke’s 2021 film, Detour, is a mystery thriller about a journalist, Tara, played by Jemima Osunde, who wakes mysteriously in a forest without any memory of who she is or how she got there. […]
AFRIFF 2021 Day Three: What is Nollywood Doing Wrong as the Industry Awaits an Oscar Nomination?
The second session on the third day was titled Oscars Race: Rules and Eligibility for Nigerian Submission for International Feature Category. It covered the frustrating relationship Nollywood has had with the Academy of Motion Picture […]
AFRIFF 2021 Day Two: Amazon Prime Video’s Strategy to Rival Netflix in Sub-Saharan Africa
The tenth anniversary of AFRIFF (Africa International Film Festival) opened on Sunday, 7th November 2021. Day 2 saw its first panel session: The Stakeholders: Amazon Prime Video Introduction to African Filmmakers. It was moderated by […]
‘The Wildflower’ Review: Biodun Stephen’s Latest Drama Shows the Importance of a Good Story
Spoiler alert! Two narratives drive the plot of The Wildflower, Bright and Enterprising Rolake (Damilare Kuku) gets a chance to work at a leading architectural firm as a personal assistant to the CEO Gowon Williams […]
Tunde Kelani’s ‘Ayinla’ isn’t Boring—Here’s Why the Semi-Biopic Works
Earlier this month, Tunde Kelani’s 2021 semi-biopic on the legendary Apala musician from Abeokuta, Ayinla Omowura, eponymously titled Ayinla was re-released on Netflix. It has received a mixed reception. Some consider it a masterpiece, while […]
6 Questions With Eva Ibiam: ‘Love Like This’ as a Different Love Story, Teni’s Personality and Her Upcoming ‘Glamour Girls’ Role
Eva Ibiam is a fast-rising actress in Nollywood. Her works have ranged from playing extras to minor roles in Gidi Up, Rumor Has It, Officer Titus, Skinny Girl in Transit and now a major role […]
The Best and Worst of ‘Blood Sisters’
Blood Sisters is a four-episode Nollywood series co-directed by Biyi Bandele (Half of a Yellow Sun) and Kenneth Gyang (Confusion Na Wa). It was created by Temidayo Makanjuola and produced by EbonyLife’s Mo Abudu and […]
‘Something Special’ Review: Ambitious Anthology Fails to Be More Than a Sum of its Parts
Something Special is the latest outing from Fruitful Studios, a production company located in Lagos. In the vein of Juju Stories, the most recent movie from the Surreal 16 trio, Something Special is an anthology […]
Ndani TV’s ‘Love Like This’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 12, “Closure” (Season Finale)
Closure brings along some shocking revelations. We have come to the end of the first season of Ndani TV’s YouTube series Love Like This, with episode 12 titled “Closure”. It has indeed been a long […]
‘The Perfect Arrangement’ Review: Inkblot’s Subpar 2022 Theatrical Run Continues
Inkblot’s latest cinema release, The Perfect Arrangement, features a love triangle, politics, high-class living, a fake wedding, a sex tape and two families’ struggle for survival. Seeing her family’s fortunes go down the drain, Tade […]
‘Blood Sisters’ Co-Director Kenneth Gyang on Directing the Limited Series, Addresses Nudity Criticism and Explains the “Universal Approach” to Successful Filmmaking
Director Kenneth Gyang takes a brief look at scaling up with EbonyLife Studios, co-directing Netflix’s first original Nigerian series and makes the case for nudity as a narrative device. Many things can go wrong when […]
Making the AMVCA Great Again— An 8-Point Plan
The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) is Nollywood’s most revered award. Not many would like to admit, but it is—like many other things in the industry— unsurprisingly problematic. Since there is not much to […]
Ndani TV’s ‘Love Like This’ Recap: Season 1, Episode 11, “A Long Kiss Goodnight”
Relationships hit a crucial point; some fall out and some take a bold step. As the end begins to draw near for Ndani TV’s Love Like This series, we go for a rollercoaster ride that […]