The Next Level: Making Nollywood Films That Travel

Nigerian cinema, often called Nollywood, has achieved remarkable success in building an industry that produces films quickly and economically for decades. Filmmakers learned to fill cinemas, supply television, and cater to streaming platforms, telling stories that resonated with audiences despite significant challenges. This initial success was built on efficiency, rapid production, and fast distribution, born out of necessity.

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Are our films becoming more artistically distinctive simply because they are becoming more expensive? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

However, the industry faces a new challenge: evolving beyond mere volume and cost. While Nollywood now boasts bigger budgets, better equipment, and sophisticated infrastructure, the question remains whether these advancements translate into more artistically distinctive films. The author argues that higher budgets do not automatically guarantee memorable cinema; creative decisions are paramount.

The next revolution for Nollywood, according to filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, must be about depth: vision, aesthetics, craft, and authorship. This requires a fundamental shift in the director's role, moving from a production coordinator to the author of a cinematic experience. Directors must deeply question every creative choice, from story selection to editing, rather than relying on established practices or external demands.

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The next revolution must be about something deeper: Vision. Aesthetics. Craft. Authorship.

This shift towards authorship is crucial for films to "travel," meaning they can resonate beyond their immediate market. The focus must move from simply making films to shaping their meaning, feel, and visual identity. This requires directors to possess a distinctive creative point of view, even within the collaborative and commercial realities of filmmaking.

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Every major creative decision should begin with a question: Why this story? Why now? Why me? Why this crew? Why this frame? Why this colour? Why this location? Why this actor? Why this sound? Why this cut? Why this silence?