Nollywood, the Nigerian filmmaking industry, is the second largest global film industry in terms of output, after India's Bollywood. The term "Nollywood," a portmanteau of "Nigeria" and "Hollywood," encompasses Nigerian films made outside Nigeria as well as English-language Ghanaian films. It also includes films in Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and other languages of Nigeria.
Nigeria’s film industry dates back to a time when colonial filmmakers produced films for local audiences. These films, such as Palaver (1926) and Sanders of the River (1935), cast Nigerian actors in speaking roles and were shown in halls nationwide to teeming audiences. With time, cinema became a common feature of social life, particularly in Lagos. This development established big commercial cinema houses with branches in strategic parts of the country. Between the 1930s and 1940s, cinema came in the form of playing companies and traveling theater troupes. These plays, funded by the court, church, or audiences, were promoted via adverts and posters disseminating information to potential audiences.
The Golden Age and the Rise of Nollywood
Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, the film industry quickly grew, creating new film theaters, and ushering in the Golden Age of Nigerian cinema. However, there was a significant influx of American, Indian, and Chinese films - theaters were overwhelmed with adverts for these films, and their stars rose to fame in Nigeria. Concerned about the invasion of foreign culture in Nigeria, Yakubu Gowon, the then-head of state, issued the Indigenization Decree in 1972. The ruling mandated that 300 film theaters be given back to Nigerians by their foreign owners.
As a result of this policy, more Nigerians began to take prominent roles in films, and famous local plays and books were turned into motion pictures. The sector had also gained popularity, and foreign investments helped build film theater complexes like the National Arts Theatre, which had two theaters and could seat over 700 people. At this time, the film industry had grown to be a significant employer of labor, and served a crucial social purpose as Nigerians went to the theaters for pleasure.
That trend saw a shift when Nigeria gained its independence in 1960 and developed its own film industry. Celluloid era (1960s-80s): early Nigerian cinema Nigerian cinema first developed independently of foreign filmmakers after the country gained its independence in 1960. These early movies, shot on celluloid, drew on the storytelling style of the Yoruba traveling theater tradition. The acting used ritualized and stylized gestures, and the plots were highly dramatized, touching on matters of religion, witchcraft, and the supernatural. Filmmakers including Ola Balogun, Adeyemi Afolayan, Francis Oladele, Hubert Ogunde, and Eddie Ugbomah pioneered these early productions.
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Demand for film increased in the 1970s as the economy boomed and movie theaters popped up across cities. However, in the 1980s the devaluation of the Nigerian naira made film equipment hard to come by, and movie theaters became increasingly inaccessible. By the early 1990s the production of celluloid films ceased.
The Video Era: A New Dawn
Local filmmaking as we know it thrived for several decades, but it all collapsed in the mid-1980s when Nigeria experienced an economic depression, as its currency was devalued, and oil prices plummeted. As more households could afford televisions, greater focus was placed on this medium. Producers started broadcasting local popular theater shows, first on television and subsequently on video, because the legislation had restricted the amount of foreign content that could be broadcast on television.
It became common to see video copies of television programs sold on the street. The video films were famously available at Alaba International Market, a commercial district in Lagos that was the hub of video distribution, and eventually the hub of piracy in Nigeria. As a result of the dramatic collapse in film culture, some theaters that had already been built were bought by religious organizations and converted into churches, while others were simply shut down.
The beginnings of the video film market in Nigeria is traced back to the 1980s when television productions thrived. Many of the television productions often found their ways into VHS, leading to the development of a small scale informal video trade. Jimi Odumosu's Evil Encounter, a 1983 horror film released directly on television, was the first production to be a pointer to how lucrative making film directly on video can be. The film was extensively promoted before being aired on the television, and as a result, had streets flooded the following morning with video copies of the recorded broadcast. It was reported that the film became an instant hit at Alaba market, a commercial district which later became the hub of video distribution in this period and also eventually became a hub of copyright violation in Nigeria. The first film produced on video in Nigeria was 1988's Soso Meji, produced by Ade Ajiboye.
The Nollywood period began in 1992 with the advent of videotapes and video home systems (VHS), most notably through the production of Living in Bondage. The movie was directed by Chris Obi Rapu and starred Kenneth Okonkwo and Nnenna Nwabueze. Its plot concerns a down-on-his-luck businessman who sacrifices his wife to a satanic cult to become wealthy. Completely unexpectedly, the film was a big hit, selling more than 500,000 copies on VHS tapes. And since the films are relatively cheap to produce - Imasuen’s costs have ranged from $20,000 to $100,000 - it’s easy for filmmakers to profit from their productions. The film was also screened at the few available theatres at the time. Other films released in the early period of this era also include Circle of Doom (1993) and Glamour Girls (1994).
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Film people who pioneered this period, often called the "second generations", include Amaka Igwe, Alade Aromire, Zeb Ejiro, Chico Ejiro, The Amata brothers, Femi Lasode, Liz Benson, Kenneth Nnebue, Richard Mofe Damijo, Zack Orji, Pete Edochie, Sam Loco Efe, US Galadima, Yinka Quadri, Jide Kosoko, Omotola Jalade, Genevieve Nnaji, Kenneth Okonkwo, Kanayo O.
In 1993, the National Film Festival was held for the first time in Nigeria, and the industry's film output score sheet recorded moderate figures of about fifty Yoruba-language films, twenty five English-language films, five Hausa-language films, and One Igbo-language film. The Nigerian Film Institute, Jos was established by the Nigerian government in November 1995 to help develop young Nigerian talents in the art of filmmaking.
As at this time in 1995, 177 video films were recorded by the Nigerian Censors Board, a number which further increased to 233 in 1996. It reduced in 1997 to 214, but in 1998 increased again to 356. The number of Nigerian video films registered in 2000 almost doubled the 1999 value, with 712 films. It continued to further increase in 2001 through 2002, with 974 and 1,018 respectively. It then reduced once more to 761 in 2003. As at 2004, at least four to five films were produced every day in Nigeria.
Most of the financiers are based in a vast, chaotic market called Idumota in Lagos, while the films are distributed widely in Alaba, another market in Ojo. Other distribution centres for Home videos across the country include Iweka Road in Onitsha, Anambra, and Pound Road in Aba, Abia. The video producers turned out movies at an astonishing rate in a year and new titles were delivered to Nigerian shops and market stalls every week, where an average video sold 50,000 copies. Movies in this era are mostly of the romance, drama, comedy and supernatural genres, and also a few actions. Themes explored include: revenge, betrayal, love, hatred, ritual, politics and so on. They often have themes that deal with the moral dilemmas facing modern humans.
Most of the videofilms also have a supernatural and religious theme including black magic (Juju) and the clash of modern religion with a traditional religion. Juju is a cult that is consulted for one reason or another when in need, typically psycho-medical, buttressed with the power of the supernatural. Some movies promote the Christian or Islamic faiths, and some movies are overtly evangelical. Other themes usually depicted in these films include: violent robbery, ritual performances, rivalry, conflicts, sexual violence, organized crime, prostitution, murder, greed, avarice, impatience, jealously, envy, pride, arrogance, infidelity, treachery, occultism, amongst others.
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The films are usually produced and shot on location all over Nigeria with hotels, homes, and offices often rented out by their owners and appearing in the credits. Upon completion, the videofilms are released directly on video (known as "Home videos"); they are replicated into about 200,000 copies of video cassettes (and later VCDs and DVDs), and then distributed to markets, video clubs and eventually various homes.
“When I was growing up in the early aughts, there was a video film rental club in the form of a store close to our family home at Ifako, Lagos,” says Nwokedi Kenechukwu, a culture writer living in Lagos. There were reportedly over 6,000 registered video parlors and even more unregistered ones in 2007. In 2008, when the video age was at its peak, the industry released almost 200 video films monthly, making it the second-largest maker of films anywhere in the world.
However, this boom also led to backlash against Nigerian films in several countries; For instance, there have been reported cases of shops selling Nigerian films being raided by the police in Ghana; according to them, "they are struggling not to be colonized by Nigerian movies". Several other governments also introduced protectionist measures, some of which include introducing taxes for production houses who want to shoot films in their countries. In July 2010, Ghana started demanding US$1,000 from visiting Nigerian actors and US$5,000 from producers and directors.
According to the Filmmakers Cooperative of Nigeria, every film in Nigeria had a potential audience of 15 million people in Nigeria and about 5 million outside Nigeria. In no time, the industry became the third largest producer of films in the world. However, this didn't translate to an overtly commercial film industry when compared to other major film hubs across the world; the worth of the industry was approximated at just about US$250 million, since most of the films produced were cheaply made. The film industry regardless became a major employer in Nigeria. As at 2007, with a total number of 6,841 registered video parlours and an estimated of about 500,000 unregistered ones, the estimated revenue generated by sales and rentals of movies in Lagos State alone was estimated to be ₦804 million (US$5 million) per week, which adds up to an estimated ₦33.5 billion (US$209 million) revenue for Lagos State per annum.
Several actors have noted situations where they show up on a set and the script was being written whilst they were on set, and all their scenes shot in one day. Also, actors have confirmed usual scenarios of having to wear their own clothes and do their own make up for film shoots. It was reported that star actors, who often work on several films at the same time, as a result won't show up when they're supposed to.
After the peak in the production of films in 2005 through 2008, the numbers have been on steady decline. The decline of this mode of filmmaking has been attributed to high levels of copyright infringement, which deterred investment in video films.
The Evolution of Nollywood: From Celluloid to Netflix | w/ Kadeshprince (2 Decades of Film History!)
The Digital Era: "New Nollywood"
About the mid-2000s, however, multiple issues with the Nollywood model were becoming more apparent. Films were still largely low-budget affairs, most working with $25,000 or less. These sums were acquired through small loans from private investors or from the director’s own pocket. Higher budgets could sometimes be obtained with foreign financing, but this limited the autonomy of the African filmmakers. Furthermore, the financial struggle of making a movie almost never paid off. Pirating was widespread; in the early 2010s it was estimated that there were 5 to 10 bootleg copies of films on the market for every legitimate one. Studios were turning out four to five movies per day, oversaturating the market and further diluting profits for filmmakers.
These problems sparked a new model in Nollywood filmmaking, frequently dubbed “New Nollywood,” taken up by directors such as Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba, and Tunde Kelani to improve the quality of Nigerian cinema. By the 2010s there was a renewed interest in fresh, creative plots with well-written dialogue, as well as in procuring better equipment to improve the visual quality of movies. Afolayan’s 2009 film The Figurine was shot with a budget of about $330,000, which was high for Nollywood. The script took five years to develop and shooting took three months-a rarity in Nollywood, with most films being shot in about a week. The Figurine received international attention, and critics lauded the quality of plot, performance, and production.
The distribution strategy for these higher budget films relied on theatrical releases to raise revenue before releasing the film on DVD. Releasing films on DVD first had made them easier to pirate. Though funding is often still a difficult and lengthy process for Nollywood productions, support from the Nigerian government in recent years has helped improve cinematography. In March 2023 Pres. Muhammadu Buhari signed a new copyright bill aimed at cracking down on piracy and protecting intellectual property rights in the digital space.
The cinema made a resurgence much later, with Nigeria witnessing an increase in theaters located in affluent cities and in well-known, bustling malls where other commercial activities took place. The Silverbird Group, one of the significant pioneers of this era, erected a theater with the same name at their upscale mall on Victoria Island. A new generation of filmmakers, some of whom had training in filmmaking, also emerged in the 2000s. This was reflected in their films, such as The Figurine (2009), Ijé (2010), and The Wedding Party (2016). Compared to films produced before the video boom, these stood out for their greater narrative complexity, aesthetic value, and general production quality.
There are significant differences between old and more recent Nollywood films. “I appreciate that new Nollywood is more daring about its storytelling,” says Samson Toromade, an editor for Pulse Nigeria. “But I need to watch films that provoke strong feelings I can remember two or twenty years later, just based on how well I can relate the story to what's happening around me, outside the screen.
Before the advent of streaming, cinemas were the primary distribution channel for Nollywood films. Most of these films would frequently remain in cinemas for weeks or months, depending on how profitable they were. Streaming proved to be an appropriate avenue for people who may have missed a theatrical release or are new to Nollywood. Early on, Netflix was one of the streaming services to prioritize hosting Nigerian titles on their service. Before the international streamer’s launch in 2020, the company had some Nigerian films and collaborated with established filmmakers.
However, the launch also felt like a way for the company to establish a foothold as a significant player in the booming film industry. Soon after, Amazon’s Prime Video came along, and more streamers began teasing and investing in local content. The last few years have seen both streaming giants steadily growing their subscriber bases in Nigeria, with both companies fighting for dominance in the Nigerian market. Their presence has also been crucial to the growth of the industry. Additionally, streaming has been a catalyst for Nigerian filmmakers to think outside the box when crafting stories, seeing as their films now reach a global audience and open them up to broader critique. Director Fiyin Gambo, who made Prime Video’s The Blood Covenant, sees this as “a double-edged sword,” but adds, “it definitely helps us as filmmakers have a global outlook.
Nollywood's Global Impact and Future
Over the past few years, there has been a massive export of various fragments of Nigerian culture across various parts of the world. It’s not uncommon to find some of the country’s biggest stars on international stages, and Nollywood films have been a prevalent source of internet gifs and memes since at least 2019. But before Nollywood became the colossal cinematic empire worth over $6.4 billion, it had humble beginnings.
The advent of streaming services has also helped stymie pirates, although some filmmakers claim that they are not sufficiently paid by these platforms. Nevertheless, streaming has made Nollywood movies much more accessible in Africa and beyond. In the 2000s thousands of Nigerian and Ghanaian films were streamed internationally through a channel on YouTube. In 2011 the channel launched its own streaming platform, iROKOtv, and began developing content of its own. Netflix also began licensing many Nollywood movies in 2015 and began creating content in Nollywood in 2020.
Nollywood films have become staples of satellite and cable television channels across Africa, dubbed into various local languages. Nollywood TV, a satellite television channel associated with CANAL+, offers versions dubbed into French for Francophone African countries.
Today megastars such as Ramsey Nouah, Genevieve Nnaji, and Ade Otukoya influence popular culture and fashion across Africa. Many across the continent appreciate that the industry’s success enables African filmmakers to create high-quality movies for African audiences on their own terms, without catering to Western sensibilities. As Nigerian cinema becomes more in demand, production quality continues to grow.
According to PwC, the Nigerian film business generated 2.3% of the country's GDP, or 239 billion naira ($660 million), in 2021. The company forecasts that it will generate $1 billion in export income. Beyond the revenue brought in is the prestige of global acclaim. One of the biggest goals for the industry is to win an Academy Award for International Feature Film.
While some of the most popular Nollywood titles still compete with international blockbusters for a share of the box office, more work still needs to be done, and filmmakers know it. With increasing investment from various companies interested in mining Nigerian stories and exposing them to a global audience, Nollywood certainly has a bright future. Filmmakers like Imasuen want to spread Nigerian films around the world.
Imasuen want to spread Nigerian films around the world. Will they? I don't know. Should they? As I watched the documentary, I wondered what a director like Imasuen would do with the average Hollywood studio budget of $60 to $70 million. However, maybe he'd instead create what one critic called the definititve Nigerian movie. But as a documentary on Hollywood or Bollywood would call for, an extended series would do the subject matter better justice, because there’s only so much that one can cover in 90 minutes. So, maybe the next step is some kind of multi-episode PBS series, which I can actually see happening. It’s right up their alley. But I’d say Nollywood Babylon is a decent, quick introduction for anyone completely unfamiliar with the industry.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Nigeria gains independence, leading to the development of its own film industry. |
| 1972 | Indigenization Decree mandates the return of film theaters to Nigerian ownership. |
| 1980s | Economic depression leads to the collapse of the celluloid film industry. Emergence of video film market. |
| 1988 | Soso Meji, the first film produced on video in Nigeria. |
| 1992 | Living in Bondage triggers the direct-to-video distribution system. |
| 2000s | Emergence of "New Nollywood" with higher production quality and narrative complexity. |
| 2004 | Silverbird Cinemas opens, improving distribution channels. |
| 2010s | Rise of streaming services like iROKOtv and Netflix, increasing global accessibility. |
| 2021 | Nollywood generates 2.3% of Nigeria's GDP, amounting to $660 million. |
