The cinema of Nigeria, often referred to informally as Nollywood, consists of films produced in Nigeria; its history dates back to as early as the late 19th century and into the colonial era in the early 20th century. The history and development of the Nigerian motion picture industry is sometimes generally classified in four main eras: the Colonial era, Golden Age era, Video film era and the emerging New Nigerian cinema era.
Zachee Ama Orji is a veteran Nigerian actor, director, producer and filmmaker known for his role in Nollywood movies Glamour Girls, and Blood Money. Aside from acting, Orji is a preacher.
Welcome to Nollywood is a 2007 documentary film about the Nigerian movie industry, directed by Jamie Meltzer. It premiered at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and also played at the Avignon Film Festival and the Melbourne International Film Festival in the summer of 2007.
Desmond Oluwashola Elliot is a Nigerian actor, director, and politician. He was elected as a lawmaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Surulere Constituency, in the 11 April 2015 Nigerian General Elections. Elliot competed to become the ambassador for the Face of Hope Project, a "volunteer-based non-profit, non-religious, non-political organization established to give hope to the hopeless", in which he will work toward fixing "child illiteracy in Nigeria and Africa at large" should he emerge. He won best supporting actor in a drama at the 2nd Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards and was nominated for best supporting actor at the 10th Africa Movie Academy Awards.
Kunle Afolayan is a Nigerian actor, producer and director. He is widely credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies through larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in cinemas, and improving cliché Nollywood storylines. After starting his film career as an actor in the 1999 political drama Saworoide, Afolayan made his directorial debut in 2006 with Irapada, a Nigerian supernatural thriller, which won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Film in an African Language. His follow-on directing credits include The Figurine, Phone Swap, October 1, and Citation. October 1 was the winner of 16 major African movie awards in 2015 and the second highest grossing Nigerian film at the time of its release, a feat Afolayan was to repeat two years later with The CEO. In 2021, the director signed a three-picture deal with Netflix. Swallow, the screen adaption of Sefi Atta's book of the same name was the first to be released in October 2021, followed by Aníkúlápó, an epic Nigerian fantasy released in September 2022. Afolayan has described the work as a "Game of Thrones recreated in Nigeria but with a better representation of our culture”. Eleven days after its release, it was the #1 most-watched non-English Netflix original film.
Chiwetalu Agu is a Nigerian actor. He won the 2012 Nollywood award for 'best actor in indigenous movie '. His usage of specific language slangs, phrases or clichés in many films has made him uniquely a household name in Nigeria and among Nollywood fans in general. While asserting that comic genres is a unique vehicle in projecting Nigerian culture globally as well as establishing the Nollywood brand, Agu is listed as one of the outstanding comedians who have contributed to the development of Nollywood comic genres by Prof. Femi Shaka of the University of Port Harcourt. Agu is married to Nkechi and has three sons and two daughters.
Segun Arinze is a Nigerian actor and singer.
Zeb Ejiro, MFR is a Nigerian filmmaker and producer. He is one of the two brothers of Chico Ejiro, a veteran Nigerian filmmaker and producer.
The video film era, also known as the home video era, is a period in Nigerian cinema, typically from the late 1980s / early 1990s to mid 2010s, when Nigerian films were made using affordable video format. The video boom era emerged after the downturn of the Golden era of the Nigerian cinema in the late 1980s. The term "home video" stems from the concept of staying at home to watch the films, in contrast to films of the Golden Age that were watched at the movie theatres.
New Nigerian Cinema or New Nigerian Cinema era is an emerging phase in Nigerian cinema, in which there became a major shift in the method of film production, from the video format, which came about during the video boom, back to the cinema method, which constituted the films produced in the Golden era of Nigerian cinema history. The films in the New Wave are specifically characterized by improved narrative complexity, aesthetic nuance, much higher budgets and advanced overall production values, when compared to video films from the second generation of filmmakers. They are mostly released theatrically, although some are still released directly on DVD.
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject of several controversies.
Emem Isong is a Nigerian screenwriter, film producer, and film director. She has become known primarily for films in the English language, and is a dominant figure in the Nollywood industry. Her second directed feature, Code of Silence, which deals with rape in Nigeria, was released in 2015.
Amaechi Muonagor was a Nigerian actor, producer and comedian. He was nominated for the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards for Best actor. Born in Obosi, Anambra State, a state in the southeastern part of Nigeria. He joined the Nigerian movie industry Nollywood in 1998 and had starred in many movies including Taboo 1 (1989), Aki and Pawpaw, Karishika (1998), and Aki na Ukwa (2002), Igodo (1999).
Blood Money: The Vulture Men, also known as just Blood Money, is a 1997 Nigerian occult film directed by Chico Ejiro and starring Kanayo O. Kanayo, Zack Orji, Francis Agu, Steve Eboh, Francis Duru, Sam Dede, and Ejike Asiegbu.
Oyekunle Opeyemi Oluwaremi, professionally known as Kunle Remi, is a Nigerian actor, producer, filmmaker, content creator, host, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, and model. He was known for his appearance in Falling, Family Forever, Tinsel, and Aníkúlápó. He won the 7th edition of Gulder Ultimate Search in 2010. While studying at the New York Film Academy, he was simultaneously hosting an Internet Television Channel, Celebville 360. He made his first significant hosting appearance at the Academy Awards nomination event in Beverly Hills. By 2012, he was cast in his first movie, Heavy Beauty, produced by Grace Edwin Okon and directed by Stanlee Ohikhuare. Though he graduated in 2014, he returned to study filmmaking and directing, and graduated in 2015.
Ifeanyi Onyeabo (1971–2019), was a Nigerian filmmaker. He is most notable for the films My Mother’s Heart, 5 Apostles, Darkest Knight and One Good Turn.
Steve Gukas is a Nollywood filmmaker, director and producer who believes that films should be used to address the ills of the society.
Silent Night is a 1996 Action Nigerian Film about robbery whereby a gang was formed by different people. It was directed by Chico Ejiro
Scores to settle is a 1998 Nigerian film about a widow who faces different struggles. It was directed by Chico Ejiro. The Nollywood film was released on 1 January 1998 by Great movies Ltd.
Joy Grant-Ekong formerly known as Joy Aiyegbeni is a Nigerian television and film producer, director, script supervisor and a production consultant, known for her 2020 drama film Mama Drama and One Too Many.
