Cannes 2025: Nollywood basks in spotlight as Nigerian film finally makes the cut

France 24

20-05-2025

Nollywood's Cannes moment has finally come.
After decades on the sidelines of the world's most prestigious movie showcase, Nigeria is making a splash in Cannes this year with a first-ever feature film in the festival's official lineup – backed up by a slew of producers and officials determined to turn Africa's leading film industry into a global giant.
Leading the charge is director Akinola Davies Jr, whose debut feature 'My Father's Shadow', featuring 'Gangs of London' star Sope Dirisu, screened in the festival's Un Certain Regard segment dedicated to emerging filmmakers.
'I always heard about Cannes when I was growing up and to find myself here with my first film in the most prestigious festival in the world is a bit surreal,' says the filmmaker, writer and video artist whose work is based between Nigeria and the UK.
'Being the first Nigerian film selected at Cannes is also something very special,' he adds.
Set over a single day in Lagos in 1993, 'My Father's Shadow' follows two boys trailing after their absent father through the bustling metropolis as the country teeters on the brink of yet another military coup. Based on a screenplay by Davies' younger brother Wale, it's a deeply personal story for the two siblings who were both toddlers when their father died.
'Nigerian men are still expected to provide for their families, which means they're away working most of the time, and sometimes far away,' says the filmmaker. 'We wanted to explore this question of which is more important: the frantic quest to earn a living or spending more time with those you love?'
Davies shot the film over six weeks, including in Lagos, the most densely populated city in Africa. He likens the experience to a 'logistical Olympics'.
'The film industry is massive in Nigeria, but with its own way of doing things,' he explains. 'Every day it felt like we had to move mountains.'
Second only to Bollywood
Nigeria's film industry has expanded dramatically over the past three decades to become the world's second most prolific, trailing only India's. It churns out some 2,500 films each year, almost five times as many as the United States.
Most are produced in a matter of weeks, on shoestring budgets. They tend to carry a distinctive cultural imprint based on the everyday concerns of Nigerians, often spiced with the supernatural.
'It's a fantastic and extremely dynamic industry,' says Davies. 'Nollywood was born out of necessity. People who wanted to be part of the film world picked up VHS camcorders and just started making their films.'
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Despite its massive output, the industry has traditionally struggled to reach beyond continental audiences and the African diaspora.
'As it comes from a densely populated country with a large diaspora, it's a cinema that can tend to be a little insular, wanting to tell its own stories for its own audience,' Davies explains. 'But it's also a young cinema, only about thirty years old."
Amazon's volte-face
Nollywood first took off in the 1990s in the wake of an economic downturn that closed the country's cinemas and fostered the emergence of a homegrown industry centred on films produced and distributed directly on video cassettes.
Since then, the industry has grown exponentially, spawning local offshoots – such as the Muslim north's 'Kannywood', named after the city of Kano – and catching the eye of streaming platforms that have helped expand its international reach.
But there have been setbacks, too. Amazon closed down its Africa operation last year in a major blow to local industries. Business insiders say Netflix is also poised to hit the brakes, making Nigeria's Cannes breakthrough all the more timely.
The Nigerian government has sent a delegation to the French Riviera gathering to launch a new initiative dubbed 'Screen Nigeria', designed to raise Nollywood's global profile and attracting foreign investment. It is part of a wider development programme that aims to create two million jobs in tourism and the creative industries and contribute $100 million to Nigeria's GDP by 2030.
'Some people see the withdrawal of streaming platforms as a crisis. I think it's more of an opportunity to see how we can create our own distribution system,' says Nigerian film producer Lilian Olubi. 'Africa, as a whole, has the people and the talent to meet this challenge.'
Showcasing 'our own stories'
Olubi is in Cannes to present 'Osamede', a big-budget historical fantasy set during the British invasion of 1897. It tells the story of a young orphan girl with magical powers who sets off on a mission to save her kingdom from colonial invaders.
Based on a Beninese legend, the Nollywood-style blockbuster is also inspired by Africa-set Hollywood action epics such as 'Black Panther' and 'The Woman King'. Its producer is counting on Cannes, home to the world's largest film market, to land deals with international distributors.
'In Africa, we have our own hero stories, but they are very local, and it is important to showcase them,' says director James Omokwe at the film's market screening. 'To make a profit from a film like ours, it's essential to be distributed outside Nigeria, both on the continent and overseas.'
Omokwe, who is attending his first Cannes Film Festival, says Davies' selection in the official lineup is a boon for all Nigerian filmmakers. 'This will open new doors for our industry,' he explains. 'It's an international spotlight for our work.'
The Cannes imprimatur sanctions Nollywood's 'international credibility', adds his producer Olubi. 'It's proof that our creativity is real and powerful.'