New Nollywood Era

Late 2000s - Present

NEW NOLLYWOOD ERA

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Snippet from Lionheart

This is the current phase in Nigerian cinema. It is defined by a major shift in the method of film production, from the home video format, back to the cinema method, which constituted the films produced in the Golden Era.

The Silverbird Group is the first company to launch a series of modern cinema houses across major cities in Nigeria. Not long after the establishment of Silverbird Cinemas, Genesis Deluxe Cinemas, Ozone Cinemas, and Filmhouse Cinemas were also launched, creating competition in the cinema business.

The first New Wave film to be shown at a cinema was the Yoruba-language film Irapada (2006) by Kunle Afolayan. Several grants were also launched by the Nigerian Government, in order to support quality content in Nigerian films.

NOTABLE FILMS

The Figurine: Araromire is a 2009 Nigerian supernatural suspense thriller film written by Kemi Adesoye, produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan, who also stars in the film as one of the main protagonists. It also stars Ramsey Nouah and Omoni Oboli.

THE FIGURINE

The script took nine months to be finalized and the development stage took five years. It’s release was met with widespread critical acclaim. The Figurine has also been used as a subject of educational studies in the Arts department of some higher institutions.

Ijé or Ijé: The Journey is a 2010 Nigerian drama film directed by Chineze Anyaene and starring Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji.

Ijé or Ijé: The Journey

Ijé became the highest grossing Nigerian film, a record it held for four years, until it was overtaken in 2014 by Half of a Yellow Sun (2013)

The Wedding Party is a 2016 Nigerian romantic comedy drama directed by Kemi Adetiba.

THE WEDDING PARTY

The film was released worldwide on 16 December 2016, and became the highest grossing Nigerian film, a record which was broken in 2021 by Omo Ghetto: The Saga. In August 2017, the film was made available on Netflix.

Lionheart is a 2018 Nigerian drama film produced by Chinny Onwugbenu and directed by Genevieve Nnaji. It was acquired by Netflix on 7 September 2018, making it the first Netflix original film produced in Nigeria.

LIONHEART

It was the first Nigerian movie to be submitted to the Oscars. It was however disqualified because majority of the dialogue is in English and only about ten minutes of the film is in Igbo.

King of Boys is a 2018 Nigerian crime political thriller film written, co-produced and directed by Kemi Adetiba. King of Boys grossed ₦ 200 million after 7 weeks in cinemas and ₦245 million overall.

KING OF BOYS

The sequel, The Return of the King was released on 27 August 2021 exclusively on Netflix as a 7-part limited series

Aníkúlápó is a 2022 Nigerian epic fantasy film produced by Kunle Afolayan and distributed by Netflix. Eleven days after its release, it was the #1 most-watched non-English Netflix original film.

Aníkúlápó

It was produced and shot on a 40 acres with all infrastructure and buildings all built from scratch to suit the production while also intending to make it a film village

KEY FIGURES

KUNLE AFOLAYAN

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. Some of the movies he has directed include, Irapada, The Figurine, Phone Swap, October 1, Citation, Anikulapo

KEMI ADETIBA

Nigerian filmmaker, television director, and music video director, Kemi Adetiba has become a force to be reckoned with in the Nollywood industry. Popular for her blockbuster political thriller "King of Boys", she has a knack for creating masterpieces from her input on the 2016 movie "Wedding Party", which entered the highest-grossing movie list that year.

MO ABUDU

Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu is one of the most powerful women in global media. Mosunmola Abudu, also known as Mo Abudu, is the founder of EbonyLife TV and has been described by Forbes as "Africa's Most Successful Woman", and rated as one of the "25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television" by The Hollywood Reporter.

GENEVIEVE NNAJI

Genevieve Nnaji is a Nigerian actress, producer, and director who started her acting career at the age of 8. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actor to win the award. Her directorial debut movie, Lionheart, is the first Netflix film from Nigeria and the first Nigerian submission for the Oscars. She became the first billionaire in Nollywood when her Netflix film Lion Heart premiered for an estimated $3.8 million.

NIYI AKINMOLAYAN

Niyi Akinmolayan is a Nigerian filmmaker and director and one of Nollywood’s most successful hitmakers. Five of his films rank in the top 50 highest grossing Nigerian films: The Wedding Party 2, Chief Daddy, Prophetess, My Village People, and The Set Up. He is also the founder and Creative Director of Anthill Studios, a media production facility. In January 2022, Anthill Studios signed a multi-year deal with Amazon Prime Video.

RICHARD MOFE-DAMIJO

With a career spanning several decades, Richard Mofe-Damijo popularly known as RMD is still breaking new grounds in the Nigerian movie industry. With over three decades of perfectly delivering his roles in movies, giving us more reasons to believe in the Nollywood industry and its bright future, no doubt, RMD still remains one of Africa’s most talented actors. It does not quite end there! RMD is also one of the best-dressed actors in Nollywood, with a highly admirable sense of fashion and incredible style.

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