A look at the never-say-die Nigerian film industry’s emerging money-spinning trends.



POPULARLY KNOWN AS Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry is the world’s second-largest producer of commercial cinema, and also accounts for 5% of Nigeria’s GDP. It is estimated that over 2,500 movies are produced each year in Nollywood with the industry employing more than a million people. Ingenuity and resourcefulness have always been a trademark of Nollywood, from homemade movies to ground-breaking blockbusters over the past decade. But the industry is not without its share of controversies. On the one hand, you have the never-say-die attitude of Nigerians combined with the glitzy and glamorous red-carpet events with celebrities attracting multi-million-naira brand endorsements. But underneath, the industry is characterized by a lack of funding and piracy, which has consistently robbed filmmakers of their revenues. But Covid-19 has led to a halt in Nollywood production decimating millions of dollars in earnings for the industry. The pandemic’s arrival has led to producers looking at new ways of staying afloat as well as focusing on higher-quality movies for streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon who are hoping to take a slice of the 200-million content market. FORBES AFRICA spoke with three of the key players in Nollywood to find out about the current state of the industry and what trends will affect its future. 



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h3 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">‘Nollywood Offers A Gateway To A New Opportunity In Africa’</h3>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">Mo Abudu, CEO, EbonyLife Media</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignleft size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-703x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48273" width="323" height="470" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-703x1024.jpg 703w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-206x300.jpg 206w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-768x1118.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-1055x1536.jpg 1055w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-1407x2048.jpg 1407w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-300x437.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-600x873.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Mo-Abudu-1-scaled.jpg 1759w" sizes="(max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px" /></figure></div>



Abudu began EbonyLife in 2013 by launching a premium TV channel and in the same year, the company announced its first international partnership with Disney Media Distribution EMEA on the iconic hit series Desperate Housewives, bringing a new take on the series’ darkly comic view of suburbia to African audiences. In 2018, Sony Pictures Television announced a three-year deal with EbonyLife TV, In January this year, AMC Networks (USA) announced its partnership with EbonyLife to produce Nigeria 2099, an Afro-futuristic crime-drama created by EbonyLife and in June, Netflix signed a multi-title deal with EbonyLife to create two original series and multiple branded films and a series. Abudu shares more:



How has Nollywood evolved over the years?



The Nigerian entertainment industry is currently going through a renaissance. While historically, Nigeria has been dependent on oil and agriculture to subsidize its economy, Nollywood is rapidly taking over this role, not just in terms of content creation, but also in terms of distribution within Africa and the rest of the world. It’s inspiring to see more stories out of Nollywood told by Nigerian creators, and using resources found in Nigeria.&nbsp;



As a result, there is an international desire to invest in Nollywood stories, to make investments in productions within the nation’s borders, and hence elevate the quality of output to make it more appealing to a global audience. For example, among the highlights of our partnership with Netflix will be a film adaptation of Death and the King’s Horseman, a play by Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka, and a series based on Lola Shoneyin’s best-selling debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. Nigerian entertainment is no longer just for Nigeria, but also the world.



How far can Nollywood go in the global content marketplace?



The new interest in black culture and the questioning of colonialization’s legacy has resulted in international interest in Nollywood. Nollywood can draw upon the rising momentum in the United States and the United Kingdom in particular and offer viewers a wide array of works by black creators. Global streaming services are now offering more curated content to subscribers than ever before. Now, millions of people have access to content from Nollywood. EbonyLife’s first feature film Fifty, the only film selected from Nigeria, and one of only five films from the entire continent of Africa from 238 films selected globally for screening at the 2015 BFI London Film Festival, became the first Nigerian film to stream on Netflix in 2015. Our other film projects licensed by Netflix include The Wedding Party 1 and 2, Chief Daddy, and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. Recently, Netflix acquired EbonyLife’s most popular drama series: Castle &amp; Castle, Fifty: The Series, Sons of the Caliphate, and On The Real, amongst others.&nbsp;



What are the current trends you are noticing in the content space and how is Nollywood adjusting to those trends? 



Nollywood offers a gateway to a new opportunity in Africa – in light of the recent racial tensions around the world, broadcasters are now more committed to commissioning relevant and authentic content reflecting the lives of global black audiences on an ongoing basis. There is a new desire, in short, for authenticity, or people speaking from their own experiences, telling stories from their unique perspectives. Nigeria has a historic tradition of exhibiting emotional, dramatic, and dynamic, rich content. Nigerian audiences have always been unafraid to see social issues mixed even into otherwise escapist entertainment. New media and the craving for new ideas has made Nollywood creators interested in exploring new formats for storytelling. Nigerian creators are also seeking outside training and resources to produce films that meet high international standards of visual and artistic interest. To meet this demand, EbonyLife is setting up a creative academy to build a bridge to the sub-Saharan African film and television industry, towards a value chain based on international best practices.&nbsp;



How has Covid-19 affected the Nigerian entertainment industry? 



In light of Covid-19, many international film festivals and global conferences have gone online, which has enabled more Nigerian creators to gain access to new audiences through live streams and virtual spaces rather than physical sessions that are more costly to attend. As a result, the online move has opened doors for virtual networking and building opportunities with Nigerian creatives in the industry. The pandemic also forced Nollywood to work differently, to become more technology-driven in a manner that reaches more specific niches, including black audiences all over the world.&nbsp;



There are now more reasons than ever to connect people around the world via the internet. The fact that more people are watching content on the small screen versus movie theaters has, in particular, caused this shift. Despite the halted production and gradual move back with increased health insecurity and insurance costs, interest in film-making remains high in Nigeria. The loss of jobs has balanced with opportunities for innovation. There has been a greater focus on pre-production, story development, writing and post-production work virtually.



<h3 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">‘We Have Stories The World Hasn’t Heard’</h3>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">Omoni Oboli, Actress, Producer and Director</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-746x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48276" width="413" height="567" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-746x1024.jpg 746w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-219x300.jpg 219w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-768x1054.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-1120x1536.jpg 1120w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-1493x2048.jpg 1493w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-300x412.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868-600x823.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Omoni-Oboli-2-scaled-e1602166800868.jpg 1707w" sizes="(max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px" /></figure></div>



Oboli began her career in 1996. Her company, Dioni Visions Entertainment, has produced blockbusters in Nigerian cinema, with such films as Being Mrs Elliott, Wives On Strike and Okafor’s Law which was an official selection at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Her movies are on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Iroko, and other streaming platforms. Her views on the movie business:



How would you describe the current state of the Nigerian entertainment industry?



The Nigerian movie industry needs a major boost to spark the flames that are clearly unwilling to be put out. Unlike other forms of entertainment, movie producers have only the sales and release of their movies to make their money back. With no serious checks and curtailing of the nature of piracy and no aggressive protection of intellectual property, we’re pretty much left to our own individual means of getting our money back from our work.&nbsp;



While all areas of entertainment are touched, I’m more specific about the movie business. We’ve been able to push our products far and wide with little resources, so it’s clear we have what it takes to break the ceiling given the talent that abounds, but without the structured means of having good returns on our investment, it’s hard for so many who are in the industry, especially those who are not at the top of the food chain, to make ends meet. There’s hope, and that’s the hope many hold on to.&nbsp;



What factors would you say have contributed to the global demand for Nollywood?



The first would be the obvious one: migration. With Africans everywhere in the diaspora, our movies, music and brand of comedy, and stage performances, are being demanded by them first, and then by others who see the infectious frenzy around our work by Africans everywhere. Our movies and entertainment bring a nostalgic feeling. The next is our unique stories. We have stories that the world hasn’t heard, or nuances to the same stories that breaks the monotony of the often-recycled stories.&nbsp;



What we may lack in production value, [compared to the likes of Hollywood and Bollywood], we are able to hold our audiences with the storylines, which are different, but resonate with everyone who watches them. Also, with the internet and social media, we can see the cross-cultural advantages that come with the global village and the growing yearning for inclusion and diversity. Whatever the reason, we love what we see with the popularity of our work.&nbsp;



Do you think Nollywood has what it takes to compete in the global content market? 



Sure it does. Nollywood started as the outlier; the great stories (product) with a poor wrapping, but has metamorphosed into the more presentable work we see today, and improving and competing with contemporaries the world over. We may not have arrived where we’re going, but where and what we are right now is far from, and better than, where we used to be. We have the stories, and with new stories to tell, the world has come to appreciate what we’re saying, and with time, has grown to appreciate and celebrate how we’re delivering it. With better returns on our investment, we can see more and more works of great art with each year and each producer pushing the envelope to give our stories more life and present our stories in its raw yet easy-to-watch format that resonates with all audiences. With the growing love the world has for our music, and its expression by us through our movies, we have seen more foreigners beginning to appreciate our candid presentations that are closer to our reality than if they were shot by a foreigner who may have the means to do justice to the production value, yet lose the essence that makes it authentically Nigerian. You can’t separate our stories from our mannerisms and language and culture.



<h3 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">‘The Progress Of Nollywood Is In Leaps And Bounds Now’</h3>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center wp-block-heading">Richard Mofe-Damijo, Actor and Producer</h4>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="alignright size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833-822x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-48275" width="369" height="459" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833-822x1024.jpg 822w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833-241x300.jpg 241w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833-768x956.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833-300x374.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833-600x747.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Richard-Mofe-Damijo-e1602166644833.jpg 853w" sizes="(max-width: 369px) 100vw, 369px" /></figure></div>



Mofe-Damijo, popularly known by the moniker ‘RMD’ is one of the most successful actors in Nollywood. At 59 years old, the veteran actor has starred in over 75 movies and is also a qualified lawyer specializing in Intellectual Property. Over his acting career, which spans a period of 37 years, he has won every best actor award there is as well as is the only actor who has won the prestigious African Movie Academy Awards twice for best actor along with receiving a lifetime achievement award. He is the founder of RMD Productions which produces content for DSTV as well as is currently developing a slate of docu series in Nigeria. He is also starring in a lead role in Netflix’s first original Nigerian series.



How far has Nollywood come over the years?



The progress of Nollywood is in leaps and bounds now and there is a lot of collaboration with other film-making countries in the world. The streaming services have been very kind to us in Nigeria, so Nigerian movies have a very strong presence on the Netflix and Amazon platforms&#8230; So, in terms of impact, they usually say we are the second-largest film production industry in the world or the third, always between Hollywood or Bollywood and the good thing is we are in contention.&nbsp;



Covid-19 has been a major threat to the industry but just like the never-die spirit of Nigeria, we are all back again and making sure we keep producing movies.



What factors have led to the proliferation of Nollywood on the global market?



The authenticity of our stories means we tell our stories in the best way we can. We don’t have access to funds as most Hollywood or Bollywood movies will have. What we do here is like performing bypass surgery with forks and knives because of the limited funds. Technology has improved so we have embraced technology in production. So at least the standard of production has increased significantly. This has accounted for the big box office movies we have and created the cinema-going culture.&nbsp;



Nigerians are also getting cast in international movies now and we have more or less affected the whole of the West African region and African continent and a lot of them are now also looking inward to tell their own stories. Nigerians in the diaspora are constantly looking for ways to connect back home so our movies have become a tool for them to connect. The reason Netflix is here is because they know we can compete; our films are beginning to speak for themselves.



What new trends are shaping the stories being told in Nollywood?



Producers are looking to get their movies to the point where we can get our movies to be judged for international awards now and this means we are going to get more authentic stories from Nigeria.&nbsp;



This is something that will help boost our movies globally.

Screenshot 2020-10-08 at 16.13.58

The Blockbuster Named NOLLYWOOD

In Ajegunle, a neighborhood located in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria, Tunde Amaechi is readying for an audition. This will be his 20th in a month and today’s audition is on the other side of town in Victoria Island. The trip will cost him two weeks’ wages but the potential gain is worth it.
“I am auditioning for a role in Desperate Housewives Africa. I get to say three lines, which is very good for me. When you get a speaking part, it means you are moving up and I think I will get this one by God’s grace,” says Amaechi.
Nigeria’s growing movie industry, known as Nollywood, is the third largest in the world following Hollywood and Bollywood.
Its growth has spawned a generation of young people desperate for the limelight and a chance to make it big in the movie business. For Amaechi, it is the only way he can help his mother and two sisters escape poverty.
<div id="attachment_32086" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32086" class="wp-image-32086 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-1024x512.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="512" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-300x150.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-600x300.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/93Days-credit-Toronto-Film-Festival-768x384.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Cast from 93 Days</div>
“I lost my father at an early age and since then I have been the main breadwinner of the house. Making it in Nollywood means my family will be taken care of and my little sisters will have a chance at a better life. It is also my dream to make it and be as big as Ramsey Nouah [popular Nigerian actor],” he says.
With no acting background, Amaechi, like millions of young struggling actors, is looking for that life-changing role and no distance is too far to travel for that break.
Chuks Amaka is an actor and entrepreneur living in Lekki, Victoria Island. He has featured in a number of roles including M-Net’s flagship daily soap Tinsel as well as some local productions and also played the role of executive producer in his own movie. For him, the movie industry, like any other, is a business and the end game is money.
“The goal is to cross over from Nollywood into Hollywood. That is where most actors want to go and that is where the money is. They believe if you build a strong enough brand in Africa’s largest economy, then America will come knocking,” says Amaka.
That belief is not far-fetched. In 2015, American actor Danny Glover starred in 93 Days, a film on the deadly Ebola virus in Nigeria. Acting with the veteran Hollywood star were some of Nollywood’s finest, all vying for international recognition. Beasts of No Nation, the Netflix-distributed civil war movie starring another Hollywood bigwig, Idris Elba, was also shot in Nigeria and Ghana with actors queuing up for hours for a part in a big Hollywood production.
“The natural evolution for any Nollywood actor is to make a name in Africa and then hit the big leagues in Hollywood. These type of blockbusters are hotly-contested and every actor knows this is a potential golden ticket,” says Amaka.
For Amaechi, however, that dream is too big to comprehend. Making a name in Nollywood is already a tall order. He has been auditioning for roles for the past year and is yet to secure any paid work. He supplements his income by working as a waiter at the local Bheerhugz Cafe in Ikeja, Lagos. The Desperate Housewives Africa role will be the first time he may be paid for his work. He is optimistic his fate will change.
“This means everything. I love acting and all I need is the opportunity for the world to see my talent. I know I can be one of the biggest in Nollywood then the rest of the world,” says Amaechi.
Austin Abolaji is a Nollywood actor from Imo State, Nigeria. In 2012, he starred in the action drama film, Black November, with an ensemble cast of international stars including Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Vivica Fox and Wyclef Jean. The movie premiered at the Kennedy Center in the United States.
<div id="attachment_32088" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-32088" class="wp-image-32088 size-large" src="http://www.forbesafrica.com/app/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-1024x615.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="615" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-300x180.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-600x360.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Omoni-Oboli-768x461.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />Omoni Oboli</div>
“Nollywood is still growing and there are massive opportunities in this sector, however it will take a long time before actors are paid properly for their craft. When you look at the average Hollywood actor, they get paid a lot better for the same roles we are doing here. This is one of the reasons why people want to make it in Hollywood,” says Abolaji.
Another reason is the acclaim.
“After Lupita Nyong’o won the Oscar, we all now believe it is possible. We saw her acting in MTV Shuga and to see one of us from Africa succeed in Hollywood is motivation for all of us. She is probably the biggest African actress in the world right now,” says Abolaji.
Nyong’o’s Oscar win has been the catalyst for a new lucrative career ranging from roles in Star Wars to brand endorsements with Lancome to being on the cover of Vogue magazine. Her success has opened up the once forbidden Hollywood dream to the rest of Africa and Nollywood’s elite is looking to follow suit one role at a time.

Idris-Elba-in-Beast-Of-No-Nation-credit-Netflix

Non-Stop  From Lagos To LA

“And the Oscar goes to&#8230;”.
Five little words that caused writer and director Bryan Buckley to draw a deep breath:
“When you hear those words&#8230; and you happen to be one of the five guys it could possibly go to, it is, in itself, a crazy thought. It simply just doesn’t seem real. All the films could have easily won that night. And mentally you know this going into the evening. If I didn’t think we had put everything we had into our film, perhaps I would have been disappointed in myself and thought about what we didn’t nail in the film when the winner [Curfew] was announced. But I knew this wasn’t the case. It just wasn’t our night,” says Buckley.
<div id="attachment_1690" style="width: 209px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1690" class="size-medium wp-image-1690" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/162620158-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" />Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura with Harun and Ali Mohamed, on the red carpet</div>
He was in Los Angeles, California, at the 85th Academy Awards, where he was nominated for best live action short for ASAD—a tale of refugees, in Somalia. Sitting nervously by his side were the two leads, 14-year-old Harun Mohamed and his 12-year-old brother Ali. The day had flown by, moments before they were walking the red carpet alongside the A-listers—including Ben Affleck, Daniel Day-Lewis and Ang Lee—and doing interviews.
“The BBC was the first to interview the boys. Harun stepped forward to the microphone and began to talk about his journey in English. How far he had come, had never been so apparent. He and Ali were constantly asked what celeb they wanted to meet the most at the ceremony. And without question Harun would say Jackie Chan and Ali would say Jean-Claude Van Damme,” says Buckley.
It was a journey that began with the filming of ASAD in Africa.
Buckley is the last person you would expect to make a film about Somalia. His business is big-budget Super Bowl (American football) commercials for a quarter of a billion dollars with an audience of more than a million. Conversations with Somali refugees motivated him to create the short film with little commercial value or audience.
It all started in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, in 2010, where Buckley was shooting a documentary called No Autographs for the UN Human Right’s Council. He left with that feeling of hope in the face of despair. A year later he wrote ASAD.
The film was set in Somalia and shot in Cape Town. It tells the story of a young boy who must choose between life as a pirate or that of a humble fisherman. The entire cast was made up of refugees who had fled to South Africa.
Buckley says the biggest problem in producing the 18-minute short-film was overcoming the language barrier as both leads, Harun and Ali, were illiterate.
“We knew language, with the whole cast, was going to be a barrier by virtue that we were doing the entire film in Somali and I didn’t speak a single word of it. Right off the bat we enlisted in two Somali translators [who helped the boys memorize the script]&#8230; Both the boys are exceedingly bright. They picked up on things so quickly it was crazy. And then I’d act out some stuff and they would study it and follow. Always bringing their own twist. of course, like any Hollywood star would.”
The filming was taxing and Buckley struggled to shoot scenes with the rebels.
“There was just so much emotion there between them [the rebels] and the boys. It was quite clear this wasn’t the first time these refugees had handled guns. I kept thinking what horrible ghosts were haunting them after every take. And how bizarre [it was that] our cameras were recording every second of this nightmare.”
The international acclaim came with praise from Somali musician K’naan.
“He is truly a man who has supported Somalia and its people’s plight more than anyone I know. He said, ‘ASAD is an important film. It makes human the inaccurate caricature of Somalia, showing real people, a community and life beyond a land of pirates and warlords,’” he says.
The film won numerous awards at various international film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival and San Jose Film Festival. The Academy Awards nomination was the cherry on top but the leads almost didn’t make their big moment in Hollywood.
“The fact that they [Harun and Ali] didn’t have travel documents and that they were Somali refugees did not help matters. ASAD’s producer Mino Jarjoura worked around the clock with [South African producer] Rafiq Samsodien to get the kids there. It took government officials from both the US and South Africa, along with UNHCR to pull off the task. And they did so, in dramatic and perfect timing.”
Regardless of the outcome the team celebrated making it to the Oscars with a toast. After the ceremony they attended the prestigious Governor’s Ball.
Buckley may have walked away empty-handed but he and his two young leads stood tall for one of Africa’s untold stories.

Tag: Actors

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

The Blockbuster Named NOLLYWOOD

Non-Stop From Lagos To LA

From Mogadishu to Hollywood