Dear Nollywood Screenwriter II: Commentary on the Nigerian Film Industry & the Global Ingredient for Storytelling It Lacks

Courtesy Pinterest.

This day last year, I wrote the article Dear Nollywood Screenwriter that started with the words: Nollywood has had a great year, hasn’t it? I wager I can’t repeat those words this time while maintaining a straight face. This year hasn’t been great for many of the film industry practitioners.

Also in the article, I postulated that ‘for Nollywood to reach heights unimaginable, it needs its storytellers and screenwriters to go deeper and higher in their storytelling and writing’. This is as true then as it is now, although I would argue it’s more pertinent now.

Nollywood A-list Actor Kehinde Bankole’s tweet urging Nollywood screenwriters to ‘really further step things up’. Courtesy X.

In this article, I want to achieve two aims. Firstly, give my commentary as a thought leader on five key events that took place in the Nigerian Film Industry this year. Secondly, outline my thoughts concerning a missing component that keeps our stories roofed in Nigeria and not soaring global skies.

Commentary on Five Key Events in Nollywood in 2024