Eniola Yekini
For many outsiders, Nollywood is still described like it was ten or fifteen years ago , same names, same stories, same way of doing things. But for those working inside the industry daily, that picture is now out of date.
Okoye Kosisochukwu Francis, 21, founder of Nigerian digital entertainment platform Francis Nolly TV, says the real story is a generational takeover. Watching hundreds of Nigerian films a year and working directly with producers and actors, he sees an industry that has gotten dramatically younger.
“I regularly work with executive producers who are barely out of their twenties,” Okoye said. “Some of them are younger than I am. They came into the industry recently, they bring real vibrancy to how they work, and they are already putting out genuinely good films.”
He noted that the old hierarchy where you had to wait years and work your way up before running a production no longer defines the industry. That shift, he argues, is why much of the criticism that Nollywood hasn’t evolved feels misplaced.
“A lot of the commentary about Nollywood being predictable comes from people who aren’t looking at who’s making the films right now,” he said. “They’re judging the industry against an older version of it that’s already changing.”
The clearest change is in promotion and distribution. According to Okoye, the new producers don’t treat a film’s release as a single event tied to a premiere and a poster.
“The people running productions now understand platforms the way I do,” he explained. “They’re thinking about how a film lives across TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, long before and after it comes out. That changes how films get discovered and how quickly a good film can find its audience.”
He said the approach is completely different on the ground. Instead of asking how to get posters into cinemas, young producers focus on real-time data – how a clip performs in the first hour, what time their audience is online, and which platform fits their story best.
“That’s not a small technical difference. It’s a completely different relationship to the audience, one built on watching how people respond in real time rather than guessing in advance,” Okoye noted.
That digital-first mindset, he said, has also broken down gatekeeping. In the past, filmmakers needed years of waiting for a senior figure to give them a chance. Now, the platforms reward good work directly.
“You don’t need to have spent a decade waiting anymore. If the work is good and it reaches people, it reaches people. The platforms don’t check your age before deciding whether your film is worth watching,” he said.
For Okoye, the most overlooked part is the seriousness of this new generation. Beyond views and money, he sees a commitment to craft that rarely gets discussed.
“What I see from the younger producers is a real seriousness about their craft. They’re putting real thought into the work itself, trying to make it better each time, and it shows,” he said.
He believes Nollywood doesn’t need outside validation to prove the shift is real. “The industry a lot of people still picture is not the one that exists today. The one that exists today is younger, faster-moving, more serious about its craft than it’s given credit for, and it’s here to stay,” Okoye added.