Nigerians film industry (Nollywood) is the world’s second-largest film industry in terms of output, producing about 2,500 films annually. It is estimated to be worth bilions of dollars, with some reports placing it at over $6.4 billion. Nollywood also contributes significantly to Nigeria’s economy, with some estimates suggesting it contributes about 2.3% to the country’s GDP.
With the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA 2025) coming up tonight, Ebunolwanimi Afolabi, Content Marketer at Moni sat down with Daniel Okechukwu, film journalist and co-founder of In Nollywood, a publication helping reframe how the world sees Nigerian cinema. In this conversation, Daniel took us through his early memories of film, and his predictions for this year’s AMVCAs.
Discussing his childhood and his earliest memories of film, Daniel tells us:
“I was an outside child,” he says with a laugh. “A lot of my childhood memories are on the streets of Festac—playing with kids, going to other people’s houses to watch films.”
There was no DSTV at home, but there was always community.
“I remember someone in our street had a TV outside and would play films. There were chairs, kids on the floor, and adults leaning against the wall. That was my first experience of watching films in community. It felt like magic.”
From Watching to Writing
Daniel’s love for cinema wasn’t from formal education but by a curiosity and a hunger to understand why certain stories moved him.
“For a long time, I didn’t have the language to explain why I liked something. But once I found people online who cared about films deeply, I knew I could do this too.”
With that spark, In Nollywood was born—a space to document, critique, and uplift the stories that define Nigeria’s evolving film industry.
AMVCA 2025: Daniel’s Predictions
The 11th edition of AMVCA is packed with talent, and Daniel shared his takes on the films he believes will take the top prizes at this year’s AMVCAs.
🏆 Best Movie: Farmer’s Bride
“Freedom Way is a good film and it’s doing the festival rounds, but for me, Farmer’s Bride is the one. It’s bold storytelling. It was well performed, well directed. It’s not a typical Nollywood film but it also embraces Nollywood.”
🎬 Best Director: The Weekend
“Daniel Oriahi. The other films in [this category] are nice but The weekend. That’s the one.”
👩🎤 Best Lead Actress: Gbubemi Eje (Farmer’s Bride)
“The good thing about this category is that this….is a bunch of great actors. The one that I’ve seen that I know is Gbubemi Eje – Farmer’s bride. This film was well written and…..this movie gave Gbubemi a great platform to perform.”
👨🎤 Best Lead Actor: Bucci Franklin (The Weekend)
“Bucci Franklin. Bucci is one of those actors that has consistently delivered great performances and needs to be known as a household name. And working with a director like Daniel, definitely Bucci.”
🎥 Best Cinematography: Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos
“This one is very easy for me. The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos. I saw the film at AFRIFF and it’s incredibly well shot….This was done by inexperienced filmmakers who didn’t have a lot money but what they lacked in money they had in ambition and invention”
We’ll be tuning in to the AMVCA’s tonight to see if the Jury agrees with Daniel’s predictions. From all of us at Moni, we wish the nominees across the different categories all the best! We’ll continue to highlight and celebrate Nigeria’s film industry.
