4 Nigerian movies that redefined Nollywood

The last decade inarguably brought tremendous change to the Nigerian film industry. From the quality of production to the scripting and even acceptance among movie watchers, the movies of the 2010s marked a great decade for Nollywood.

As we usher in the next decade, we take a look at some of the movies that defined the 2010s. With excellent production quality, international accolades and top box office performance, these four groundbreaking Nigerian films are all available to stream on Showmax.

The Mirror Boy (2011)

Starring Nollywood sweetheart Genevieve Nnaji and Osita Iheme, The Mirror Boy was shot in England and Gambia. It tells the story of teenage African British boy who is taken back to the land of his mother’s birth, but then gets lost in a forbidding forest and embarks on a magical journey that teaches him about himself and the mystery of the father he has never met.

Accolades

• Genevieve Nnaji won Best Breakthrough Performance (female) at the 2011 Monaco Charity Film Festival.
• It held the record of hosting the biggest United Kingdom premiere of an African film at the world famous Empire Leicester Square, as well as being the widest released Nollywood film in the UK across 10 Odeon cinemas in 2011.

93 Days (2016)

93 Days centres around the sacrifices made by the men and women who risked their lives to make sure the Ebola virus was contained before it became an epidemic when it was imported into Nigeria by a Liberian-American diplomat.

The movie stars veteran Hollywood actor Danny Glover, Tim Reid (Ray Campbell from Sister Sister) and Alastair Mackenzie. It also features Nollywood veterans like Bimbo Akintola, Bimbo Manuel and Keppy Ekpeyong-Bassey.

In many ways, 93 Days could be regarded as Nollywood’s first major biopic. It also became the first Nollywood movie to premiere at the 52nd Chicago Film Festival, in addition to having its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). It earned 50 million naira at the box office.

Accolades

• First Nollywood movie to premiere at the 52nd Chicago Film Festival
• Eight nominations at the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA).
• Highest number of nominations at the 2017 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).

Alter Ego (2017)

Alter Ego saw the return of Nollywood queen Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde to the big screen after a three-year break. The movie explores largely unchartered territory in Nollywood – the sexual abuse of children.

Centred around Ada Igwe, a successful lawyer who dedicates a great part of her professional life to prosecuting sex offenders, the movie details the lengths the protagonist goes to to ensure that sexual offenders are jailed. But Ada has secrets of her own which came to a jarring head after her relationship with a charismatic billionaire philanthropist ends.

Accolades

• Best Actress Award for Ekeinde at the Nollywood Travel Film Festival in Toronto
• 2018 AMVCA Best Writer Movie/Series award for Patrick Nnamani, Koye O and Moses Inwang and a Best Actress award for Omotola.

Banana Island Ghost (2017)

With its crisp cinematography and brilliant visual effects and stunts, Banana Island Ghost earns a place on our list. The movie delivered stunt scenes that hadn’t been seen in a Nollywood movie at the time. In an interview with Bounce News, producer Biola Alabi said that professional stunt people had been brought in to Nigeria.

The movie kicks off with a man who is scared to go to heaven because he doesn’t have a soulmate. He negotiates with God, who gives him three days to go back to Earth and find one. He is then paired with Ijeoma, who has three days to keep her father’s house in Banana Island from being reclaimed by the bank.

Banana Island Ghost emerged as one of the highest-earning movies of 2017, earning 60 million naira at the box office.

Accolades

• Tony Elumela AMAA 2018 Award for Best Comedy

All these Nigerian movies are available to stream on Showmax.