Credit: Netflix
This year’s Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) nominations offer something to think about. Films like House of Ga’a, Lisabi, Seven Doors, and Aníkúlápó: Rise of the Spectre lead the pack across multiple categories. Apart from being big-budget productions, considering how much would be spent on stage designs and costumes, they are stories rooted in tradition, history and language. Many of them are told in Yoruba, set in pre-colonial or early colonial times, and filmed in locations that preserve old worlds.
Aníkúlápó, when it first dropped on Netflix in 2022, became a breakout hit. It sparked debates, inspired memes, and reached a global audience, many of whom were seeing a Nigerian period film for the first time. It reached number one on Netflix’s global chart. Since Aníkúlápó, more epic movies have been released on streaming platforms, so much so that the genre became very enticing to many. For some, it became tiring, which shows how many epic movies were released. Some asked: Did the success of Anikulapo open the door for more stories like it?
Before last year, a lot of discussions have been had about cultural exportation and how Nollywood can be a vessel to export Nigerian cultures. Like South Korea, critics argue that Nigeria should also be able to export Nigerian cultures through Nollywood, considering the industry is the second-largest producer of movies in the world. Although epic movies might not summarily explore the Nigerian modern culture, they could introduce the international audience to the core and primary aspects of Nigerian culture. Was this the intention of the filmmakers last year?
The AMVCA is widely considered the Oscars for African cinema, and every year, people around the world get introduced to new African movies to add to their watch list. Last year, when Breath of Life won Best Movie, a lot of people, myself included, rushed to watch the brilliantly executed movie, and it made me appreciate the talent of Chimezie Imo. With more epic and indigenous movies nominated in different and many important categories like Best Actor, Best Movie and others, this year, is the AMVCA intentional about exporting Nigerian and African culture, knowing that thousands of people across the world would be interested in watching these films? If Nigeria successfully exports its culture to the world to become so mainstream, it could be another source of economic success.
So, what does it mean that these epic films are leading this year’s AMVCA nominations? Are audiences genuinely drawn to them, or is this simply a reflection of the lack of modern, standout films last year? It’s hard to say. But it was also undeniable that Nollywood witnessed a lot of indigenous movies released last year, and these films are rich in visuals and cultural references.
However unnoticeable, there’s also the matter of language and representation. Most of these films are in Yoruba, which, if you want to argue deeply, makes sense, considering the dominance of Yoruba cinema in Nigeria’s film history and the existence of film villages in the region. The growth of film villages in southwestern Nigeria has made it easier for these kinds of stories to be told. Locations that can mimic older eras, actors fluent in Yoruba, and access to costuming and sets that reflect traditional styles; all of these make production smoother. But does this mean we’ll continue to see less representation of other Nigerian cultures in these big, epic formats? Or will the nominations hoist and allow room for indigenous stories from other parts of the country to thrive?
There’s also the creative side of things. While many of these epic movies are beautifully produced, some viewers have started to feel fatigued by the repetition of themes. Everybody just dey rinse the same themes: kings, betrayal, war, mysticism and others. Are we beginning to see a formula form? If so, is it stifling new storytelling ideas that could have emerged from a wider range of historical or indigenous perspectives? Personally, I’d like to see more traditional stories that explore other themes like motherhood and love, without the gory scenes and others.
Whether these nominations signal a shift or a cycle, we look forward to seeing how it all unfolds at the AMVCA in May.
