When a director makes a first feature, they are often trying to make their mark in a constantly moving and changing industry. It’s a moment that can make or break a career and in Nollywood where making a film is already very difficult, they might never get that chance again.
The directors in this list made the audience pause and pay attention to the many genres and stories explored and many of them have gone on to have prolific careers making movies home and abroad. These are the 10 best directorial debuts in Nollywood.
Green White Green(2016)
Running Time: 1hour 42 minutes
Nigeria’s future is said to belong to the youth and in Green White Green, Abba T Makama satirizes and documents the ethnic tensions of a nation through the story of three friends from the three major ethnic groups in Nigeria. They are waiting to get into university and the film chronicles that anxious waiting period with sharp observation and heartfelt storytelling.
Ojukokoro(2016)
Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
A debut film with many moving parts is a delicate endeavor and Olaitan embarks on it with the deftness of a veteran. Chronicling the robbery of a filling station through various contradicting accounts, the film takes the humour of the Nigerian condition and combines it with a suspense filled thriller that keeps you watching.
Ojuju (2014)
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
CJ Obasi announced his arrival on the scene with this biting commentary on Nigeria’s failings disguised as a sort of zombie apocalypse tale. It’s a scrappy, tactile movie that deploys the genre’s tools to tell a familiar story of a community whose members start exhibiting a rabid illness after their water supply is contaminated.
The Wedding Party (2016)
There are movies that redefine eras in an industry and for Nollywood, The Wedding Party is one of those. Chronicling the morning of Dunni and Dozie’s wedding and all the chaos that ensues, the romcom under Adetiba’s guiding hands taps into cultural familiarity and humorous performances to create a modern Nigerian classic.
Kasala (2018)
Running Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
The Nigerian youth are always up to one adventure or the other and we don’t often get films documenting that. With the local grounding Kasala brings, we finally get that. Four friends take an uncle’s cars on a joyride, end up getting into an accident and must fix the car before he finds out. It’s a comedy of epic proportions with a kinetic camera and performances moulded by Edosio’s exciting new voice.
Isoken (2017)
Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Having a woman at the centre of a romcom in a way that asserts her choice and independence is a rarity even till now. Isoken occupies a special place in Nollywood canon because of this. Osiberu paints a mosaic of colours and feelings as the titular character navigates love that she wants for herself while family and society watches.
Call Of My Life (2026)
Running Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
For years, Nollywood has promised and failed with many romcoms that came out. They were often disconnected from the people they were documenting and unable to tug at the heart strings. Enter Call Of My Life. Written by Uzoamaka Power, it could have fallen into the pit of good writing not translating to a good film but Dammy Twitch is dedicated to the vision. Bringing colour and whimsy to the love story, we get a romcom revival in Soluchi and Eli’s love story.
30 Days (2006)
Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Mildred’s ambition has always been known and there’s no better place to see it than in her first feature. The movie follows a man who falls in love with a woman who happens to be an assassin. It’s a tense action thriller that never stops moving and a bold first feature for a woman who knew the exact kind of stories she wanted to tell.
Freedom Way (2024)
Running Time: 1 hour 23 minutes
Making a first feature that attempts to comment on contemporary issues is a delicate balance and Olalekan performs the balancing act deftly. Following a group of friends who own a startup and the lives that intersect with them as a result of police brutality and corruption, Freedom Way addresses recent Nigerian problems with proselytizing and with characters that feel familiar.
Lionheart (2018)
Genevieve Nnaji was already a household name before Lionheart and the film’s arrival was a reintroduction to another side of the actress. In her debut feature, we meet Amaka who has to take charge of her sick father’s business while people watch waiting for her to fail. It’s a celebration of Igbo ingenuity and a show of a voice that has been sharpened by years in front of the camera.
