The organisers of NollywoodWeek film festival (NWFF.eventive.org), have shared that this year’s online edition will showcase films that hint at the emergence of a new style within the Nigerian film industry. “Arthouse and experimental films are finding a place in a landscape that has been dominated by a mainly commercial agenda in the past” says festival Director Nadira Shakur.

This new approach to making movies is showing an incredible amount of maturity, drawing inspiration from styles across the globe, yet staying true to a strong Nigerian identity

This year’s edition which will be held from May 6th to 9th features a range of films by a young, dynamic group of Nigerians who are breaking with the old codes and setting new trends in the types of stories they tell and the cinematographic style they use.

For Shakur, “This new approach to making movies is showing an incredible amount of maturity, drawing inspiration from styles across the globe, yet staying true to a strong Nigerian identity. Film-makers are tackling more diverse themes such as mental health which we see in the film For Maria (bit.ly/3eHFyjJ) or in About a Boy (bit.ly/3t6M6h8) which will be one of the world-premieres at the festival this year. The opening film All Na Vibes (bit.ly/3gYzaY2) which tackles the issue of alienated youth in Nigeria’s urban centres is another example of this new wave of filmmakers who are featuring new voices and innovative story-telling.”

NollywoodWeek film festival aims to bring the best of Nigerian talent to the global scene and this year has expanded to accept films from other African countries and the Diaspora. Festival Co-founder Serge Noukoué shared that, “Nollywood is now an inspiration for so many other countries not just in Africa but around the globe and as such it is only natural that the festival expands in order to create this dialogue between the Nigerian film industry and the many other budding industries around the world that are emulating Nollywood’s success.”

Despite being online, this year’s edition of the festival will still include Q&A sessions after each film. There will also be panel discussions on screenwriting, on funding the African animation sector and distribution of African content. The festival this year will showcase over 30 entries, including feature films, animations, and short films.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of NollywoodWeek Paris Film Festival.