10 Best Movies from Nigeria to Watch First

10 Essential Films from Nigeria

Ranked native cinema in Nigeria’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. Living in Bondage

   1992

   A man desperate for wealth joins a secret cult and sacrifices his wife in a ritual, gaining sudden riches — only to be relentlessly haunted by her vengeful ghost. The blockbuster that ignited the Nollywood video-film boom.

2. 

   2. The Figurine

   2009

   Two friends stumble on a mysterious carved figurine in an abandoned shrine, said to grant seven years of good fortune — but the legend hides a darker second half, and their charmed lives begin to unravel. A stylish Nollywood supernatural thriller.

3. 

   3. Aki na Ukwa

   2003

   Two mischievous young brothers wreak comic havoc at home, at school, and across their village, driving everyone to distraction. A hugely popular Nollywood comedy that made child stars of its leads.

4. 

   4. Lionheart

   2018

   A capable but overlooked young woman fighting to save her father's struggling Lagos bus company is forced to team up with her bumbling, unpredictable uncle to keep the family business afloat. A warm, crowd-pleasing Nigerian comedy-drama.

5. 

   5. Eyimofe (This Is My Desire)

   2020

   In a teeming Lagos, an electrician and a young woman each dream of escaping to Europe for a better life, but debt, family obligation, and misfortune keep pulling them back. A tender, richly textured drama of ordinary hopes.

6. 

   6. King of Boys

   2018

   A powerful Lagos businesswoman and philanthropist with a violent past sets her sights on political office, but her rising ambitions collide with the criminal underworld that built her empire. A gripping Nigerian crime drama.

7. 

   7. October 1

   2014

   On the eve of Nigeria's 1960 independence, a Yoruba police detective is dispatched to a rural town to catch a serial killer preying on young women before the British depart. A stylish period thriller steeped in the tensions of the colonial handover.

8. 

   8. '76

   2016

   Set against the failed 1976 military coup against Nigeria's head of state, this drama follows a young soldier wrongly implicated in the plot and his pregnant wife struggling to clear his name. A gripping historical drama.

9. 

   9. The Milkmaid

   2020

   In the wake of a jihadist insurgency in rural Nigeria, a young herder searches for her sister after both are torn from their community by militants, confronting captivity and the wounds of extremism. A harrowing, ambitious drama.

10. 

    10. The Wedding Party

    2016

    A lavish Lagos society wedding spins into glorious chaos as clashing families, ex-lovers, wedding crashers, and last-minute disasters threaten to derail the big day. A wildly popular Nigerian romantic comedy.