Nigerian filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan has warned young filmmakers that a good story alone is not enough to survive or achieve commercial success in Nollywood. He said they also need substantial financial backing.
Akinmolayan made the remarks in an Instagram post on Wednesday while discussing the business side of Nigeria’s film industry.
The filmmaker cautioned upcoming filmmakers against believing they can succeed commercially without large budgets.
“Nollywood!! If you are in this for the business, don’t let anyone tell you all you need is a good story o. You will need money as well if you want to survive the space… and lots of it,” he wrote.
Akinmolayan also accused some people of misleading young filmmakers about the role of money in producing commercially successful movies.
“You are gaslighting young and new filmmakers into thinking that they don’t need high budgets to make commercially successful films; meanwhile, the top highest-grossing films all had high budgets.”
The filmmaker is known for directing films such as The Wedding Party 2 (2017), Chief Daddy (2018), The Set Up (2019), Prophetess (2021), My Village People (2021), and Lisabi: The Uprising (2024).
He is also the founder of Anthill Studios, a media production company.
Akinmolayan began his career as a graphic and web designer. He later became an apprentice to Nollywood filmmakers.
He developed skills in video editing, animation, After Effects and visual effects.
His debut film, Kajola, was released in 2010. The movie focused heavily on visual effects but received negative reviews from filmmakers and critics.
In January 2022, Anthill Studios signed an agreement with Amazon Prime Video to stream its films globally after their theatrical releases.
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