Award-winning filmmaker Bolanle Austen-Peters has challenged Nollywood to rethink its priorities, urging filmmakers to focus on lasting value rather than sheer volume.
The 56-year-old delivered a keynote address at the opening of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) 5th Peace Anyam-Osigwe Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference (PAO-NDCRC) on Tuesday at Muson Centre, Lagos.
The event was themed “From Volume to Value: The Future of the Nigerian Motion Picture Industry in the Digital Age.
“Today, I want us to talk about the topic from ‘Volume to Value.’ What is this really about? We all say that volume is number two in the world. But at the end of the day, volume versus value, quality versus quantity, is what I want us to think about today. Are they mutually exclusive? Can we have a voluminous industry that is also qualitative?” the filmmaker asked.
Austen-Peters reflected on Nollywood’s challenges. “If you look at Nollywood, it was built on volume. A lot of things come out every year. People watch, there is criticism, praise, but most times, it’s survival. People produce content because they need to survive. Exhibitors want content, distributors demand it, young filmmakers need to build their body of work. Inevitably, quality will be compromised.”
She noted that staying relevant often drives quantity over quality. “Some people produce regularly because they don’t want to be forgotten. In that process, we lose quality. Sometimes it is because of the target audience. People say ‘this is bad,’ but they love it. Producers recognise they have a market, so they keep producing. And some people simply don’t know better—their understanding of quality is limited.”
Funding, she stressed, remains a limiting factor. “You pay peanuts, you get monkeys. People say you can do a film with 300 million naira—yet that is the coffee budget for some production houses abroad. When we did 93 Days in 2016, we spent $1 million. We knew we would never make it back in box office. Nigerians didn’t watch it. People wanted to laugh; life was already hard.”
Austen-Peters also emphasised the power of storytelling. “Storytelling is vital in nation-building and shaping perception. The West has shaped image and influence through storytelling. Meanwhile, we often portray ourselves as dirty, poor, or struggling—reinforcing negative narratives. What legacy are we leaving? Fifty years from now, will people see our great-grandfathers looking scruffy and unsightly?”
She urged filmmakers to slow down, refine, and perfect their craft. “People hurry too much. They shoot a film in three weeks and release it tomorrow. How do you breathe? How do you refine? How do you perfect? We save many films in post, but that takes time. We have to slow down to seek perfection.”
On legacy, Austen-Peters concluded: “When you make your next movie-whether it’s a 100-million film or a 50-million film-ask yourself: What enduring value am I leaving behind? While I’m here, will I be proud to watch what I made? And when I’m gone, what value will remain in the works I created?”
The conference opened with remarks from NFVCB Executive Director Shaibu Husseini, while Ali Nuhu represented the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa. Olori Temitope Enitan-Ogunwusi served as royal mother of the day.
Four panel sessions on the first day featured filmmaker Stephanie Linus, executive head of Multichoice Busola Tejumola, filmmaker Femi Odugbemi, Barr Nobert Ajeagbu, Barr Yemisi Falaye, and CEO Homelands Film Distributor Mary Egbas. Moderators included Steve Ayorinde and Francis Onwuchei.
Other notable attendees were Charles Novia, Stephanie Linus, Saidi Balogun, Busola Tejumola, Femi Odugbemi, Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe, George Anyiam-Osigwe, Kennedy Anyiam-Osigwe, Ijeoma Onah, Victor Okhai, James Omokwe, Mary Egbas, and Yemisi Falaye.
Day two of the conference celebrated some of the brightest stars and enduring legends of Nollywood who turned 50 and 60 in 2025.
