The German-Nigerian Nollywood Workshop is strengthening worldwide filmmaking partnerships, with a renewed give attention to co-productions between Nigeria and Germany following the launch of a brand new three-year funding programme.
The 2026 version of the initiative introduced collectively 12 rising filmmakers from Nigeria, Germany and Namibia to supply a brief movie, ÀYÀNBÍSÍ, which premiered on the German Consulate General in Lagos on November 6.
According to a press launch, the programme, organised by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, has secured funding from the German Federal Foreign Office for one more three years, masking 2026 to 2028.
The renewed funding will permit the workshop to maneuver past producing particular person brief movies in the direction of establishing lasting artistic partnerships and creating bigger worldwide co-productions between the Nigerian and German movie industries.
The newest version additionally marks a shift within the programme’s manufacturing actions to Lagos, bringing individuals nearer to Nollywood and its rising worldwide networks.
The 12 individuals comprised six Nigerian filmmakers, 5 Germans and one Namibian, who collaborated throughout directing, producing, cinematography, modifying and different artistic disciplines.
At the centre of this 12 months’s programme is ÀYÀNBÍSÍ, a movie exploring the tensions between non secular religion, ancestral traditions and society’s expectations of girls.
Rooted in Yoruba cultural heritage, the movie follows Gregoria, a Catholic nun born Ayanbisi, whose life takes an surprising flip when she discovers that her dying father has chosen her to inherit his place as a standard Yoruba drummer.
Faced with a selection between her non secular dedication, household expectations and the cultural identification she left behind, Gregoria should confront questions of belonging, private freedom and feminine identification.
The movie is co-directed by Nigerian filmmaker Amanda Chioma Madumere and German filmmaker Richard Beck, from a screenplay by Dimeji Ogunranti. It is produced by Ifeoluwa Akowonjo and Antonia Thurner, with Jonathan Miehlich serving as artistic producer.
Speaking on the workshop’s renewed course, Senior Lecturer Mark Szilagyi mentioned worldwide partnerships provide alternatives past filmmaking.
“German–Nigerian co-productions are about more than making films together. They open new markets, bring different perspectives to the screen and create stories that can connect with audiences across cultures. That’s the future we’re building with the NOLLYWOOD WORKSHOP,” he mentioned.
The programme additionally maintains partnerships with German movie expertise producer ARRI and the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
For this 12 months’s manufacturing, individuals labored with ARRI’s ALEXA 35 Xtreme digital camera, gaining sensible expertise with skilled cinematography gear.
They additionally attended the AFRIFF Film & Content Market, the place filmmakers and trade professionals mentioned movie financing, distribution and worldwide collaboration.
The workshop’s reference to AFRIFF is predicted to play a big function in creating alternatives for Nigerian and German filmmakers to entry worldwide trade networks and financing for future tasks.
Managing Director of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, Prof. Dr Andreas Bareiß, described the initiative as a chance for rising filmmakers to study from completely different manufacturing environments.
“Film is an international industry with very different centers around the globe. We are glad we can offer to our students a workshop at the heart of the Nollywood industry, which is so different from our own, yet so incredibly full of energy and inspiration,” he mentioned.
Bareiß additionally acknowledged the assist of the German Federal Foreign Office, saying it was serving to to construct connections between rising filmmakers from each international locations.
Since its institution in 2022, the NOLLYWOOD WORKSHOP has introduced collectively younger filmmakers from completely different cultural {and professional} backgrounds to develop and produce movies in worldwide groups.
The programme additionally has an academic part. In 2028, one Nigerian participant can have the chance to attend the International Class at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany.
Nigerian producer Ifeoluwa Akowonjo described the expertise of working along with her German counterpart as a chance to study completely different approaches to movie manufacturing.
“I really enjoyed co-producing with my German co-producer. She brought a sense of calm and structure to the process, and it was eye-opening to experience how organized and thorough Germans are, especially with documentation. It was a wonderful learning experience that I genuinely loved and will always cherish,” she mentioned.
Her German counterpart, Antonia Thurner, additionally praised the collaboration, highlighting the significance of communication and mutual understanding in worldwide productions.
The workshop’s renewed focus comes as technological developments, together with synthetic intelligence, altering distribution fashions and evolving viewers expectations reshape the worldwide movie trade.
Through its new funding interval, the initiative goals to place rising Nigerian and German filmmakers to make the most of worldwide alternatives whereas creating tales that join audiences throughout completely different cultures.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
