Veteran actress and filmmaker Genevieve Nnaji has praised the rapid development of Nollywood, saying the Nigerian movie industry has made remarkable progress despite being relatively young.
Gatekeepers News reports that during an interview with Deadline, the actress reflected on the achievements recorded by the industry over the years and expressed optimism about its future.
“Seeing a lot more female producers, directors and filmmakers come up is also very inspiring to me. The industry is nearly 40 years old, and we have achieved so much in such a short time,” she said.
Nnaji noted that the increasing number of women taking up major roles behind the scenes is one of the developments that excites her most about Nollywood’s growth.
She also said she believes the industry is only beginning to explore its full potential and expects even bigger accomplishments in the years ahead.
”I just can’t wait to see what the future holds for us. I think we just started. I think the time is still very young and we have a lot more to achieve.”
The actress further stated that African storytelling still has greater depth that the world is yet to fully experience, adding that more authentic narratives from the continent will emerge in the future.
“The stories that come out of Nigeria are okay. I can’t wait for people to actually see the depth of who we are as a nation, as a culture, as a continent—Africa as a whole,” she said.
Nnaji also revealed her desire to see stronger collaborations among filmmakers across Africa through intercontinental productions.
“My dream has always been that we have some intercontinental production within the African region and I can’t to see that happen.”
The actress was recently announced as part of the cast of Wahala, an upcoming BBC drama series adapted from Nikki May’s debut novel.
