#5 IndusTea: Cinematics, Canal+ Stakes & Afroton in Motion
A 10,000-member film community, a Venice-bound alliance, and a French-backed cop show spotlight the stakes of Nigeria’s screen economy.
Welcome back to IndusTea ☕️, your midweek jolt of what’s really brewing in Nigeria’s creative economy. If you’re new here, this is where we connect dots the press releases won’t. From quiet power plays to suspiciously timed rollouts, we keep our ear to the underground and our eyes on the deals 👀.
In this edition: Cinematics and the quality of Nollywood’s online conversations 🎬, a Kenya–Nigeria alliance breaking into Venice 🎥, Mr P’s bid to pioneer Afroton 🎶, and Canal+’s Lagos-set crime play with Lasgidi Cops 🚔. Plus: who won the week? Scroll on⏬
This week’s headline story is brought to you by Seyi Lasisi ✍🏾, a Nigerian-based film critic and culture writer with an obsessive interest in documenting Nigerian and African cinema.
Let’s dive in 🏊🏾♂️. But first…
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Who won the Week?
Kenya-Nigeria Filmmaking Alliance Breaks into Venice
Kenyan filmmaker Vincho Nchogu is making her feature directorial debut with One Woman One Bra, produced by Nigerian filmmaker Josh Olaoluwa and shot in Kenya by Muhammad Atta Ahmed, the VMA-winning cinematographer known for his crisp, music-video-driven visual language. The project has now been selected for the Venice International Film Festival, a milestone that places it among the most closely watched African entries in this year’s global circuit.
The film’s journey is significant not only for its subject matter but for the infrastructure behind it. One Woman One Bra was incubated under the Biennale College Cinema, a program that develops just four films globally per year, offering young filmmakers the rare chance to move from concept to Venice premiere in less than 12 months.
For Nchogu and Olaoluwa, this is less a sudden leap than the latest step in a deliberate partnership. The duo first linked through the Red Sea Labs in 2023, later advancing to the Torino Film Lab, where they developed Fantastic Tale, a separate feature project that went on to win the Red Sea Souk Production Prize. Their track record reflects a growing strategy: to leverage festival-backed labs and co-production forums as pipelines for African stories into the global market.
By merging Kenyan direction, Nigerian production, and pan-African crew collaboration, One Woman One Bra also illustrates the strengthening of intra-African filmmaking alliances. While African filmmakers have long sought recognition in European and North American festivals, projects like this point to a new model where regional partnerships generate films strong enough to compete on those stages.
Cinematics Community: What's The Quality of Conversations Around Nollywood Films on Social Media?
What’s Happening: A Nollywood community called Cinematics has surged past 10,000 members on X, fueling daily chatter on Nigerian films.
Why It Matters: It shows Nollywood’s audience is engaged but still stuck in surface-level discourse, raising questions about how much the industry is pushed to improve craft.
Growing up, watching films wasn’t a solitary activity. It’s an intimately communal act involving fellow children and parents, and siblings who give judgmental stares when intimate scenes appear. In certain cases, film watching becomes a lecture-inclined moment where elder siblings, guardians, and parents try to pass moral lessons. Upon watching these Nigerian films, there are occasional play-acting sessions amongst children. There is also the frequent but lengthy tale-by-moonlight-esque conversation that neighbours hold about trending films. Men and women, united by language and passion, tepidly and vehemently discuss moral, cultural, political, and systemic issues brought to their awareness while watching Nigerian films. These conversations, as I now recall as a conscious cinephile and film critic, show that Nigerians and, by extension, Africans believe in the utility of cinema as a vehicle of social causes and intellectual and cultural conversations.
In 2024, Nollywood film enthusiast and entrepreneur, Dammy B created Cinematics, a digital community on Twitter (now X) and safe haven for Nigerian audiences to digitally exchange thoughts and opinions after watching Nollywood films and series. From that humble beginning, the community has grown to have over 10,000 followers with constant organic and curated conversations going on daily. “My motivation for creating this community is to find like-minded individuals who watch a lot of movies like me and want to talk about them,” the Convener told Culture Custodian. And with the daily surge in members and film-related conversations being held, the community has become one of the go-to-digital spaces for conversations around Nigerian films. The community’s members cut across casual and obsessed Nollywood audiences, film critics, actors, filmmakers and industry enthusiasts wanting to keep track of conversations about Nigerian films and series and the industry at large.
Undiscriminatorily, community members discuss Nigerian films on YouTube, streaming platforms and cinemas. Although YouTube films and series might take focal attention due to its accessibility, the community discusses, in equal vim, cinema-released and streaming film and series that’s organically brought for discussion. There’s an undeniable obsessive approach to discussing Nollywood films and by extension its industry in the Cinematics community. Yes, these conversations might originate from deeply flawed premises and angles, but they point to one thing: Nigerians are watching Nollywood films and are interested in holding conversations. Also, that mostly enticing and “positive” conversations get mainstream attention over intellectual and critical ones speaks to the larger conversations about Nigerian film culture and Nollywood filmmakers’ responsibilities in shaping the film taste buds of audiences. And this begs the question: in a climate where supposed negative conversations are shunned out of existence, what’s the place of the Cinematics community? And, in an industry filled with lackluster films and filmmakers, what’s the implicit effect of the popularity of mostly intellectually bereft conversations that subtly entourage them? Ultimately, what’s the utility and quality of dialogue, casual and critical, that can be held around Nigerian films and the industry at large and what’s Cinematics place in all these?
The Cinematics community is made up of Nigerians of varying backgrounds and interests. That it’s composed of the everyday audiences, filmmakers, actors, industry enthusiasts and practitioners and film critics make its importance varied across board. For the audience, it’s a haven for film discovery and conversations. For filmmakers, it can be a place for real-time engagement with audiences who have interacted with their films and marketing spots. Filmmakers can see and track what audiences enjoyed, what didn’t work and where they might improve. Mary, one of the community moderators, shares that the community interacts with newly-released Nollywood titles. These conversations are anchored on the writing, acting, directing and cinematography and general view on a film. This allows community members, with varying thoughts, to converge on a single spot. Referencing Jade Osiberu's Christmas in Lagos, the community had fun interacting with the film. This the moderator believes might have given the film more publicity. “It’s a win-win situation for everyone. And it creates a sense of community and shared experience around Nollywood,” Mary believes.
Idiagi Ernest, a Nigerian indie filmmaker, joined the community because it's the only Nollywood group he knows on Twitter for filmmakers and film audiences. Shalom Paul, another member, joined the group after actively searching for a digital group where discussions and recommendations of Nollywood films is primary. For the filmmaker, the impact has been underwhelming. “It's mainly filled with casual conversations. Nothing concrete.” Paul describes the community as being very impactful due to the occasional movie recommendations and discussions. “The group has offered me opportunities to interact with like minds passively and actively.”
The Convener is skeptical of the community's relevance to the film industry despite housing Nollywood producers, directors and actors who seem to really enjoy the conversations and the criticisms. Members can make film-related tweets and a producer or actor will respond. “It's a great space for filmmakers to share and promote their work and engage with their audience,” the Convener shares. Additionally, through the fan casting, Mary believes important questions relevant to the industry are subtly suggested. “Also, I think that from some of the conversations, you’d realize that the audience consumes most movies not because they’re exceptionally good but because it features a particular actor they might like. I am also sometimes guilty of this.” These variant responses show the varying and conflicting interests of the community members and by extension the Nigerian audience. Members like Ernest, are in search of a space to possibly discuss Nollywood films beyond their entertainment value. For Paul, the community serves its entertainment value. Films are recommended and an interesting conversation ensues.
As several online conversations show, the average Nigerian audience cares less about the cultural, philosophical or cinematic undertone of Nigerian films. Hitherto, the Nigerian film industry and market haven’t culturally helped its audience curate and create high taste and appreciation for cinema. Filmmaking, for a large number of filmmakers, is a business. That artist-like pedantic nature in storytelling is mostly missing. And, critically watching Nollywood films and following industry conversions, the art and act of filmmaking has receded to the background. This is why for a large number of Nigerians, popular actors and influencers, popular genres and other non-cinematic reasons are the motivator to watch films. Films are treated as events. As financially rewarding as this might be for the Nigerian film market, it, on a larger scale, affects the quality of Nigerian films, the industry and the quality of conversations around Nigerian films.
Oghosa, a film enthusiast, believes that film related conversations are so important in any industry because of the ephemerality of new media. And, in Nollywood where word of mouth can literally be the best form of advertisement for a film that becomes "forgotten", they are important. Josiah Japheth, the host of Nollywood Bants podcast, believes that conversations should be held. But, he’s concerned about the kind of conversations being held. He suggests that conversations surrounding the kind of films made here and even more the audience interaction with these films are important. For Dammy B, these film-focused conversations matter but she gives them a 50/50 rating. There are filmmakers who actually listen and benefit from audience feedback to improve while others don’t. For the viewers, these conversations are a way to independently share their thoughts and even directly influence the kind of stories they’d like to see from a filmmaker.
As a film enthusiast, Oghosa is all for public opinion and open discussions. There should be one for the average viewer and one for intellectual conversations. But, with the quality of the daily conversations in the community and the members’ mindset, she doesn't believe we will get to that stage of deep and intellectual conversations as the quality will keep dropping. Oghosa doesn’t share in the sentiment that the community offers any film education and critical discussion of films. “It is an opinion space and opinion slaves should exist. But, the community isn’t a space for critical discussions and film education.” Olannah, a Nigerian screenwriter and member of the Cinematics community, brings a unique perspective saying that despite the uneducated takes and perceived "uncinematic" views of the community, its primary purpose of hosting film lovers of all kinds is met. Film, as an art form that should be relegated to a niche audience. This means every opinion should be valued, albeit at different standards. The community, as Olannah shares, offers an opportunity to learn more and conversations in the group serve as a telescope into the minds of the average Nigerian film lover.
Oghosa opines that conversations within Cinematics are reflective of Nigerian film culture. The video CD boom of Old Nollywood was popular for years and has over the years shaped audiences taste. “It doesn't also help that economic factors don't allow people to discover new types of films at the cinemas and if they try, sometimes terrible distribution can pose an issue.” The effect of this as Olannah shares is that it fosters a lack of critical thinking in the industry and promotes a lackadaisical approach to filmmaking. This unchecked uncritical engagement of Nigerian films by the Nigerian audiences has hitherto made Nigerian filmmakers comfortable with churning out bland films because they are fully confident of audiences’ overwhelming positive responses. The screenwriter argues that the Nigerian audiences have enabled this to go on for years. “The continued elevation of mediocrity by a paying audience, has allowed a continued tumble of the Nigerian film industry into an abyss of global irrelevance, while lauding itself when there is an occasional pause in the downward spiral.”Olannah’s argument raises a question: if the Nigerian film industry has dulled the taste buds of the Nigerian audience and distribution challenges have made it impossible for the average Nigerian audiences to rise above the film industry, why should the audience bear the burden of the filmmakers’ cinematic irresponsibility? Also, what are the easily accessible alternatives to the status quo?
Dammy B affirms that while Nigerian films might be made primarily to entertain, it doesn’t mean viewers should ignore its other elements. There are audiences who solely watch Nigerian films for entertainment, while others watch to analyze and critique and even compare them to their Western counterparts. As he highlighted, Cinematics is a mix of these audiences. “While some of these criticisms are objective and encourage or urge Nollywood to do better, some of them are based on personal feelings. It’s up to the producers to pick what they can and ignore the noise.”
As an ex-member of the community, Japheth finds a huge amount of the opinions and conversations very pedestrian and uninformed. That the community members rely on Nollywood YouTube films and series, is an indication of why informed film opinions shouldn’t be expected from most of the community members. There are definitely few outliers. “I left the community for my sanity. Again, the community can’t give what they don’t have as their film knowledge is limited to what they have been subjected to by Nollywood filmmakers.”
For Olannah, a community bearing 10,000 members hosts an array of personalities, from the normal audience, to critics, and filmmakers themselves. This mix of personalities, ideally, should be an avenue to learn, as well as to educate. The influx of opinionated film audiences leading enlightening conversations in the community might change the tone and texture of the community's conversations. “We have not quite reached the level of critical discussion, as attempts to swim into those waters have often been met with aggressive sharks, but with time, the community could also cater to that requirement.”
As the Cinematics community continually grows and acts as a stand-in spot for critically assessing Nollywood films and filmmakers, it informs us, as critics, of the thoughts of the everyday Nigerian audiences. And, as the industry continues to expand its reach, one can tepidly be sure of a change in the kind of conversations around Nollywood films.
On Our Radar: What’s Next?
Afroton or Out-Of-Ton(e)?
On August 20, Peter Okoye (Mr P), one-half of the defunct P-Square duo, announced he was pioneering a sound he’s calling Afroton. Framed as “a whole new genre, a new movement, a new energy,” the reveal came with a teaser track built on the chorus “just like that.” The catch is, Afroton isn’t exactly new.
Online, you’ll find Afroton branded as an event platform that pulls from Afrobeats, amapiano, reggaeton, dancehall, and afrohouse. The name itself isn’t new either; it’s essentially a mashup of Afrobeats + reggaeton. So what, exactly, is Peter pioneering?
If anything, this move mirrors Rema’s 2022 move, when he coined “Afro Rave” to describe his sound, a hybrid that critics noted fused Afrobeats’ percussive base with his emo-inspired influences. The difference, however, is that Rema branded himself with a new genre at the start of his career, and the label stuck. Mr P, on the other hand, is decades into his career, with the P-Square split behind him and an older fanbase less likely to rally behind a new movement.
Is Afroton an organic cultural innovation or just a late-game rebrand disguised as a movement? Hard to say. What’s clear is that while P-Square was once at the frontier of shaping African pop, the timing here feels more like chasing than pioneering. Still, in this industry, stranger things have gone viral, so Afroton might just stumble its way into relevance.
“Lasgidi Cops: Special Crime Unit” Anchors Canal+’s Lagos-Set Slate
In 2016, Yemisi Wada—lawyer, entrepreneur, and film producer—pitched the Lagos government for support on a crime drama series. Her vision was to model a functional crime-solving team for Nigerian audiences. She was turned down. With limited personal funds, she shot Season 1, which went on to air on Africa Magic and later on AIT, carving out a modest but impactful presence.
Nearly a decade later, the series is back, but this time with a bigger engine behind it: Canal+. After catching Wada’s pilot season at a Paris conference, the French media giant stepped in to fund a 10-episode second season, shot across Lagos over 120 days. On the surface, this looks like a win for Nollywood talent, local story, and international platform.
But zoom out, and the timing is striking. Canal+ only just sealed its $3B acquisition of Multichoice, cementing control over Africa’s biggest pay-TV empire. Suddenly, a crime series that’s been in the making for years is reborn as a Canal+ Original, reintroduced to audiences in French through Canal+ Afrique. It feels less like a coincidence and more like strategic optics: Canal+ flexing its stake in African storytelling by placing a Lagos-set series at the center of its slate.
For Nollywood, the subtext is clear: foreign companies want to curate narrative ownership. Wada’s series returns not simply as entertainment but as a test case in how Africa’s creative capital is being reframed. The question is: who ultimately gets to shape the lens on Lagos’s chaos?
Final Word: That’s all for now.
Sip slowly, stay sharp, and don’t believe the hype unless we report it.
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Have a great weekend,
Shalom.
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