Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, has identified inadequate financing and limited investment as major factors hindering the production of large-scale action films in Nigeria.
The award-winning actress made the remarks during an interview on Rubbin’ Minds on Channels Television, where she addressed concerns about whether Nigerian filmmakers are reluctant to tell certain stories.
Omotola, whose career spans more than three decades, dismissed the notion that fear limits storytelling in Nollywood, saying the real challenge lies in funding.
“I don’t think Nigerians [filmmakers] are afraid to tell any story. I think the problem is we don’t have finance, we don’t have money, and we don’t have enough investment.
“So naturally, it seems to be fear, because you don’t want to do stuff and then look funny doing it, like you’re not doing it right. I’d say we’ve not gone into serious action films. We’ve been doing it on a low scale because it is very capital-intensive.”
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To illustrate her point, the actress cited her long-term work on a major historical project centred on the 1993 hijacking incident.
“For example, the Hijack ’93 story, I think I was the first person that got that story. I have been working on it for the past seven years and had the rights to that story.
“But I won’t shoot it until I have the right finances to shoot it, because I know what it takes to shoot such a story,” she explained.
According to her, filmmaking should go beyond simply producing content and instead aim to present Nigeria credibly on the global stage.
“For me, it’s not just about shooting. It’s about putting Nigeria on the map,” she said.
The actress also spoke on sex-for-roles, urging women to speak up and avoid secret auditions.
Nollywood has grown through three eras: the VHS/CD Era, focused on quick, low-budget films; the Cinema Era, which brought higher production values to theatres; and today’s Global Era, where streaming platforms put Nigerian films on the world stage.
But filmmakers have often said the industry’s biggest challenge is financing, with high production costs, middleman cuts, and expensive loans.
Meanwhile, top filmmakers are driving the industry forward: Funke Akindele, Toyin Abraham, and Wumi Toriola dominate the box office; Kunle Afolayan, Kemi Adetiba, and Niyi Akinmolayan raise production standards; while Mo Abudu, Omoni Oboli, and Ruth Kadiri expand Nigeria’s reach through streaming and digital platforms.
Mother’s Love, Directorial Debut
Shedding light on her new film, Mother’s Love, Omotola described the project as an unexpected but deeply personal journey that pushed her far beyond her comfort zone.
“We’ve done very strong festivals for a movie that I didn’t think was going to amount to anything, because I didn’t plan for this film.
“I came on vacation, and this amazing human being called Ruth Kadiri got into my head to just shoot something. I was so scared because I knew I didn’t do pre-production, which is the most important part of filmmaking,” she said.
Despite her initial fears, she said the positive reception of the film encouraged her to continue, even in the face of personal and professional challenges, including health issues.
“When I was done with the project, people started giving me the thumbs-up and saying it was beautiful, and little by little, we started doing things. It is out of my comfort zone. It’s my first time shooting a movie in my 31 years in the industry.
“This one came with a lot of challenges, from canvassing, to looking at the maths, the numbers and commerciality. I even went into surgery in the middle of this,” she said.
The 48-year-old movie star described Mother’s Love as a personal gift rather than a commercial venture.
“For me, Mother’s Love is a gift to mothers and to daughters. It’s not about commerciality. If anything comes back, it’s a plus.
“The cake for me is that 30 years into my career, I get to give this gift to my fans the way I want to do it. For the first time, I’m using my brain fully, everything here is my creativity,” she said.
The film is scheduled to begin its cinema run on March 6.
Although Omotola has starred in over 300 films during her illustrious career, Mother’s Love marks her first time stepping behind the camera as a director. She also served as producer and script editor on the project.
According to her, the film was inspired by encouragement from actress Ruth Kadiri to explore digital and YouTube-driven storytelling, and reflects Omotola’s personal experiences as both a mother and a daughter.
