import a from '../../utils/grammar'; Best Movies from Nigeria — Ranked by Celluloid Score | Celluloid Skip to main content
Celluloid

Films from Nigeria

Best Movies from Nigeria

Nigeria's catalogue on Celluloid runs to 15 films spanning 2009–2026 across 2 languages — chiefly English and Yoruba —, led by My Father's Shadow (84%) and King of Boys (74%). Every title is ranked by our four-input Celluloid Score with critic consensus and expert reviews on each film page.

Quick Answer

The highest-rated Nigeria film on Celluloid is My Father's Shadow (2025) with an 84% Celluloid Score — Recommended.

15
Films indexed
60%
Avg. Celluloid Score
2
Languages
15
Critic reviews

Guide to Nigeria Movies on Celluloid

Each film from Nigeria in our catalogue includes a Celluloid Score from up to four verified inputs, original verdict text, and linked editorial reviews where available. Audience sentiment is separate.

Titles are indexed by original language and country of production for easier discovery.

Essential Nigeria Picks

Top 5 by Celluloid Score
My Father's Shadow 2025 · Akinola Davies Jr. · English

Critics have called this semi-autobiographical debut a quietly devastating breakthrough, praising Sope Dirisu's restrained lead performance and Akinola Davies Jr.'s ability to fold national upheaval into an intimate father-son story without ever feeling didactic.

84%
Celluloid Score Recommended
King of Boys 2018 · Kemi Adetiba · English

Adetiba's crime saga turned Sola Sobowale into Nollywood royalty with operatic ambition.

74%
Celluloid Score Recommended
The Figurine 2009 · Kunle Afolayan · English

Afolayan's New Wave thriller helped redefine Nigerian cinema as artistically ambitious and commercially viable.

74%
Celluloid Score Recommended
The Herd 2025 · Daniel Etim Effiong · English

Critics have called Daniel Etim Effiong's directing debut a tense, timely reflection of Nigeria's real kidnapping crisis, anchored by a committed Genoveva Umeh performance, even as several reviews note the plot grows overstuffed and its climax leans on shootout theatrics that undercut the film's gritty realism.

73%
Celluloid Score Recommended
October 1 2014 · Kunle Afolayan · English

Afolayan's slow-burn mystery uses the birth of a nation as backdrop for layered historical detective work.

71%
Celluloid Score Recommended

Nigeria Movie Reviews

All reviews →

Full critic reviews with answer-engine summaries — each review answers whether the film is worth watching, what it is about, and where to stream it.

My Father's Shadow (2025) ★★★★½

My Father's Shadow (2025) Review: One Day in Lagos, 1993

My Father's Shadow is Akinola Davies Jr.'s tender debut about two boys spending a day in Lagos with their elusive father as Nigeria's 1993 election crisis unfolds.

Yes. It is a quietly overwhelming father-and-son drama and a remarkable debut, ideal for viewers who value intimate, patient filmmaking over plot-driven storytelling.
King of Boys (2018) ★★★★½

King of Boys (2018) Review: Lagos Power Played as Opera

King of Boys is Kemi Adetiba's sprawling Lagos crime saga, a Nollywood epic of politics and the underworld built around a towering Sola Sobowale performance.

Yes. It is one of the essential Nigerian films of its decade and a gripping crime saga for anyone with the patience for nearly three hours of power games.
The Figurine (2009) ★★★★☆

The Figurine (2009) Review: Seven Years of Luck

The Figurine is Kunle Afolayan's supernatural thriller about two friends and a statue promising seven years of fortune, an ambitious landmark of new Nigerian cinema.

Yes, with reservations. It is an eerie, ambitious Nigerian thriller rooted in Yoruba myth, best for viewers curious about Nollywood who can forgive a slow middle.
The Herd (2025) ★★★½☆

The Herd (2025) Review: A Wedding Taken Hostage

The Herd is Daniel Etim Effiong's tense Nigerian kidnapping thriller, in which a wedding party is seized on the road home: timely and gripping, if overstuffed.

Yes, with reservations. It suits viewers who want a Nollywood thriller rooted in a real social crisis; those wanting a lean, tidy genre ride may find it cluttered.
October 1 (2014) ★★★★☆

October 1 (2014) Review: Murder on the Eve of Independence

October 1 is Kunle Afolayan's period crime thriller about a police inspector hunting a killer as Nigeria nears independence, ambitious and handsomely made.

Yes, with reservations. It is a handsome, ambitious Nigerian period mystery for patient viewers, though its length and slow middle ask a lot.
The Wedding Party (2016) ★★★★☆

The Wedding Party (2016) Review: A Lagos Wedding in Meltdown

The Wedding Party is Kemi Adetiba's glossy Nollywood ensemble comedy about a lavish Lagos wedding where two families, old flames and family secrets collide.

Yes. It is a lively, crowd-pleasing wedding farce with real Lagos flavour; ideal for a group watch, though the humour is broad and the plotting crowded.
Anikulapo (2022) ★★★★☆

Anikulapo (2022) Review: Resurrection Has a Price

Anikulapo is Kunle Afolayan's lavish Yoruba folk fantasy about a weaver who gains the power to raise the dead: handsome, bold and absorbing, if overlong.

Yes, with reservations. It is one of Nollywood's most ambitious period fantasies and a treat for folklore lovers, though its 142 minutes could use trimming.
Phone Swap (2012) ★★★★☆

Phone Swap (2012) Review: A Nollywood Mix-Up That Clicks

Phone Swap is Kunle Afolayan's breezy Nigerian romantic comedy about two strangers whose accidental phone exchange pulls each into the other's life for a weekend.

Yes. It is a warm, well-crafted Nollywood rom-com with two appealing leads, best for viewers who enjoy mistaken-identity comedy and can forgive a predictable arc.
Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) ★★★½☆

Half of a Yellow Sun (2013) Review: Love Under Biafra

Half of a Yellow Sun is Biyi Bandele's adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Biafran War novel: handsome and well acted, but squeezed by its source's scope.

Mostly yes. It is a sincere, well-acted historical romance, best for viewers drawn to its history who can accept a compressed version of a much richer novel.
Living in Bondage: Breaking Free (2019) ★★★★☆

Living in Bondage: Breaking Free Review: Wealth at a Price

Living in Bondage: Breaking Free is Ramsey Nouah's slick sequel to Nollywood's founding occult drama, a Lagos thriller about ambition, secret societies and debt.

Yes. It is a glossy, gripping occult thriller that revives a Nollywood legend, best for viewers who enjoy moral melodrama and can forgive an overlong middle.
Behind the Scenes (2025) ★★½☆☆

Behind the Scenes (2025) Review: Big Heart, Blunt Message

Behind the Scenes is Funke Akindele's record-breaking Nollywood drama about a generous businesswoman and the people using her. Relatable, but heavy-handed.

It depends. Fans of big, emotional Nollywood family dramas will enjoy its relatable premise and strong lead; viewers who want subtlety will find it preachy and predictable.
Lionheart (2018) ★★★½☆

Lionheart (2018) Review: A Daughter Takes the Wheel

Lionheart is Genevieve Nnaji's warm Nollywood comedy-drama about a daughter fighting to save her father's bus company, gentle and likeable if rarely surprising.

Yes, with reservations. It is an easygoing, good-natured family business story, best for viewers curious about modern Nollywood rather than those seeking high drama.
Omo Ghetto: The Saga (2020) ★★★★☆

Omo Ghetto: The Saga (2020) Review: Lagos Street Comedy

Omo Ghetto: The Saga is Funke Akindele's rowdy Lagos crime comedy about twin sisters from very different worlds, a loud, crowd-pleasing Nollywood blockbuster.

Yes, with reservations. It is a boisterous, very funny Nollywood crowd-pleaser for fans of Funke Akindele, though its length and broad plotting will test some viewers.
Lady (2026)

Lady (2026) Review: Night Shifts and Sisterhood in Lagos

Lady is Olive Nwosu's assured debut about a Lagos cab driver drawn into a circle of women working the city's nightlife. A vivid study of friendship and survival.

Yes. It is a confident, atmospheric debut for fans of character-driven festival drama, though viewers who want a strong plot may find it loose.
The Return of Arinzo (2026)

The Return of Arinzo (2026) Review: Too Many Films in One

The Return of Arinzo is Iyabo Ojo's star-packed Nollywood sequel about a woman who resurfaces as her husband runs for president, a thriller that never finds its focus.

Mostly no. Fans of the cast may enjoy individual scenes, but most viewers will find this political revenge thriller overstuffed, uneven and far too long.

Popular Genres

Drama 11 Thriller 5 Comedy 5 Crime 3 Romance 3 Action 2

All Nigeria Movies

Ranked by Celluloid Score

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best movies from Nigeria?

Browse our Nigeria catalogue sorted by Celluloid Score — the highest-rated films appear first with critic and audience ratings on every card.

How does Celluloid rate films from Nigeria?

Celluloid Score combines Celluloid editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb inputs into a single percentage; audience sentiment is displayed separately alongside the written verdict and review.