At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Filmhouse Group took a pivotal role in shaping the conversation around the future of African storytelling. During the Nigerian International Film Summit (NIFS), the company led a high-level session focused on Nollywood’s readiness for global distribution and the critical role of infrastructure in sustaining its growth.
The summit, themed “The Nollywood Conversations: A Deep Dive into Opportunities to Present African Stories for Global Screens,” brought together stakeholders from across the creative, financial, and policy sectors. Filmhouse used the platform to spotlight the need for African filmmakers and studios to prioritize scalable systems that support not only content production but long-term industry sustainability.
Represented by Filmhouse Group CEO, Kene Okwuosa, and FilmOne Entertainment Chief Content Officer, Ladun Awobokun, the company emphasized its vision of a structured, globally competitive Nollywood. Their commentary reflected a larger push within the company to position Nollywood not just as a local success story, but as a serious global player. They urged industry stakeholders to move beyond sporadic content success and build lasting systems for licensing, exhibition, international partnerships, and creative financing.
Filmhouse’s current partnerships already point in that direction. Through its distribution division, FilmOne Entertainment, the company holds theatrical licenses across West Africa with top Hollywood studios including Disney, Sony, Warner Bros., Angel Studios, and Empire. It also maintains dominance in local content distribution, giving it a unique edge in balancing African stories with global market expectations.
As part of the event, Filmhouse previewed select upcoming titles, including the highly anticipated 77: The Festac Conspiracy. The showcase reinforced the company’s commitment to producing and distributing high-value African stories designed for international audiences. This move aligns with a growing demand for culturally authentic content that can thrive on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, and global box office markets.
Filmhouse’s presence at Cannes also underscored its investment in policy engagement, production infrastructure, and cross-border collaboration. The company believes that these elements are not optional add-ons but foundational requirements for long-term relevance on the global stage.
As the industry continues to evolve, Filmhouse’s message was clear: for Nollywood to lead, it must build. The global audience is ready. The responsibility now lies in creating a system strong enough to deliver.
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