The rapid rise of artificial intelligence in filmmaking is opening new doors for Nollywood, but industry stakeholders are increasingly confronting a crucial question: can Nigerian filmmakers embrace AI without losing the cultural identity that makes their stories unique?
As AI tools become more accessible across film production, Nigerian creators can now explore visual effects, animation, sound, character development and production design with capabilities that once required substantial financial resources. Yet the growing adoption of the technology is also raising concerns about authenticity, creative ownership, jobs and the preservation of African storytelling.
For Obinna Okerekeocha, founder of the Naija AI Film Festival, the challenge is not whether Nollywood should use AI, but how the industry can deploy it without allowing technology to replace the human experiences at the heart of Nigerian stories.
Okerekeocha argues that the details that make Nigerian stories distinctive — local languages, family relationships, humour, music, spirituality, food and everyday experiences such as Lagos traffic and power outages — cannot simply be generated through an AI prompt.
His position is that Nollywood and AI should evolve together, with artificial intelligence serving as a tool for expanding Nigerian creativity rather than replacing the cultural experiences that give the country’s stories their identity.
AI creates new opportunities for filmmakers
Nollywood has historically demonstrated its ability to produce films with relatively limited resources. According to Okerekeocha, artificial intelligence could give filmmakers access to capabilities that previously required large budgets, extensive crews and expensive production equipment.
A filmmaker could use AI to visualise a concept before committing significant resources to production. Animators could develop character ideas, while producers could experiment with locations, costumes, production design and visual effects at an earlier stage.
For independent filmmakers, these tools could also make it easier to explore stories and genres that may previously have been considered too expensive or commercially risky.
But technological access does not automatically translate into creative originality.
AI may be capable of producing an image of Lagos, an Igbo masquerade or a character who appears Nigerian. That alone does not make the resulting story genuinely Nigerian.
This is why the discussion about Nollywood and AI must include cultural identity alongside technological innovation.
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