Keypoints:
- Kannywood filmmakers are targeting international audiences beyond Nigeria
- Tight censorship and limited funding constrain production in the north
- New Hausa-focused streaming platforms aim to bridge the visibility gap
NORTHERN Nigeria’s Kannywood film industry is mounting a determined push onto the global stage, as young filmmakers seek international audiences while working within the tight social and regulatory constraints of the country’s Muslim-majority north.
Long overshadowed by the global success of southern Nigeria’s Nollywood, Kannywood has traditionally catered to local Hausa-speaking audiences. But a new generation of directors and actors now believes the industry can travel far beyond Kano, the commercial and cultural hub of northern Nigerian cinema.
According to AFP, Kannywood produces around 200 films a month, primarily in the Hausa language. With an estimated 80 million Hausa speakers across West and Central Africa, as well as a large Nigerian diaspora worldwide, filmmakers argue the potential market is far larger than current distribution channels allow.
Creativity under conservative limits
Operating in Kano comes with unique challenges. The state runs a dual legal system in which Islamic sharia law exists alongside Nigeria’s common law, and all films and music must pass through a government censorship board before release.
Content featuring nudity, sexual scenes or material deemed contrary to local customs, traditions or religion is prohibited, said Abba El-Mustapha, an actor and director who also serves as executive secretary of the Kano State film censorship board.
Despite these constraints, filmmakers continue to explore themes familiar to Nigerian audiences, including love, betrayal and revenge, often expressed through heightened melodrama. The difficulty lies in balancing local acceptability with storytelling that resonates internationally.
Subtitles and social storytelling
Director Kamilu Ibrahim is among those trying to redefine the boundaries of Hausa cinema. In a bid to reach wider audiences, he has begun adding English and Arabic subtitles to his films and introducing themes less commonly explored in Kannywood.
When AFP visited his set last year, Ibrahim was filming the second season of ‘Wata Shida’, a drama centred on a woman confronting the prospect of a forced marriage. In the storyline, the protagonist enters a marriage of convenience to escape family pressure, reflecting a reality faced by many women and girls in the region.
‘We are not used to seeing someone going out in pursuit of a dream without family consent,’ Ibrahim said, describing film as a powerful tool for questioning sensitive social norms.
Actor Adam Garba, who stars in the series, said he hopes ‘Wata Shida’ will eventually be picked up by a major international streaming platform. For now, it is available on YouTube.
Streaming gap and funding divide
Most Nigerian films featured on global platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime originate from the wealthier south, where Hausa is a minority language and production budgets are significantly higher.
‘They have more budget, more equipment, more sponsors and more investors,’ Garba told AFP, highlighting the structural imbalance within Nigeria’s film industry.
Efforts are under way to change that. Arewaflix, a newly launched streaming platform founded by Nigerian production executive Abdurrahman Muhammad Amart, aims to showcase films not only in Hausa but also in other northern languages, including Nupe and Kanuri. Subtitles are planned in English, French and Arabic.
Previous attempts have struggled. Northflix, another Hausa-focused streaming service, closed in 2023 after failing to attract sufficient subscribers.
Piracy and persistence
Monetising content remains a major challenge in Nigeria, where widespread poverty and an economic crisis since 2023 have made consumers reluctant to pay for digital media. Weak platform security has also fuelled piracy, undercutting revenues.
‘When a film is accessible to a hundred people on a platform with poor security, it can quickly be pirated and circulated everywhere,’ El-Mustapha warned.
Still, filmmakers remain optimistic. Director Umar Abdulmalik believes that improved production quality will eventually overcome language barriers, pointing to Bollywood’s popularity in Nigeria despite many viewers not speaking Hindi.
For now, Kannywood continues to do what it has always done: make more with less. On Ibrahim’s set, as the call to prayer echoed across Kano and the heat intensified, the director called for another take.
‘That’s good,’ he said. ‘But we can do better.’
