Top 10 Nollywood Directors

There are a lot of top Nollywood Directors who are successful in film production. In this article, we will talk about outstanding Nollywood Directors.

These people includes the cinematographers, producers, actors and actresses, directors and other crew members. In this article, we will be focusing on the directors alone. Below is the list of the top 10 Nollywood directors:

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1. Tunde Kelani

Tunde Kelani is a man whose sheer brilliance in film directing cannot be underestimated. TK, as this erudite director is fondly called, is not a man of many words, but his works speak for him, anytime, any day.

The multiple award-winning director has carved a niche for himself in the movie industry, as his works can always be distinguished from the league of others.

He is an extraordinary talented cinematographer. Kelani, apart from his in-born talent, also acquired his skills abroad and he is unarguably among the best in Nigeria at the moment.

Some of his blockbuster movies include: Saworo-Ide, Agogo Eewo, Abeni, Thunderbolt, and The Narrow Path. Etc.

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2. Chico Ejiro

Chico Ejiro (born Chico Maziakpono in Isoko, Delta, Nigeria) is a Nigerian movie director and producer. He originally studied agriculture, and he was drawn into video production because Nigerians would not buy blank videocassettes.

His enormous body of work is typical of the second generation that started in the 1990s when cheap video-production equipment became available in the country.

He owns a production company called Grand Touch Pictures, which is based in Lagos. Nicknamed Mr. Prolific, he directed over 80 movies within a 5-year period—each one shot in as little as three days.

They feature story lines relevant to Nigerians but have poor production quality: terrible acting, muddled sound, and amateurish cinematography are prevalent throughout his oeuvre.

The exact number of movies he has worked on as either director, producer, or both is unknown, but it ranges in the hundreds as of 2007.

He was profiled in an article in The New York Times, dated May 26, 2002 (“When There’s Too Much of a Not-Very-Good Thing” by Matt Steinglass), and in an article from the international version of Time Magazine dated May 26, 2002 (“Hollywood, Who Really Needs It?” by Stephan Faris).

Ejiro was featured in the 2007 documentary Welcome to Nollywood, which followed him as he made Family Affair 1 and Family Affair 2.

3. Dare Olaitan

Dare Olaitan made his directing debut with the genuinely funny, entertaining and exceptionally clever crime comedy “Ojukokoro.”

Olaitan makes a statement with his debut by delivering an ensemble-driven story revolving around a money-strapped manager of a shady petrol station, who decides to rob his employers but along the line finds out in a sudden twist that he is not alone in his ambition, and that a good reason isn’t always a right one.

With clever banter, easy-going dialogue, and a feel of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino’s style, Olaitan delivers a movie that we will remember from 2017 for years to come.

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4. Adim Williams

Adim Williams is Nigerian film director best known for his work on the Abuja Connection trilogy of films. He has worked extensively in the Nollywood film industry since 2002 directing some 28 pictures by the end of 2006.

His film Joshua was the first ever Nollywood production ever to be introduced on the American DVD market, released in America in December 2005.

5. Afam Okeke

Afam Okeke is another film director in Nigeria that we talk about. Afam has been in the industry for quite an age now and he is still waxing stronger in the industry in Nigeria. He is also an actor but very good in directing of films.

It is a fact that Afam Okeke was the one who directed the blockbuster movie by the wave-making beautiful good mother of two- Jenifer Eliogwu titled“From Within. The movie “From Within” received several recommendations from the Federal Ministry of Arts and Culture.

Afam Okeke is one of the hottest movie directors to be appreciated in Nigeria.

6. Izu Ojukwu

After his success with ‘76 in 2016, Ojukwu had returned to the drawing board to work on another piece. He was presented with the opportunity to work on the story of African music star, 2face Idibia, in the Buckwyld produced advocacy movie, ‘Power of 1.’

Ojukwu’s ability to tell a story with his lenses has become uncommon so much that he thrives in re-creating true life events spiced with fiction for audience viewing pleasure.

7. Francis Okonkwo

Francis Okonkwo is a wave-making artiste with great expression of versatility in the world of arts. Francis Okonkwo is a producer of many movies. In terms of directing films, he has made a landmark for himself in the industry.

He is a talented director and there are a handful of films that were directed by him. One among such is the movie titled 3some. The flick was produced by a Nollywood sultry actress, Tonto Dikeh. The movie portrayed the depth of lesbianism in the industry.

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8.  Kunle Afolayan

Kunle Afolayan is a double award winner. As an actor, he is a force to appreciate and in terms of film production, he has never left a stone unturned in fishing out a real life story and diverting it into make believe.

Kunle Afolayan is a well-known movie producer and a veteran actor whose face is highly prominent in both Yoruba movie jacket and the English counterpart.

Beyond all these, Kunle who is the biological son of the late icon, Ade Love is also very good and unique in his own system of directing films.

The producer of the hit movie, “Figurine” which is still enjoying the rave of the airwave at different cinema houses across country has directed a number of films that could be described as blockbuster ones.

9. Tope Oshin

Tope Oshin has made her impact felt in the Nigerian movie and film industry from TV screens to cinema screens.

In 2018, Tope Oshin had her hands full with the shoot of three big movies that include, ‘We don’t live here anymore,’ ‘Up North’ and ‘New Money’. ‘New Money,’ one of the earliest film filmed by Oshin made a statement in 2018 at the cinemas while ‘We don’t live here anymore,’ earned over 15 nominations from the AMVCAs, AMAAs and BON awards.

Her latest and one of the most anticipated movie starring Banky W, Rahama Sada and Bauchi State governor is ‘Up North’.

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10. Kemi Adetiba

2018 was indeed a very awesome year for the wedding Party I director- Kemi Adetiba. She held the later part of the year spellbound with her movie, King of Boys which had Sola Sobowale sitting on the throne.

Her return to the scene after the success of Wedding Party I, was welcomed with grace and fanfare. The response of the general public and critics to her new movie puts her ahead other directors for 2018 and as such was acknowledged by Pulse.ng as the number one movie director of the year.

Kemi was able to keep Nigerian audience on the edge of their seats for three hours with the movie that stayed on the number one spot for five weeks in the cinema.

The movie was rumoured to have raked in over N100 million by FilmOne distribution.

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