These Nollywood movies are based on true life stories and events

The Nigerian film industry is known for, among its various genres, films adapted from real-life stories that stand out for their emotional depth and authenticity. These adaptations not only entertain but also educate and inspire audiences by bringing true events to the screen.

Here, we explore some notable Nollywood films based on real-life stories and the impact they have had on viewers.

Dry is a film about the Vesicovaginal fistula condition, inspired by the true life story of a lady Stephanie Linus met in Northern Nigeria. Directed by Linus, the film follows a young girl who is forced into marriage with an old man. She gets pregnant and begins to encounter issues post-delivery. She suffers from Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) and is ostracised by her community. Starring Hauwa Maina, Stephanie Okereke, Liz Benson, William McNamara, Darwin Shaw and Paul Sambo, the film was released at a time when child marriage in Northern Nigeria sparked controversy.

This thriller, inspired by the tragic 2006 crash of a commercial flight, dives into the emotional and psychological turmoil of passengers faced with impending disaster. Currently showing on Netflix, the film tells the story of a Nigerian commercial plane that experiences mid-air difficulties and a series of flashbacks. It unravels the twists, turns and leaps of fate that put each passenger on that fateful flight. Directed by Obi Emelonye, the film portrays events leading up to the crash and also the human stories intertwined with tragedy, exploring themes of fear, hope, and survival.

This dark thriller is based on the Aluu Four lynching; a necklace lynching that involved students of the Department of Geology at the University of Port Harcourt. Ugonna Obuzor, Lloyd Toku, Chiadika Biringa, and Tekena Elkanah were lynched after being accused of theft in Aluu, a community in Ikwerre local government area, Rivers State, Nigeria, on October 5, 2012. Released to Netflix on February 6, 2023, Dark October tells the story of four university students in Nigeria, who went to a particular area in search of a debtor who owed one of them. Unfortunately, the debtor raised a false alarm and alleged that the boys came to rob him of his valuables; mobs then paraded the boys as thieves and lynched them. The mob attack, however, sparked a nationwide crisis.

Directed by Toka Mc Baror, the film features Chuks Joseph, Munachi Okpara, Kem-Ajieh Ikechukwu, Oriaku Kelechukwu James, Boman Bognet, Oge Gabriel, Anichi Chinedu, Kenechukwu Ezeh, Chinelo Ememchukwu, Lorenzo Menakaya, and Anikwe Uju.

This biopic is inspired by the story of Bashorun Ga’a, a notorious kingmaker and kingslayer in the old Oyo empire. Ga’a was an 18th-century political figure who remote-controlled the affairs of the old Oyo empire. According to Samuel Johnson‘s 1921 book, The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate, Ga’a had a reputation for mystic powers and could reportedly turn into a leopard or elephant.

“He made himself the kingmaker and king destroyer. He did not aspire to the throne, for that was impossible to attain, but he demanded homage of all kings he raised to the throne,” Johnson wrote.

During Ga’a’s reign of terror, five Alaafins of Oyo sat on the traditional stool. Unlike Faleti’s film which starts right at the end of the fourth king’s tenure, House of Ga’a goes further back to cover his treatment of all five kings. Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, this film is currently showing on Netflix.

This film is the titular biopic of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, mother to Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. The film captures her activism and leadership in the women’s rights movement. Directed by Bolanle Austen-Peters, the film has an ensemble cast including Kehinde Balogun, Joke Silva, Iyimide Ayo-Olumoko, Iremide Adeoye, Patrick Diabuah, and Omowunmi Dada.