Actor, director, and producer Wale Ojo says his new satirical comedy This Is Not a Nollywood Movie is designed to “deliver a bucket full of laughter” while redefining Nigerian cinema for global audiences.
In an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, Ojo explained that the film draws on over a decade of his personal experiences in the industry. “The definition of Nollywood is highly elastic. You can’t put it in one box,” he said. “I just wanted to capture what I’ve experienced in the last 10 or 15 years and put it into an off-ball comedy.”
He described the project as both humorous and serious in its artistic intent.
“We have to take the movie not seriously, yet at the same time take it seriously because, as you know, comedy is a serious business,”he said.
-Despite his long résumé in Hollywood productions such as Johnny English Reborn, Ojo said he finds greater creative satisfaction working at home.
“People are shocked when they hear this, but I actually prefer working in Nollywood,”he said.
He attributed this to camaraderie on Nigerian sets, where “the gaffer can come to me as a director and suggest something, and you don’t have a problem with it.”
He contrasted this with the rigidity of international shoots, adding that Nigerian filmmakers excel at adapting when things go wrong — from power outages to unexpected disruptions.
“We just battle it out. We get stuck in,” he said.
Ojo recalled the “mayhem” of balancing veteran actors and Gen-Z stars, including Brother Shaggi and Ghanaian internet personality Shatta Bandle.
“It was unlimited chaos… the sparks were flying around the set,”he said. “Yes, I did lose weight.”
He said casting veteran actor Hanks Anuku became a turning point after an in-person meeting in Abuja dispelled social-media myths about him.
“I was so impressed. He was perfect for the film,”Ojo said.
The movie also features action-packed sequences — including Ojo being chased by a live crocodile.
“It basically wanted to chop my feet off,”he joked. “But in Nollywood we have trained crocodiles… good crocodiles and bad crocodiles.”
Ojo said writing and directing the film allowed him to reinvent his career.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a sense of failure — only frustration,”he said.
Tired of being cast as the “older father figure”, he decided to create more physical, action-driven roles for himself.
“Nobody was writing the James Bond-type roles, so I wrote it for myself,” he said.
As founder of New Nigeria Cinema, Ojo said the film reflects his ambition for the industry’s global expansion.
“We need higher and higher production values so our films can sell internationally,” he said. “Nigerian film can be a global export like Afrobeats.”
He noted that Nollywood already has strong appeal across the diaspora.
“Our films should invade the Western world — Europe, North America, South Africa, Canada,” he said.
-With ’This Is Not a Nollywood Movie’ set for nationwide release on 6 December 2025 Ojo said he hopes audiences find joy amid national hardships.
“I want them to forget their sorrows, troubles and economic frustrations,” he said. “What I really want is for the nation to have a bucket full of laughter — laugh until you drop,”he concluded.
Boluwatife Enome
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