Two Nigerian women currently hold the top four spots for the highest-grossing Nigerian movie.

Filmmaker Editi Effiong of Netflix’s hit movie The Black Book has weighed in on the topic of women being decision makers in the Nigerian film industry.

In a clip he shared on X from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, he was asked how to get more Nigerian women into top directing and production roles during a panel discussion.

He responded by referencing Funke Akindele‘s recent record-breaking movie, A Tribe Called Judah, and the heights it had attained. He said: “In the industry, we are trying to get more men. We have those situations in reverse. Funke broke her record in 2021, broke her record in 2022, in 2023 her last film broke her own record. So top grossing Nigerian film she is number one, two, three. Number four is another girl and number five is another girl.”

Effiong further expressed in the comment section that the Nigerian film industry has other problems and the need to avoid inheriting other countries’ problems. “The larger point is not inheriting other people’s problems. This isn’t a Nollywood problem. We have other problems, but not this one. Nollywood is already led by female directors and producers. Majority of the ‘studios’ are led by women,” he said.

The Sundance Film Festival is a gathering of original storytellers and audiences seeking new voices and fresh perspectives and is currently being held in Utah, United States. It began on January 18 and will come to a close on January 28, 2024.

The festival has featured the likes of black and white indigenous epic Mami Wata during its 2023 edition.