Nigerian Young Filmmakers Make Debut In Hollywood As They Produce A Film With Hollywood Legend Morgan Freeman

 By James Jude Praise U17MM1175

Seven years ago, some youngsters from northern Nigeria decided to call themselves The Critics. They chose that name as an inside joke, a way to mock the original style of film making here in Nigeria. Today, that name has made it's way across the boarders of Nigeria as it remains as a self-imposed quality standard. 

“Could we be The Critics without making good movies?” they ask themselves and smile.

Their journey began in 2016 when group of teenagers, friends and relatives recognized the visual potential of their smartphones. Their initial goal was to have fun while creating something cool.

The Critics initially gained Hollywood's attention with their futuristic short films. However, they have now shifted their focus to a more socially conscious cinema, highlighting the struggles of displaced populations and condemning the exploitation of African art while including sci-fi.

In 2019, The Critics experienced a significant breakthrough. They began as a group creating short science fiction films using their phones. By the end of the year, Revelations Entertainment, Morgan Freeman's production company, expressed interest in producing a movie for them. Additionally, JJ Abrams, known for directing the Lost series and Star Wars films, decided to send them professional filming equipment as a gift.

In August 2020, the eagerly awaited package of new gadgets arrived in Kaduna, a dusty city in northern Nigeria and this marked a significant milestone for The Critics, as they could now be young filmmakers without technical limitations.

Over the years they've achieve various recognition globally and have worked on big projects and with some of the big dogs in the industry like Kemi Adetiba; "KING OF BOYS", also Morgan Freeman, who they worked with in producing the short film; "OGUN OLA: WAR IS COMING" and recently they just concluded their first solo movie exhibition in MMK museum in Frankfurt Germany "ONE CAN ONLY HOPE AND WONDER". This is just the beginning of their journey they say as we hope to see more of them in bigger spaces.