Precious Ndumanya
A film reviewer and casting director passionate about storytelling, performance, and the evolving business of Nollywood. Through thoughtful criticism and industry insights, she explores the intersection of cinema, culture, and the creative economy while championing authentic talent and compelling narratives.
Beyond the Box Office: What Will It Take to Build a Sustainable Nollywood Film Industry?
What will it take to build a sustainable Nollywood film industry beyond box office success and streaming deals?
Ordinary People Review: Eight Episodes of Questions, Corpses and Confusion
Unless it's abjectly bad, which Ordinary People really isn't, I don't have an aversion to a filmmaker writing, directing and producing their own project, but this movie would have benefited from more eyes, more minds and more ideas.
Nollywood: A Movie Premiere Is Not a Party
A movie premiere should be more than red carpets and photographs. It is one of the first and most important marketing opportunities a film has. The real measure of a successful premiere is not how beautiful the event looks, but what people are saying about the movie when they leave. We must rethink how we premiere films, who we invite, how we generate conversation and, most importantly, the quality of the films we are asking audiences to pay to watch.
Who Pays for the Movie? Rethinking How Nollywood Funds Films
Today, it may be the producer, the family, the private investor, the bank, the distributor, the government or a combination of all of them. The future of Nollywood should be one where a filmmaker does not need a famous name, a wealthy friend or an extraordinary personal network to get a good film financed.
When Real Life Becomes a Short Film: What Zikoko Life Gets Right About Telling Short Stories
Short Films May Be One of Nollywood's Most Underrated Tools: One thing I am discovering through watching short films is that short storytelling may be one of the most underutilized tools available to Nigerian filmmakers and writers. The Craft: Another person I discussed the films with, particularly loved Sirram and A Happy Ending for its sound, fluent Igbo, its homage to old Nollywood while remaining modern, and even its costumes.
How 12 HOURS Went from a Simple Question to an Award-Winning Psychological Thriller
Filmmaker Tobe Nosike opens up on the rainy Sunday morning that inspired his award winning debut 12 HOURS, firing back at festival success, and why life is too short for the wrong people.
Authenticity, Adaptation and Expectations: The Children of Blood and Bone Conversation
The conversation around Children of Blood and Bone has quickly moved beyond whether the film is good or bad. It has become a debate about authenticity, ownership and expectation. But perhaps we're asking the wrong questions. Once a book is sold to a major Hollywood studio, how much of the story still belongs to its author? Here's why I believe this adaptation is both a win and a loss, and why both can be true at the same time.
Why Every Nollywood Producer Should Think Like a Startup Founder.
Nollywood's next evolution may not begin with better cameras or bigger budgets, it may begin with better thinking. What if every producer approached filmmaking the way a startup founder builds a company? By validating ideas, understanding audiences, securing smarter funding, and pursuing true product-market fit, producers can create films that are not only creatively compelling but strategically positioned to succeed.