Microdrama production: 5 things filmmakers should know this week
A toy company, a British broadcaster, an Indian app and TikTok all moved this week. Here is what the latest microdrama news means for filmmakers, in five lessons.
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- Nollywood actress Shaffy Bello said on Saturday, 10 October 2026, that she has no desire to leave Nigeria and prays she never gets the chance.
- Speaking at Kikelomo Abati's Real Talk With Kike @7 event at Eko Hotels, Lagos, Shaffy Bello said: "America trained me, but Nigeria made me."
- Shaffy Bello, who grew up in the United States and turned 56 on 8 October 2026, urged young Nigerians to invest in what they have.
Shaffy Bello on japa: ‘America trained me, but Nigeria made me’
Two days after turning 56, the Chief Daddy star told a Lagos audience at Kike Abati's media anniversary that she prays she never gets the chance to leave Nigeria, and gave young people her own advice for staying.
Nollywood actress Shaffy Bello says she has no plan to join the japa wave. Speaking at the Real Talk With Kike anniversary event at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos, on Saturday, 10 October 2026, she told the room she prays never to get the chance to leave Nigeria. "America trained me, but Nigeria made me," she said, according to Vanguard.…
- Comedian and actor Okechukwu Onyegbule, known as Okey Bakassi, said on Instagram on Monday, 12 October 2026, that he and his wife Ezinne are still together.
- Okey Bakassi called a viral report that his wife had moved to the United States and wanted a divorce fake news, and asked fans to report the page behind it.
- Okey Bakassi and Ezinne married in Port Harcourt on 1 September 2001 and marked their 25th wedding anniversary on 1 September 2026, six weeks before the rumour.
Okey Bakassi says 25-year marriage is intact, calls split story fake
In an Instagram video on Monday night, 12 October, the comedian told fans to ignore a viral report that his wife had left for the US, six weeks after the couple marked their 25th wedding anniversary.
Six weeks ago, Okey Bakassi was on Instagram thanking his wife for 25 years of marriage. On Monday night, 12 October 2026, the Nollywood comedian was back on the same account telling fans that the marriage is still standing, after a viral report claimed she had left him. "My family is intact and in God's hands," he wrote under a…
New on Netflix Naija this week: The Diplomat leads 10 to stream
Keri Russell's political thriller returns on Thursday, a South African rom-com sequel lands on Friday and a Nollywood birthday drama premieres on DStv on Sunday. Showmax closed in April, so every pick says where it actually streams.
New on Netflix Naija this week: Keri Russell's The Diplomat returns on Thursday, 15 October, at the top of a week that also brings a South African rom-com sequel, a Mike Tyson docuseries and a Nollywood birthday drama on DStv. Ten titles made our list. Two of them are African productions, and one is the Nigerian movie that topped the…
- Femi Adebayo said in a TVC Entertainment clip shared on X on Saturday, 10 October 2026, that he did not spend ₦40bn on his Euphoria 360 Hub.
- Lagos Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat commissioned the film and media hub in Oregun, Lagos, on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, as the headquarters of Euphoria360 Media.
- The hub's free filmmaking masterclass runs from 29 to 31 October 2026; the hub said on Sunday, 11 October that registration had closed after reaching capacity.
Femi Adebayo says he didn’t spend ₦40bn on his Euphoria 360 hub
The ₦40bn figure followed the Oregun studio from the night it opened. Adebayo says it is wrong, though he still has not said what the place cost, and GistMatrix traced where the number came from.
Femi Adebayo says his Euphoria 360 Hub did not cost ₦40bn. The Nollywood actor and producer told TVC Entertainment, in a clip shared on X on Saturday, 10 October 2026, that the figure people had repeated since his Lagos studio opened was wrong. "Euphoria 360 is a dream I've always wanted to achieve in a south west state in Nigeria,"…
- Former Actors Guild of Nigeria president Emeka Rollas apologised to Ned Nwoko, Regina Daniels and Rita Daniels in an Instagram post on Thursday, 8 October 2026.
- Rollas said he regretted the timing, platform and manner of a statement he made on 20 November 2025, though he may still hold some of his convictions.
- As of 15 October 2026, none of the people he named had publicly responded to the apology in the reports GistMatrix reviewed.
Emeka Rollas apologises to Regina Daniels, Ned Nwoko over 2025 remarks
The former Actors Guild of Nigeria president says he regrets the timing and manner of his November 2025 statement, but not every point in it. Seven colleagues and Rita Daniels are on his list too.
"I am sorry." Three words, posted almost 11 months after the statement that started it. Former Actors Guild of Nigeria president Emeka Rollas has apologised to Senator Ned Nwoko, actress Regina Daniels and her mother, Rita Daniels, in an Instagram post on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The Emeka Rollas apology goes beyond the Daniels family. He also named the guild's…
10 movies to watch in Nigeria this week, from Agbara Nla to Verity
A Mount Zion remake chasing Jenifa's record, Hollywood's new No 1 and a Tom Cruise flop share Nigerian screens, while Netflix adds Ben Affleck's Animals and a new K-drama on Friday, 9 October.
Nigerian cinemas have rarely had a week like this. A Mount Zion remake is chasing Jenifa's opening record, Hollywood's new No 1 is on the same screens, and Tom Cruise's weakest opening in 19 years, by Deadline's count, is two doors down. These are the new movies to watch this week in Nigeria, ranked by GistMatrix. This is an editorial…
Dear Ajayi lands Nigeria’s Oscars 2027 slot after a year out
The Nigerian Official Selection Committee picked Damilola Orimogunje's 1990s family drama on Sunday, 4 October, a year after it sent no film at all. Now the Academy decides whether it makes a 15-film shortlist on 15 December.
Dear Ajayi, Damilola Orimogunje's drama about two estranged sisters, is Nigeria's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2027 Oscars. The Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) announced the pick on Sunday, 4 October, ThisDay and Premium Times reported. It ends a year on the sidelines. Nigeria sent no film to the 98th Oscars after the committee said none of…