Lady, Crocodile and Mr Rogers: Three Nigerian Films Land in the NBO Film Festival 2026 Line-Up

When the NBO Film Festival opens in Nairobi on 15th October, three of the 54 films will come from Nigeria, and they could hardly be more different. One is a Sundance prize winner about a Lagos cab driver, one is a documentary about a group of friends in Kaduna who make science fiction on a smartphone, and one is a horror short. The full line-up was announced on 6th October, and the seventh edition runs until 25th October under the theme "Cinema for Us".

Lady, the Lagos Story That Won at Sundance

Lady is the feature debut of director Olive Nwosu, set in Lagos and built around a female cab driver who is saving to leave the city. When her childhood friend Pinky, now a sex worker, returns, Lady ends up driving a group of glamorous women through the city's nightlife, and judgment slowly turns into sisterhood. Nwosu has said the film began with a desire to capture the Lagos she knows: "bold, unruly, seductive, dangerous, and alive."

The film won Sundance's World Cinema Dramatic special jury award for acting ensemble in January, with Jessica Gabriel, Amanda Oruh and Tinuade Jemiseye among its cast. A UK and Ireland release is planned for 2027.

Source: NBO Film Festival on Instagram

Crocodile and the Kids From Kaduna

Crocodile follows The Critics, a Nigerian filmmaking collective that began more than ten years ago in Kaduna, when a group of children started filming on a father's smartphone. They make inventive science fiction with homemade green screens and casts of friends and family, and their work found a global audience online, including supporters such as J.J. Abrams.

The 101-minute documentary is directed by Pietra Brettkelly together with The Critics, was a hit at the Berlinale this year and has Idris Elba as an executive producer.

Mr Rogers, the Horror Short

Mr Rogers is a horror short by Daniel Ehimen, selected for the Joburg Film Festival 2026 before its Nairobi screening. It is the smallest of the three Nigerian entries, and a good reason to watch the shorts programme.

What Else Is in Nairobi

The festival runs across four venues: Prestige Cinema, Unseen Cinema, Kaloleni Social Hall and Alliance Française Nairobi. It has three juried competitions, including the returning Fiction Feature Film Competition and two new categories, the Nick Wambugu Prize for Documentary and a Short Film Fiction competition. It also hosts the first dedicated filmmaker retrospective in the festival's history, on Alain Gomis, whose Félicité won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlinale.

The opening film is Rwanda's Ben'Imana by Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo, the first film by a Rwandan director to premiere in the Cannes Official Selection. There is no closing film this year.

A Kenya and Nigeria Month

Nigerian cinema is also travelling to Kenya outside the festival. East West Love, the Kenyan-Nigerian romantic comedy, opens in both countries on 9th October, which makes October a busy month for stories moving between Nairobi and Lagos.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Is the NBO Film Festival 2026?

From 15th to 25th October 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya.

Which Nigerian Films Are in the NBO Film Festival 2026?

Lady by Olive Nwosu, Crocodile by The Critics and Pietra Brettkelly, and the horror short Mr Rogers by Daniel Ehimen.

How Many Films Are in the Line-Up?

54 films, made up of 33 features and 21 shorts.

What Is the Opening Film?

Ben'Imana by Rwandan director Marie-Clémentine Dusabejambo. There is no closing film.

Where Is the Festival Held?

At Prestige Cinema, Unseen Cinema, Kaloleni Social Hall and Alliance Française Nairobi.