Recently, conversations around casting in Nollywood have circled the same concerns: familiar faces on repeat, a talent pool concentrated in a few cities, and a troubling preference for online popularity over acting skill. Filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan has heard it all and now has decided to do something about it.
“We’re not doing casting right,” he says. “We tend to reuse the same actors, the same faces. Everyone has been complaining about it for a while.”
With One Take, a new casting app developed by his company, Dudu Tech, Akinmolayan is hoping to disrupt the system from the inside. The app is designed to expand access to auditions across Nigeria, open the door for new talent, and clean up some of the murkier parts of the industry.
“It feels like the talent pool is restricted to a geopolitical region,” Akinmolayan explains. “There’s a lot of talent in places like Asaba and the South-South, but they’re not getting seen. And now, we’re hiring people based on social media following and it’s starting to affect the quality of the performances we’re getting.”
One Take aims to level the playing field. Through the app, actors of all experience levels can submit self-tapes and audition reels directly, without needing connections or visibility on Instagram. For Akinmolayan, the dream is simple: “I want the next big AMVCA winner in my film to be someone I discovered from Ado Ekiti. From Ibadan. From Gombe. Just because they used this app.”
The app also responds to deeper problems in Nollywood’s casting ecosystem. Niyi Akinmolayan points to the rise in scams; producers demanding money from actors in exchange for roles and growing reports of sexual harassment during informal auditions. “If people start using this app, a lot of those problems will disappear,” he says. “All of that is going to end.”
One Take is currently in its testing phase, and Akinmolayan is calling on actors, creators, and performers across Nigeria to help shape it. “I want us to build this app together,” he says. “I won’t tell you exactly how it works; I want you to discover it. Use it. Send feedback. Use it again.”
He is also making it clear that One Take isn’t a side experiment. It will be the exclusive platform for casting Anthill’s next feature film, with auditions scheduled to begin around August. “I know most of you keep sending me monologues and reels,” he says. “Everyone is going to have to use this app when the time comes. That’s how we’re getting our talent.”
More than a digital tool, One Take is being positioned as a reset, one that prioritises professionalism, transparency, and talent, regardless of fame or geography. “I want this to be the best product we’ve ever made in Nollywood,” he professes. And if it works, One Take could redefine what it means to be discovered in Nollywood.
