For Niyi Akinmolayan, one of Nollywood’s most innovative filmmakers and founder of Anthill Studios, 2025 comes with a sacred mission: reshaping the backbone of the Nigerian film industry—its workforce.
From solo productions to collaborations, 2024 was an eventful year for Akinmolayan’s Anthill Studios. Their two productions saw ‘Hey You’ director Uyoyou Adia return to direct Anee Icha and Taye Arimoro in ‘Casa de Novia’ and Dolapo Adigun earned her debut cinema outing as the director of ‘Criminal.’
The studio’s co-productions resulted in two of the most successful projects of 2024. The collaboration with Eniola Ajao’s Lighthouse Pictures and Filmone Studios, ‘Beast of Two Worlds (Ajakaju),’ became the fourth highest grossing Nigerian movie—₦252,801,675, while ‘Lisabi: The Uprising,’ the first of their two-part Lisabi epic with Lateef Adedimeji’s Al Notion Studios, was the second most-watched title on Netflix Nigeria of 2024.
Shaping Akinmolayan’s views are the silent outcries of countless unhappy diasporan investors who continue to lose their investments in film productions at the hands of dubious “producers” and inexperienced crews. This is further compounded by Netflix’s inexplained silent exit from Nigeria, which was later debunked by the streaming giant.
“I think the biggest lesson from 2024 would be that we need to be in control of our own destiny, [vis-à-vis] our own distribution routes. We cannot just leave everything to our saviours from Silicon Valley. You know, we need to be very strategic about stuff we do, both for the Nigerian audience and the international audience,” Akinmolayan commented.
Despite Nollywood’s continued growth over the years, it has struggled with a shortage of skilled crew members and professionals, but Akinmolayan believes 2025 will mark a turning point.
Niyi Akinmolayan Wants to Connect Filmmakers to the Best Crew Members
Anthill Studios is taking significant steps to address these challenges by focusing on capacity building and workforce development.
As is a longstanding culture of the studio to invest in training programs aimed at upskilling crew members, Akinmolayan said he looks to bring back these training programs and new ones in 2025. These trainings, like his post-production training or the free three-month director internship in 2023, have produced some of Nollywood’s rising filmmakers today, including Barnabas Emordi, Dolapo Adigun, and Akhigbe “Akay Mason” Ilozobhie.
However, Niyi Akinmolayan is more excited about expanding the studio’s services beyond traditional filmmaking. One of the most ambitious projects in the works is a partnership with a tech company to launch a platform designed to connect filmmakers with skilled crew members.
“We feel that if we can influence the growth and strength of the crew and filmmakers, it would lead to better films and an expanded industry,” Akinmolayan said in an exclusive interview with Nollywire.
The platform will feature a curated pool of recommended professionals, ensuring that filmmakers have access to reliable talent for their projects. This initiative aligns with Anthill Studio’s broader vision of creating a more sustainable and professional Nollywood workforce.
The other four missions on Akinmolayan’s 2025 list are ensuring that their newly launched Anthill Family division records a successful year, reinforcing strong partnerships with distributors, exhibitors, and brands, highlighted by another collaboration with Eniola Ajao and Filmone Studios, exploring new story ideas, and expanding Anthill’s operations outside Nigeria.
Unlike most Nollywood studios that operate on a project-by-project basis, Anthill employs a significant number of full-time staff. This unique model allows the studio to focus on long-term growth and consistent quality, setting a new standard for how production companies can contribute to the industry’s development.
Niyi Akinmolayan’s approach to workforce development is not just about filling gaps; it’s about transforming Nollywood into a global player with the technical expertise to elevate its storytelling prowess. With a growing staff, a commitment to capacity building, and an undying vision to champion family content, Anthill wants to pave the way for a stronger, more resilient Nigerian film industry.
