Njideka Iroh

Pelumi Lawal

Weave your way through the bustling streets and idyllic beaches of Lagos.  Lagos at Large is an immersive 360-degree documentary told from the perspective of poet Njideka. Featuring her bracingly affectionate words and buoyed by its vibrant, percussive score, the work takes in a range of spaces – from markets and monuments to seasides and more – and emerges as a poignant love letter to the titular city.

Agadez in Niger has long been the starting point for people smugglers moving migrants through the desert to Libya. Under pressure from Europe, the Niger government has been trying to combat people smuggling, but the local economy offers few alternatives. Those who give up smuggling usually end up in gold mining. But it’s hard and dangerous work, and only a few make their fortunes.

Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer is one of the first and most influential surf movies of all time. The film documents American surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August as they travel the world during California’s winter (which, back in 1965 was off-season for surfing) in search of the perfect wave and ultimately, an endless summer.

January 15, 1970: Untold Memories of the Nigeria-Biafra War is a documentary that tells the story of the Nigeria-Biafra war and its end on January 15, 1970. The documentary was produced by the Center For Memories (CFM) in 2020. It features personal accounts from victims of the war, who shared their experiences to help with healing and reconciliation.  The Nigeria-Biafra war, also known as the Nigerian Civil War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra from 1967 to 1970. The war was one of the first to be televised globally, and images of starving Biafran children were shown in the mass media of Western countries. The war highlighted challenges in pan-Africanism and the Organization of African Unity.

A huge influence on world music, Nigerian artist Fela Kuti played many instruments, pioneered afrobeat music and served as a prominent activist for human rights in Africa. This 1984 documentary examines the life and music of the remarkable man. Using his music to raise awareness, Kuti embraced social justice themes. He died in 1997 of complications from AIDS. Footage from his legendary show in Glastonbury, England, is included.

Nigeria's film industry, Nollywood, is the third-largest in the world--an unstoppable economic and cultural force that has taken the continent by storm and is now bursting beyond the borders of Africa. "Nollywood Babylon" is a feature documentary detailing the industry's phenomenal success. Propelled by a booming 1970s soundtrack of African underground music, the movie presents an electric vision of a modern African metropolis and a revealing look at the powerhouse that is Nigerian cinema.

In 2014, 276 teenage girls came together for exams in Chibok, Nigeria -- by dawn, nearly all had disappeared and their school was burnt. Jessica, an escapee, shares her haunting account of a friendship violently interrupted by Boko Haram.

In common with many L.A. Rebellion films, Snake touches on such themes as institutionalized racism, colonialism and the plight of women of color.  Narrated in the first person by the filmmaker as an epistle to her son, The Snake in My Bed tells Diegu's story as a Nigerian woman in Lagos who is romantically pursed by a German national who has “gone native.” Despite his secretive and duplicitous actions, she eventually agrees to marry him and has his child, only to learn that he is a bigamist with a German wife and child.

'Insecure' star Yvonne Orji celebrates her Nigerian-American upbringing in her debut HBO comedy special, which intersperses her stand-up with documentary footage of a trip to Nigeria.