For Kenneth Gyang’s Action Comedy ‘This Is Lagos’, a Christmas Day Release

Four years after helming the critically acclaimed Oloture, popular Nollywood director Kenneth Gyang returns to the big screen on Christmas Day with a new project.

Titled This Is Lagos, the new film features Gabriel Afolayan, Enyinnaya Nwigwe, Ikechukwu Onunaku, Kate Henshaw, Rahama Sadau, Mike Afolarin, Greg Ojefua, as well as newcomer Laura Pepple.

Since Nollywood fans and Netflix subscribers became enraptured by Oloture on Netflix in 2019, Gyang has worked on several well-received projects, including episodes of Far From Home and Blood Sisters, both of which were released as Netflix Originals on the streaming platform. Both became the most viewed series in Nigeria shortly after their release, cementing Gyang’s already glowing reputation in Nollywood.

Gyang’s rise in Nollywood came almost overnight, following the success of his debut feature, Confusion Na Wa. The young filmmaker from Jos won awards for that film and instantly became one of the brightest stars of New Nollywood.

He solidified his status with more acclaimed projects and has become one of the most Netflix-endorsed directors currently working in Nollywood. This coveted position with the streamer has provided Gyang with several opportunities, which has sometimes led to his setting some of his own projects aside.

In the new film, which is produced by Gyang’s Cinema Kpatakpata, Gabriel Afolayan plays Stevo, an artist seeking a big break in Nigeria’s music business. He falls in love with a girl and falls in with a ragtag gang. Viewers are invited to watch how his life and dreams are then shaped by unforeseeable events in the big city. 

According to the director, the idea for This Is Lagos came to him about a decade ago. “I read a short story many many years ago and I immediately knew that I would love to adapt it,” he said. “But I had to shoot other projects while waiting for the time to be right for This Is Lagos. The right time came at the start of this year.”

Shot using an anamorphic lens, This Is Lagos is a visually gorgeous film—as attested to by those at the film’s premiere during the 2023 Africa International Film Festival, which took place in Lagos in early November. The film is made in association with Jide Makinde’s Technical Magic and is supported by Sterling Bank.