Adeoluwa Owu, the director for ‘A Tribe Called Judah’, has been ranked as the top Nollywood director for 2023, according to data from Filmone and COMSCORE.
This was revealed in Filmone’s 2023 yearbook report. The distribution company noted that the list covers directors who worked on projects released in 2023 and screened and the cinemas all through sale 31st of March 2024.
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Owu’s directed ‘A Tribe Called Judah,’ which shattered records, grossing over N1.4 billion. Also his work on the 2023 film Admire made him the top man on the list with N1.44 billion.
Following closely behind is Funke Akindele, who not only helmed ‘A Tribe Called Judah’ but was also the face of the film as producer and lead actress. The movie grossed N1.4 billion, which puts her in second place as it was her only project of the year.
Steve Sodiya secured the third spot with the movie ‘Malaika’, which raked in N303 million. Akay Mason, who worked on ‘Ada Omo Daddy’ and combined work on ‘Bank Alert’ and ‘Love in a Pandemic’, followed closely behind at N289 million. ‘Ada Omo Daddy’ co-director Adebayo Tijani claimed fifth place, grossing N219 million.
Biodun Stephen had a busy year, working on the family dramas ‘The Kujus Again’, ‘Big Love’, ‘Hotel Labamba’, ‘Small Talk’, and ‘To Freedom’, which grossed a combined N169 million for the filmmaker.
Further down the list, Kayode Kasum with ‘Something Like Gold’, ‘Afamefuna,’ and ‘Love, Lust and Other Things’ made a combined N147 million. Odunlade Adekola’s ‘Orisa’ (N128 million), Moses Inwang’s ‘Merry Men 3’ (N199 million), and the co-directorial team of Tope Adebayo and Ibrahim Yekini in ‘Kesari’ (N78 million) rounded out the top 10 most successful directors of 2023.
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This year’s diverse list showcased the breadth of talent and storytelling within Nollywood, with comedies, dramas, and even epics capturing the hearts (and wallets) of Nigerian audiences. As Nollywood continues to expand its global reach, one thing remains certain: moviegoers can expect even more captivating films from these top directors and many more in the years to come.