Nigeria’s Film Industry Breaks New Ground with AI-Themed Film, ‘Makemation’
What happens when a child from a forgotten corner of Lagos gets a shot at real opportunity? What happens when the story we tell about African children finally shifts from struggle to potential?
Makemation, Africa’s first feature film on Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies, asked those questions. And in just four weeks at the cinema, at least 90 million naira in ticket sales showed that Nigerians were ready to answer a new call to creativity in film production.
This put MAKEMATION in a category of its own, as one of the best debuts by a new filmmaker and first-time production company. It also broke into the top 60 highest-grossing movies of all time at the Nigerian box office.
The film introduced us to a girl who dared to believe she could belong in spaces reserved for only elite kids. She wasn’t rich nor qualified by felt enough to be qualified.
The simple, honest story of Makemation pulled people in because it felt really close to home for many. Familiar. Personal.
The Film grossed 32.9 million naira in its opening weekend, yet it wasn’t even backed by a long media campaign. There were no viral stunts. No exaggerated hype. The story was enough. And the country responded. Eleven new actors made their cinema debut through this film – before then, many of them had only worked on YouTube, TV, or student projects.
This was their first time on the big screen, and they showed up and delivered excellently to the admiration of audiences that noticed and cheered to warm applauses nationwide.
Albeit it boasts of a stellar line up of Actors, Makemation didn’t only rely on star power or spectacle. It stood on the strength of its message and the intention behind its production. Produced by Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, the film challenged the way Nollywood thinks about children, education, and generative AI in film making. People came expecting entertainment. What they got was purpose.
Since its release, the conversation around Makemation has only continued to evolve. After a hugely successful Cinema run, it’s now headed to states and ecosystems across Nigeria, where screenings will be paired with learning opportunities and job exposure especially for students and young professionals in tech and STEM fields. But that’s just phase one.
The global rollout will follow next, with plans already in motion to take the film to diaspora audiences in the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond.
READ ALSO: Why 10 judges including Acting Chief Judge Imo State were sacked- NJC
Makemation movie has also become the springboard for something bigger but clearly needed on the Continent. A new kind of learning institution and system: The Makemation Institute of Science, Technology and Management.
Envisioned as a future-forward, globally competitive, 21st century compliant, indigenous Ivy League institution for upskilling and empowering young Africans in Data, AI Research and other digital skills, the Institute will connect the film’s message to real life outcomes.
This is a classic example of Life imitating Art, and the announcement of the Institute to Guests who watched the Movie in real life at its metaverse-themed global premiere event held at Landmark Centre in Lagos on the 16th of April 2025 heralded a new era in Nigeria’s digital and creative economies.
This is how change begins. Not by preaching. Not by pretending. But by creating the kind of work that brings people together as a collective and shows them what’s possible when vision meets structure and sustainability.
Makemation wasn’t made to impress. It was made to last. And now, it’s moving from screens into systems. From fiction into futures. From inspiration into infrastructure. That’s the story. And it’s still unfolding.
