Through Spiraling, Wande Thomas set out not simply to depict a life-changing event but to explore its psychological consequences, an idea that became the emotional foundation of the story.
Produced by Isoken Ogiemwonyi and co-written by Thomas and Amaka Anioji, the thriller has been selected for the Silicon Valley African Film Festival 2026 (SVAFF), running from October 8 to 11, where it will screen in the Narrative Feature section. The film is among eight Nigerian titles selected for this year’s festival.
Starring Toni Tones in the lead role alongside Folu Storms, Seun Ajayi and Jim Iyke, Spiraling follows Sade, a tech entrepreneur whose affair with a married man sets off a dangerous chain of secrets and consequences.
Speaking exclusively with The Nollywood Reporter, Thomas described his reaction to the festival selection as a mixture of excitement and gratitude.
“When you make an independent project, particularly in Nigeria, there are so many things that have to go right just to get it made,” he said. “So when you eventually get that kind of recognition, it hits differently.”
For Thomas, the significance of the selection extends beyond the festival itself. He sees it as an opportunity for a story made in Nigeria, with Nigerian talent and rooted in the country’s social environment, to reach audiences outside the country.
“Nigerian filmmakers are producing some really interesting and ambitious work, and I hope Spiraling becomes another small demonstration of the fact that our stories can travel,” he said.
He does not believe Nigerian filmmakers need to dilute the specificity of their stories to connect with international audiences. Instead, he argues that authenticity can make local stories more relatable across borders.
“The more specific and honest we are about our experiences,” Thomas said, “the more universal they can become.”
That approach also shaped the film’s central idea. Spiraling grew from Thomas’ fascination with the gap between the identities people construct for themselves and what emerges when those identities are placed under pressure.
“We can spend years building careers, relationships, reputations, and identities, and then one decision, one secret, or one unexpected event can begin to destabilize everything,” he said.
The title reflects that progression, with Thomas viewing the consequences of a single decision as a chain rather than a straight line.
“One decision leads to another, then another,” he said, “and before you know it, you’re dealing with consequences you could never have anticipated.”
Rather than steering audiences towards a particular moral judgment, Thomas wants the film to leave room for viewers to confront the choices made by its characters.
“I’m less interested in telling an audience what to think than putting them in an uncomfortable position where they have to ask, ‘What would I do?’” he said.
Although the film explores guilt, ambition, relationships, and fear, Thomas also sees its Nigerian identity in the way ambition and survival intersect. The characters are shaped by expectations around success, family, and perception, creating pressures that influence the decisions they make.
For international audiences, he hopes the film offers a more complicated picture of Nigeria, one centered on flawed and ambitious people dealing with recognizable human problems rather than familiar narratives of poverty or exoticism.
The film’s festival journey has also reinforced Thomas’ approach to filmmaking. His advice to other filmmakers is to focus on making the strongest film possible rather than attempting to anticipate what festivals or streaming platforms might want.
“Tell the story that genuinely interests you. You can’t allow the absence of perfect conditions to become an excuse for not creating,” he said.
For Thomas, Spiraling’s selection at SVAFF is not a finish line but another step in developing a body of work capable of standing alongside international productions while retaining its African identity.
“Spiraling is a product of people who decided to make something with what we had. And I’m incredibly grateful to the cast and crew who believed in the project and gave it their best.”
