Fehintola Olulana: Writing First Lady
In First Lady, Fehintola Olulana plays a leading creative role both behind and in front of the camera. She wrote and produced the political drama, which follows Adunola, a Lagos State First Lady whose risky pregnancy threatens her marriage and political standing.
The film won Best Screenplay in the Over 60+ Pages category at the 2025 Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, ahead of its Nigerian cinema release on October 16, 2026. Olulana’s work on the screenplay places her contribution at the centre of a story about the personal pressures surrounding political office.
Ifeoma Chukwuogo: A Revenge Drama in Phoenix Fury
Ifeoma Chukwuogo wrote, directed and produced Phoenix Fury, a revenge drama spanning two countries and three decades. The film follows characters whose lives are marked by past events and their consequences, with its narrative moving between different periods.
At the 2024 Africa International Film Festival, Phoenix Fury won Best Film, while Chukwuogo received the Best Director award. The recognition established the film as a notable entry in her work as a filmmaker. Its exact release date should be confirmed before it is presented as an October release.
Adenike Adebayo-Esho: Revisiting Campus Romance
Adenike Adebayo-Esho wrote, directed and produced Tele x Zikora, a campus romance scheduled to open in Nigerian cinemas on October 23, 2026. The film stars Mike Afolarin as Tele and Genoveva Umeh as Zikora, two young people whose lives intersect at a Lagos university.
Produced through a collaboration between Imagine Media and MayDay Studios, the film returns to a genre familiar to audiences who grew up watching Nollywood campus dramas. Adebayo-Esho’s involvement across writing, directing and producing gives her a substantial role in how the story reaches the screen.
Princess Mufeedah: A Family Power Struggle in A Land Apart
Princess Mufeedah plays Dooshima Bida Ahura in A Land Apart, a political thriller set in an alternate version of Nigeria where agriculture, rather than oil, underpins the country’s wealth.
Following the death of her father, an influential agribusiness leader, Dooshima becomes central to a struggle over the family’s agricultural empire and a formula with the potential to affect food production. The film, written by Emil Garuba and Michael Garuba and directed by Bem Pever, is scheduled for a cinema release on October 23, 2026.
Mufeedah’s character occupies a key position in the conflict over inheritance, corporate power and control of the formula. The film’s premise places her at the centre of a story about who gets to control a valuable family enterprise.
Nse Ikpe-Etim: Betrayal and Revenge in No Fury
Nse Ikpe-Etim stars in No Fury, a psychological thriller scheduled to open in cinemas on October 23, 2026. The story follows a seemingly happy couple whose relationship begins to unravel after a betrayal, setting off a chain of events involving revenge and damaged loyalties.
Directed by Akay Mason, the film also features Jim Iyke, Tina Mba, Lilian Esoro, Jide Awobona, Nosa Rex and Prisca Okeke. Its story centres on the consequences of betrayal and the choices people make when trust breaks down.
Ikpe-Etim’s role places her among the film’s principal cast in a story driven by a woman’s response to a relationship in crisis. Claims about the character’s motivations or the film’s approach to familiar Nollywood tropes should be based on the finished film or confirmed production statements.
The five films offer different examples of women’s participation in Nollywood, including screenwriting, directing, producing and acting. Their contributions are not identical, but each film provides a specific way to examine the roles women occupy in the industry.
