Historical Nollywood Movies You Need To Watch

Historical films are some of the most tasking movies to make.

The very nature of their genre, the mind-blowing expense, vast world-building, and extreme attention to detail required to help transport viewers through time are some of the reasons filmmakers typically shy away from making such pieces.

Some filmmakers, however, do consider themselves to be up-to-the-task, and thanks to their painstaking labour of love, Nollywood has experienced some very beautiful stories over the course of its history.

Here are five such movies we believe movie fans would love:

1. Half Of A Yellow Sun (2013)

Adapted from the international bestseller of the same name by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, this movie is a historical fiction that follows two sisters who are caught up in the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War.

2. October 1 (2014)

Kunle Afolayan put blood and sweat into making this movie and upon its release in 2014, it was truly the talk of the town.

This story is set in 1960 and talks about a Nigerian police detective who is dispatched to investigate the murders of women in a small community.

3. Invasion 1897 (2014)

It portrays the vivid 1897 invasion of the Benin Kingdom by the British Empire which marked the climax in the exploitation of Africans by the West.

4. Ayinla (2021)

'Ayinla' is a film that tells the story of Nigerian musician, Ayinla Omowura, who used Apala music to address issues in contemporary society, commending and criticising various governmental and individual activities.

5. Swallow (2021)

Set in Lagos 1980s, this movie chronicles the life of Tolani who was waylaid by life's pressures and then becomes involved in drug smuggling with her streetwise friend and must face the fallout.

6. Amina (2021)

This movies takes us through the story of Queen Amina of Zaria in 16th-century Zazzau, now Zaria, Nigeria.

Amina must utilise her military skills and tactics to defend her family’s kingdom.

7. King Of Thieves (2022)

An epic tale of Agesinkole, an all-powerful Bandit and his reign of terror in the prosperous Kingdom of Ajeromi.

Concerned by his pillaging, the kingdom moves to destroy him, through the hunters, witches and priests, thus beginning this adventurous saga of revenge, bravery and glory.