Nigerian filmmakers Mo Abudu, Funke Akindele, and Jade Osiberu were listed in the “The 40 Most Powerful Women in International Film” by international media platform, The Hollywood Reporter.

The list was celebrate women hitting remarkable heights in the global film industry.

“Africa’s production industry was hit this year by the news that Amazon Prime Video was getting out of the African originals business. But Abudu, who pioneered African media — first as a talk show host, then TV and film producer and now theater chain owner — has always found a way,” The Hollywood Reporter said.

“Her most recent project is the short film Dust to Dreams, directed by Idris Elba, that tapped funding from the African Export Import Bank’s new $1 billion Creative Africa film fund. Abudu believes the international industry still struggles to embrace the full spectrum of diverse stories.”

Reacting to the achievement, Mo Abudu said:

“This recognition is a massive win for Nigeria. Seeing our nation celebrated for its incredible storytelling potential is so inspiring. I’m incredibly proud to be part of a movement pushing for a more inclusive film industry that embraces the power of diverse stories.”

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Funke Akindele who has made a number of high grossing Nollywood films such as “Omo Ghetto: The Saga,” was hailed by The Hollywood Reporter smashing box office records.

“The Nigerian multihyphenate added politician to her long list of professions (actor, writer, director, producer) when she was picked as a running mate for the 2023 Lagos state gubernatorial elections,” the report said.

“Akindele’s People’s Democratic Party lost the vote, but her day job has been going just fine: Her latest comedy, A Tribe Called Judah, which she of course wrote, directed and produced, in addition to playing the lead role, smashed box office records to become the highest-grossing Nigerian movie of all time, earning some $1.2 million theatrically.”

The Hollywood Reporter described Jade Osiberu as arguably “the most artistically ambitious of a new generation of multihyphenate Nigerian producer-directors.”

“Osiberu channeled her inner Scorsese to deliver elevated crime thriller Gangs of Lagos for Amazon. Her next feature, Everything Scatter, follows the stories of five young people whose lives intertwine over a day when street protests break out across Lagos.”

The trio are some of the best filmmakers in Nigeria as Nollywood continues its advancement into the global market.

Nigeria has always set the pace in African entertainment and it is hardly surprising that the globe is beginning to value African stories.