Film industry representatives from Nigeria and China are seeking to turn cultural exchanges into commercially viable partnerships involving co-production, technology transfer and access to each other’s audiences.
The discussions featured at the Chinese Film Screening in Nigeria 2026 in Abuja, where participants examined the financing and distribution arrangements needed to move beyond occasional festivals and showcases.
Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria Yang Jianxing described cinema as an important link between the two countries. He cited reciprocal screenings, professional exchanges and the availability of Chinese productions on Nigerian platforms, including programmes dubbed or subtitled in Hausa. Nigerian films, he said, had also reached Chinese digital audiences.
Abuja International Film Festival founder Fidelis Duker said Nigerian storytelling could benefit from China’s cinema technology, investment capacity and extensive distribution networks. Figures attributed to the China Film Administration put China’s 2025 box-office receipts at 51.832 billion yuan, with approximately 1.238 billion admissions and 93,187 cinema screens.
A delegation led by Huaxia Film Distribution chairman Bai Yimin participated in the engagement. Three Chinese films were screened, while ten Chinese entries were submitted to the 23rd Abuja International Film Festival, five of them receiving nominations.
The discussions followed a cooperation agreement signed in August 2026 between the Nigerian Television Authority and China Movie Channel, covering film production, training, technology transfer and distribution.
Industry participants acknowledged that market access would require more than diplomatic goodwill. Licensing, subtitling, marketing, financing, regulatory requirements and revenue-sharing arrangements would all need to be resolved before partnerships could deliver sustained commercial returns for filmmakers.
