Filmmaker Prince Daniel has opened up on the rejection he experienced in the Kannywood and Nollywood space.
Speaking at a Q&A session following his film’s screening at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre during the 2025 Nollywood In Hollywood event, Daniel shared the hurdles he faced while making the film.
“I found myself in a difficult position because I’m from the north, but I am Christian,” he explained.
“Kannywood, being a predominantly Muslim industry, didn’t fully accept me. On the other hand, Nollywood, which is largely Christian, didn’t accept me because I was from the north. I felt stuck between two worlds,” he stated.
However, everything shifted when Mai Martaba was chosen to represent Nigeria at the Oscars.
“The dynamics changed after that,” Daniel said.
Beyond the struggle for industry recognition, Daniel also faced major financial obstacles.
“Nobody wanted to invest because I wasn’t a well-known director,” he revealed.
Securing filming locations presented another challenge.
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With concerns about Boko Haram and kidnapping, the production team had to carefully select safe areas. Ultimately, they filmed in Daura, the hometown of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
But the biggest setback came during production when the team lost nearly half of their footage due to carelessness.
“We lost almost 46% of the entire production,” Daniel admitted, causing audible gasps from the audience. The only way forward was to rework the narrative.
“What you see now is a reconstructed version of the film,” he explained. “We are not proud of what happened, but that’s the reality,” he said.
In a desperate attempt to salvage the film, Daniel turned to his post-production supervisor for guidance.
“I called him and asked if anything could be done. He responded with a verse from the Bible: ‘Dry bones shall rise again,’” he added.
A last-minute Oscar entry
Interestingly, Mai Martaba was never meant to be submitted for the Oscars. Daniel had originally sent a different film to the Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee, but with some time left before the deadline, he decided to enter one more project; leading to an unexpected turn of fate.
Despite the hardships, Mai Martaba has defied the odds, earning its place on the global stage and proving that resilience and determination can rewrite the narrative.
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