What Son of the Soil Means for Nollywood’s Global Moment

On a recent evening at the AMC Empire 25 in New York, an unusual cinematic exchange unfolded. The audience gathered not simply to watch a film, but to encounter a world many of them had never seen on screen before: the dense, restless streets of Mushin, Lagos. The film was Son of the Soil, an […]

On a recent evening at the AMC Empire 25 in New York, an unusual cinematic exchange unfolded. The audience gathered not simply to watch a film, but to encounter a world many of them had never seen on screen before: the dense, restless streets of Mushin, Lagos.

The film was Son of the Soil, an action thriller directed by Chee Keong Cheung, an award-winning British-Chinese filmmaker whose work has captivated audiences worldwide. Co-written by British-Nigerian actor, Razaaq Adoti, the movie follows Zion Ladejo, a former Nigerian special operations soldier who returns home after his sister’s death and becomes entangled in a violent confrontation with organized crime.

But the screening felt like more than the debut of another action movie. It felt like a cultural translation, one that carried Nollywood from the streets of Lagos to a theater filled with first-time viewers in New York and other parts of the United States.

I had the unusual vantage point of moderating the Q&A after the screening, which allowed me to witness something rare: Western audiences encountering Nollywood not as a curiosity, but as a cinematic force. Among them was Dylan Brewer, a first-time Nollywood viewer, who shared his reaction moments after the film in a manner that captured the quiet astonishment of someone discovering an industry far richer, more layered, and more technically assured than he could have ever imagined.

“I really enjoyed it. The first Nollywood movie I’ve ever seen,” Dylan smiles, “ I was particularly a fan of the music as well. I mean, we talked about a lot of great stuff with the storyline in there. I really loved the music choices, I loved the casting and I think when we found out that it took them 18 days to shoot it, everyone in the audience sort of gasped a bit as well as myself. So it’s great to see a movie do that and come out with that kind of product and result.”

Seeing Mushin Again

But for me, the film’s resonance went beyond the audience’s discovery. It stirred memories of a place I once knew in a very different context. While the audience was discovering Mushin, Lagos (where the movie was set) for the first time, I was seeing it again, through a lens shaped by years of reporting on the city.

I started my professional journalism career as a crime reporter in Lagos back in 2010. Sixteen years down the line, watching a movie set in that same city I once covered, and in which Son of the Soil was set, was illuminating.

At least seeing everything I covered:crime, drugs, bloodshed, well dramatized in Chee Keong Cheung’s movie presents an opportunity for reflection. Much of that reflection comes from the way the environment is documented. The film’s cinematography captures the raw energy of Mushin’s streets with a precision that feels both cinematic and documentary-like. The camera lingers on narrow ways, rusted rooftops, and neon-lit night scenes, offering a portrait of Lagos that rarely reaches international screens.

That sense of realism continued to draw reactions long after the screening ended. One filmmaker in the audience, Rafia Ansari, had already seen the film once but returned to watch it again. For her, the experience was no less intense the second time. She described it this way:

“I had the pleasure of seeing Son of the Soil, not the first, but the second time. And I must say that just like the first time, I was blown away. I was jumping out of my chair.  So I highly recommend that you see it. I mean the actors, the authenticity, it made you feel like you were actually in the movie. Literally you forget that you’re watching a movie.”

There were others in the room experiencing Nollywood up close for the first time, and several took turns sharing their pleasantly surprised reactions after the screening. 

One attendee, Kimberly D’Anna, said she came in with curiosity but left deeply impressed. Invited by a friend, she decided to “experience something new,” and what she encountered, she said, was unexpectedly immersive. The performances, she noted, were “amazing,” and the film made a strong impression on her. 

As she put it, if you’re trying to experience a true Nollywood film, “get out there, find Son of the Soil, and go see it right now.”

A Film That Crosses Borders

The production itself is a study in international collaboration. Directed by Chee, a British-Chinese action filmmaker of  Redcon-1 fame, and produced through a partnership between companies in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, the film brings together Nollywood veterans such as Patience Ozokwo and Ireti Doyle, alongside emerging talents, while incorporating the pace and scale of global action filmmaking techniques.

The result is a hybrid: a Nollywood film built with the pacing and spectacle of international action cinema.

Digger Mesch, a director who attended the screening, put it this way: “I’m a director and an artist. I thought the Son of the Soil was amazing. It was very visceral. I’ve had people tell me that Africa was a great place to shoot before, and now I know. It was really high energy, really gritty, and just very real. And the timing in the film was amazing. The performance by the lead is excellent.”

Another audience member, Tom, focused on the film’s technical craftsmanship: “Yeah, I really loved the movie. I was completely gripped by it. I just thought the camera work was excellent;it really held you in the moment. The lighting was beautiful as well. Jack did a great job. I’d highly recommend people go and watch it.”

The technical achievement becomes even more remarkable when audiences learn how quickly the film was shot: in less than three weeks.

A New Kind of Nollywood Action

One of the most memorable performances belongs to a young actress, Ijelu Folajimi. Playing Remi, a street girl from the slums trying to survive, she delivers moments that bring unexpected humor and emotional weight to the film.

During the hospital scene, when her character casually tells Zion, played by Adoti, “Oh, you are old”, the audience erupted into laughter. Even the lead actor later noted how exceptional her performance was. Moments like that remind viewers that beneath the explosions and gunfire lies a human story.They also hint at something bigger: the future of African storytelling.

Chee has spoken openly about his interest in African stories and his desire to help develop the next generation of talents. As an action film specialist with experience across continents, his collaboration with Nigerian actors suggests a model that could reshape how African films are made. Imagine, for instance, Nigerian institutions partnering with international filmmakers to teach action filmmaking, stunt choreography and genre storytelling.Such collaborations could open entirely new possibilities for Nollywood.

The Audience Response

What struck me most during the New York screening was not simply the applause but the sense of discovery.

Ronel, another audience member, summed it up: “I thought the movie was great. I really enjoyed it. The cinematography was incredible. Just the colors, the lights, the way they shot everything was amazing. I really enjoyed the writing. The characters were really deep. And I’m leaving this theater really inspired by how great this movie was. And I give a big thanks to the cast for putting this together.”

African viewers in attendance expressed a similar sense of pride. Bright O. Yeboah, a Ghanaian media executive, puts it succinctly, “Wow, Son of the soil. A masterpiece. A masterpiece. I love it. I love it.”

A Nigerian, Dan Solomon,  reflected on the storytelling: “ Son of the Soil was a very interesting movie. I like that it’s something that we’ve not seen before. Also, if you look at the quality of the shooting, the character, and how the character developed over time, it is impressive.

“I really love Remi’s performance and I think it was really good to bring that picture right into the movie but I think in general,I would like to see more of something similar or something that kind of tells a different story as well about Africa.”

Beyond the Film

Son of the Soil is currently screening in select American cities, including New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Dallas, while also streaming across Africa.

Its release marks more than a milestone for a single film. It signals a shift in the geography of action cinema. Now, films like Son of the Soil suggest that high-energy storytelling can emerge from anywhere, including the chaotic, vibrant streets of Mushin. And for those of us who once reported on those streets, the experience of seeing them on a cinema screen in New York carries a special resonance.

I think that ultimately, the conversation around Son of the Soil may extend far beyond the spectacle of an action thriller. What the America’s screening revealed, particularly in the reactions of first-time Nollywood viewers, is that the film opens a broader cultural dialogue.

 It invites audiences to see African stories through a different cinematic lens while creating space for collaboration between filmmakers across continents. Listening to viewers encountering Nollywood for the first time, it became clear that the film functions not only as entertainment but as a bridge: between industries, between cultures and between audiences who may never otherwise have shared the same cinematic experience. 

In that sense, Son of the Soil feels less like a conclusion than a beginning. It invites a broader conversation about what global storytelling might look like when African narratives, international partnerships, and new audiences meet on the same screen. For me, it was an absolute delight to witness that moment unfold, and it leaves a sense of anticipation for the many beautiful collaborations that may yet emerge from encounters like this.