Actress and filmmaker Omoni Oboli has pushed back against criticisms that Nollywood films are too predictable, as she argued that predictability is not unique to Nigerian cinema.

In a recent interview with Instablog9ja on Youtube, Oboli said audiences often miss the point of storytelling by focusing solely on how a film ends, rather than appreciating the journey.

“I hear people say, ‘Oh, these movies are predictable.’

“I’m like, name five or ten Hollywood movies that are not predictable.

“We all know the superhero is going to win the day.

”If it’s a romantic comedy, you know the girl is going to get the guy or the guy is going to get the girl,” Oboli said.

According to the movie director, the strength of a film lies in how engaging its storytelling is, not necessarily in shocking twists or surprise endings.

She explained, ”It’s not about the predictability of a film.

“What you’re watching is the journey.

”If the journey is not interesting, that’s when you start saying, ‘Oh, so predictable.’

“That’s because you didn’t enjoy the journey.”

“But if the journey is interesting… it keeps you glued.”

Oboli also highlighted Nollywood’s creative depth and originality, insisting that the industry has a wealth of unique narratives.

“Stories have never really been our problem. I feel like in this part of the world, we have actually more original stories than outside of Nigeria.

“I dare say that Nollywood has more original stories than Hollywood,” she said.

Oboli noted that the global reception of Nigerian films continues to grow, pointing to viewership data from platforms like YouTube.

“People are literally watching these movies from all over.

“Sometimes you see some countries and you’re like, really?

“Do they watch our movies there?

“It’s not even just Nigerians or Africans in those places.

“People are getting more and more interested,” the filmmaker said.

PUNCH