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For a long time, Nollywood has mostly told stories rooted in everyday life. Family drama, romance, religion, community pressure, and social conflict have been the backbone of the industry for decades. These are the kinds of stories many Nigerian audiences grew up watching, and they are still very popular today. They feel familiar, people recognise the settings, the characters, and even the conflicts.&nbsp;But once in a while, a film comes along that tries to do something different.

Instead of focusing on family quarrels or complicated relationships, a few filmmakers have started asking a different question: what might the future look like in a Nigerian story?

It’s not a major trend yet. In fact, only a small number of films have taken that direction. Still, the curiosity is there. A handful of projects have begun experimenting with ideas around technology, artificial intelligence, and digital innovation. <a href="https://nollywoodgazette.com/latest-news/the-viral-blueprint-how-social-media-is-changing-nollywood-film-promotion">Films</a> like Ratnik and Makemation hint that some Nollywood storytellers are beginning to stretch their imagination beyond stories set firmly in the present.

When filmmaker Dimeji Ajibola released Ratnik in 2020, it immediately caught people’s attention. Part of the reason was simple: science fiction is still a rare genre in Nollywood. Most films are grounded in everyday life, so a futuristic story naturally feels different.

Ratnik takes viewers into a dystopian world where technology and artificial intelligence shape much of society. The setting alone makes it stand out from the usual homes, offices, and family compounds that audiences often see in Nigerian films.

At the centre of the story is Sarah, played by Osas Ighodaro. She wakes up in an unfamiliar environment with almost no memory of how she got there. As she begins to piece things together, it slowly becomes clear that her existence might be linked to a powerful technological system influencing the world around her.

The film also features actors like Bolaji Ogunmola and Adunni Ade, whose performances help deepen the tension and mystery that runs throughout the story. What makes Ratnik unusual is its setting. Instead of the familiar homes, offices, and family compounds that appear in many Nollywood productions, the film places its characters in a futuristic environment where technology feels both fascinating and unsettling.

Even so, the emotional intensity still feels very Nollywood. The characters struggle with fear, identity, and survival, themes that remain relatable even in a futuristic world.

While Ratnik imagines a darker future, Makemation takes a more hopeful direction.

<a href="https://nollywoodgazette.com/latest-news/how-nollywood-grew-from-home-videos-to-a-global-film-industry">The film</a>, produced by Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji and directed by Michael “AMA Psalmist” Akinrogunde, premiered in 2024. Instead of dystopian themes, it focuses on young Nigerians who are passionate about technology, creativity, and innovation.

Rather than asking what could go wrong with technology, Makemation explores what could go right.

Instead of imagining a dystopian world, Makemation looks at something closer to reality: students and young creators who are interested in robotics, coding, and artificial intelligence.

The film features actors such as Richard Mofe-Damijo, Shaffy Bello, Chioma Chukwuka, and Tomi Ojo. In the film, these characters take on roles as mentors, teachers, and supporters. They guide the younger characters who are trying to turn their ideas about technology into something real.

What makes Makemation particularly interesting is how closely it mirrors what is already happening in Nigeria. Across the country, more young people are becoming curious about technology: learning to code, building startups, and exploring different areas of digital innovation. Because of that, the story doesn’t feel distant or unrealistic. If anything, it feels like a small window into what the next generation might actually achieve.

Stories about the future give filmmakers room to imagine possibilities. They make it possible to ask questions that everyday dramas might not explore. What happens when technology becomes part of nearly every aspect of life? How might cities change as innovation grows? And how do people adapt when the world around them starts evolving faster than expected?

These kinds of questions open up new directions for storytelling, and that’s part of what makes films like Ratnik and Makemation so interesting.

For years, science fiction in global cinema has mostly been dominated by Western or Asian perspectives. African futures have not been explored as often on screen.

That’s why even small experiments from Nollywood feel interesting. When Nigerian filmmakers begin imagining the future, they bring a different cultural perspective to those stories.

Of course, there’s a reason why science-fiction films are still rare in Nollywood.

They are expensive to make. Futuristic worlds often require special effects, detailed production design, and more time to build convincing environments. Nollywood has traditionally operated on smaller budgets and faster production schedules.

But things are slowly changing. Digital tools are becoming more accessible, and streaming platforms have opened Nollywood to a much wider audience.

As the industry continues to grow, filmmakers may feel more comfortable experimenting with genres that once seemed difficult to produce.

Right now, films like Ratnik and Makemation are still exceptions rather than the norm.

Most Nollywood films will probably continue focusing on family stories and social drama, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Those stories are part of what made the industry successful in the first place.

Even so, the fact that a few futuristic films are starting to appear says something about where Nollywood might be heading. For a long time, the industry has focused on stories rooted in everyday life, but some filmmakers are beginning to look beyond that.

If this curiosity continues to grow, audiences might eventually start seeing a different side of Nigerian storytelling, one that doesn’t only reflect the present but also tries to imagine what the future could look like.

What happens when Nollywood looks beyond the present? Explore how films like Ratnik (2020) and Makemation (2024) are beginning to imagine Nigeria’s technological future and the possibilities of sci-fi storytelling.


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