Nigerian actor and filmmaker Uzee Usman has taken his Nollywood experience into the classroom, speaking with students at Toronto Film School in Canada about filmmaking, authentic storytelling and the realities of working in Nigeria’s film industry.

The engagement provided Usman with an opportunity to discuss lessons from his career as an actor and producer, as well as his approach to developing stories that connect with audiences.

Usman, whose career has spanned acting and film production, told the students that authenticity remains central to his approach to filmmaking.

“I love telling realistic stories,” he said during the session.

His comments reflected a broader discussion about the importance of drawing from lived experiences and creating characters and situations that audiences can recognise.

For an industry such as Nollywood, where filmmakers frequently work across different languages, cultures and production environments, Usman said storytelling can also provide a means of connecting communities.

Usman also discussed the relationship between Nollywood and the wider international film industry, expressing interest in stronger collaboration between Nigerian filmmakers and their counterparts outside the country.

He said he hopes to contribute to building connections between Nigerian and American filmmakers through collaborations and the exchange of creative ideas and industry experience.

Such partnerships, he suggested, could provide opportunities for filmmakers from different backgrounds to learn from one another while exposing their work to audiences beyond their traditional markets.

Usman’s appearance at Toronto Film School came during a period in which Nigerian films and filmmakers are attracting increasing attention beyond the country’s domestic market.

Streaming platforms, international festivals and cross-border productions have widened opportunities for Nigerian actors, directors and producers to reach audiences in different territories.

Usman has also gained international streaming exposure through his appearance as Scourge in The Covenant.

His Toronto engagement coincided with the period surrounding the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the major events on the international film calendar.

Rather than focusing solely on the commercial possibilities of international filmmaking, however, Usman also addressed what he considers the social responsibilities of storytellers.

The filmmaker spoke about cinema’s potential to encourage understanding among people from different communities.

“Peace can be advocated through storytelling,” Usman said.

“When people understand each other’s stories, they begin to understand each other.”

The subject is particularly relevant to Usman’s previous advocacy for peace and greater understanding, including in Northern Nigeria.

Film, in this context, can function as more than entertainment. Stories can introduce audiences to communities, experiences and perspectives they may otherwise have little opportunity to encounter.

For emerging filmmakers, Usman’s message placed responsibility on how those stories are selected and presented.

His discussion with Toronto Film School students also offered an opportunity to present Nollywood from the perspective of someone working within the industry rather than simply discussing its international popularity.

Nigeria’s film industry has developed its own production culture, business models and storytelling traditions, often under conditions that differ considerably from those confronting filmmakers in North America.

Bringing those experiences into a film-school environment can create space for conversations about what different film industries can learn from one another.

For Usman, whose career has largely been developed within Nollywood, the Toronto appearance represented another avenue for participating in those conversations.

It also reflected a changing international environment for Nigerian filmmakers.

As distribution becomes increasingly global and audiences gain easier access to films produced outside traditional entertainment centres, filmmakers are being challenged to create stories that remain culturally authentic while communicating effectively with viewers from different backgrounds.

Usman’s emphasis on realistic storytelling suggests he sees those objectives as complementary rather than contradictory.

The filmmaker believes stories rooted in genuine experiences can travel beyond the communities in which they originate precisely because the emotions and human experiences behind them can be understood elsewhere.

His appearance at Toronto Film School was therefore different from the international visibility that comes with premieres, festivals or red-carpet events.

This time, the focus was on exchanging knowledge with students preparing to enter the film industry and sharing lessons from working within one of Africa’s most active filmmaking environments.

As Usman continues to pursue acting and filmmaking projects, the Toronto engagement also points towards a wider ambition: helping to create more opportunities for Nigerian stories and filmmakers to participate in international creative conversations.