The Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has assured that the 2025 edition of Zuma International Film Festival jointly organised by the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will deliver on its key objectives, including accessing Nigeria’s audience choices for global creative content and promoting film production value chain development.
Musawa gave the assurance during a media briefing in Abuja to formally flag off the festival, which is slated to hold in the FCT from December 1 to 5. She said that the present administration, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has continued to show unwavering support towards the development of Nigeria’s creative and film industries.
This year’s festival, themed: “Storytelling for Global Influence: Film as a Soft Power and Economic Force,” aims to situate Nigeria’s film industry globally while showcasing the nation’s rich cultural heritage.
“Film production and the audio-visual sector have maintained a steady leap as a critical co-driver of Nigeria’s creative economic growth, youth empowerment, and a global brand for investments. Nigeria’s film industry, widely known as Nollywood, remains an asset that reflects the richness of our cultural heritage.
Its impact continues to resonate impressively across the country and beyond,” she said.
“This explains our deep commitment and resolve to its sustenance, including the introduction and implementation of innovative short, medium and long term investment interventions, collaborations and partnerships by the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, including critical intervention and innovative projects such as IDICE, CLAP, CEDF and various Memorandum of Understating; intentional and sustained offshore engagements, that enables the achievement of sectoral development and growth, seamless,” the Minister averred.
Commending the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the NFC, for the valuable collaborative partnership, Musawa, said: “ZUMA remains a major premier film event that seeks, not only to grow Nigeria’s Cinema, but strengthen investment opportunities inherent in the film production value chain.”.
Speaking at the event, FCT Minister of State, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, represented by Mr. Thompson Makolo, assured of sustainable support to activities that seek to harness the creative and hospitality potential of the FCTA, including employment generation and wealth creation through initiatives like Zuma Film Festival.
NFC Managing Director, Dr. Ali Nuhu, disclosed that the festival, 15th in the series, has become a “symbol of our creative pride, a celebration of the stories that defines us as a nation.” He noted that film production and its value chain development in Nigeria, which the Zuma film festival seeks to promote, has been NFC’s resolve since its establishment in 1993.
Nuhu further said that film has become a soft power, transforming creative economies globally, utilising creative and compelling storytelling opportunities that must be appropriately harnessed, supported and promoted.
