By Prisca Sam-Duru

The release of the star-studded movie, ‘The Herd’ in the cinemas last week, confirmed that the whole exercise wasn’t just another great movie release but a project that has made a cinematic statement in the Nigerian film industry.

Directed by Daniel Etim Effiong, ‘The Herd’ executive produced by Serendipity HHC, Airscape, FilmOne Studios, and ToriTori Films, transforms a joyous wedding into a haunting story of survival, betrayal, and truth. The plot is mesmerising!

The all-star movie featuring exceptional actors like Mercy Aigbe, Daniel Etim Effiong, Tina Mba, Norbert Young, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Deyemi Okanlawon, Kunle Remi, Blessing Obasi, Genoveva Umeh, Adam Garba and Abba Ali Zaky, had the excited audiences spellbound. But beyond its gripping storyline lies the vision of two of its executive producers, Airscape and Serendipity HHC, who see film as more than entertainment.

“We didn’t just want to make a movie; we wanted to make a point,” Efe Ejukorlem explained, adding, “Nigeria has become a place where you can be celebrating one moment and fighting for your life the next. The Herd exposes that tension.”

For Chukwudi Ulogo, the project was an opportunity to merge creativity and purpose. “We live in a time when people crave escape but also crave truth,” he said. “This film does both; it entertains and confronts.”

Together, the duo represent a new generation of Nigerian film producers who view cinema as both a business and a means of social consciousness. Their companies, Airscape and Serendipity HHC, are investing in projects that push storytelling beyond entertainment to spark reflection.

“If people leave the cinema talking about what this film says about us as a society, then we have succeeded,” Chukwudi added.

At its core, producing ‘The Herd’ carries its own behind-the-scenes story, most of which may never be known to the public, but will always be cherished by the producers and filmmakers as part of their struggles to bring phenomenal and undiluted Nigerian stories to life.