By Prisca Sam-Duru

To strengthen its active involvement in facilitating collaboration between the Nigerian and German film industries, the German Consulate in Lagos hosted a roundtable discussion with Nigerian participants from the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival otherwise known as Berlinale.
The event, which gathered stakeholders in both countries’ movie industries, was held March 6, 2026, at the German Consulate General Victoria Island, Lagos. It gave the Berlinale participants an opportunity to review their experiences and explore potential areas of collaborations between Nollywood and German film industry as well as other international creative institutions.

Discussions centred on leveraging lessons and insights from the Berlinale 2026, which was held in February to boost the growth, global visibility, and professional development of the Nigerian film industry.

Tagged “Berlinale-Back-to-Back” roundtable, the gathering was hosted by the German Consul General, Lagos, Daniel Krull, and the Director of Goethe Institut Lagos, Nadine Siegert.

Participants at the 2026 Berlinale shared their experiences and how they impact their job as film makers.

The Berlinale they disclosed, taught them the importance of collaboration, the need to have a clear idea about how to distribute films even when a project is at its development stage, as well as the importance of giving serious attention to how films are created to ensure films made gets to a global audience.

Majority of them insisted that the 2026 Berlinale was exceptional. The festival, it was noted, proved the fact that there are more exportable stories about Nigeria that need to be told. Considering that the reception of our local stories during the Berlinale was impressive, it’s an indication that filmmakers need to tell more captivating stories.

They also talked about what they plan to do differently after experiencing the Berlinale. In addition to the challenge of funding, the majority of the speakers maintained that the major challenge in film making was distribution.

The Executive Director of the National Film and Videos Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr Shaibu Husseini, who joined digitally, said the Berlinale “was a great festival this year.”
Dr Husseini, a Berlinale regular participant, stated further that this year, the festival opened up more to not just Africa but particularly Nigeria, especially with the screening of films with very strong narratives like “Crocodile.” He expressed much excitement to have seen Nigerian films screened during the festival. Relishing the fact that “Nigeria received great reviews,” he hoped it would become ‘country of focus’.

Shaibu then commended the German embassy for expediting visas and ensuring participants got visas seamlessly, adding that “some even got extended visa.”

Welcoming guests and the 2026 Berlinale participants to the event, Mr Daniel Krull, said that both countries’ film industries have for years worked together towards making impressive impact on the global scene. He further noted that the gathering was aimed at giving opportunity to this years’ Berlinale participants to share their experiences and chat way forward for Nollywood.

The Director of Goethe-Institut Nigeria, Nadine Siegert stated that the event was intended to “offer a format for recapturing major trends of the 2026 Berlinale Film Festival in Berlin and for discussing possible lessons to be learned from it for stakeholders in the Nollywood eco system.” While reiterating that every effort going forward was on how to make Nigeria a country of focus, she hinted that the Back-to-Back roundtable focused on what filmmakers could do differently to make Nigeria film industry stronger.

Also speaking, the Acting Consul General of Brazil Mr. Celso de Arruda Franca commended the initiative of the German Consulate and the Goethe Institut, adding that the engagement came from a place of diplomacy.

According to him, “The international peace which is the objective of creatives, is under threat because we have the conflict in Ukraine, war crimes in Gaza and now we have war in Iran. Those are very detrimental to diplomatic work. So, it’s particularly inspiring to come to the consulate of a very important nation and see the gathering of people that work for peace, because when you work for any kind of art and culture, you’re working for peace.”

After the semi-structured discussion, two made in Nollywood movies titled, “The Way Things Happen,” a film by Ugochukwu Onuoha & Dika Ofoma, as well as “A Quiet Monday,” were screened.