The Story ⚡
In a wide-ranging conversation, Naz Onuzo, the director of A Lagos Love Story, talks about the intricacies of his craft and the inspirations behind his fifth feature film. With this title, Onuzo brings his distinctive voice to the romantic comedy genre, infusing the story with a deep understanding of Lagos’s vibrant culture and rhythms.
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Greenlit as an original production in 2023, this film marks Onuzo’s fifth feature and third rom-com, showcasing his growing expertise in the genre.
As the title begins its Netflix run, Onuzo shares his insights on tackling the challenges of scale, crafting chemistry between leads, and blending new talent with familiar faces. He also dives into one of Nollywood’s biggest hurdles: the third act curse.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at this highly anticipated film and hear from Onuzo himself on what makes A Lagos Love Story a standout in Nigeria’s thriving cinema landscape.
The Netflix pitch for A Lagos Love Story, how did it start?
“A Lagos Love Story” first began to take shape at AFRIFF (Africa International Film Festival), where Netflix Execs happened to be present. At the time, our primary focus was on Far From Home, but Tendeka (Tendeka Matatu, Netflix’s Director of Film for Africa) asked if we were working on anything else.
I had been toying with the idea of a big-budget romantic comedy: something with spectacle, scale, and the kind of sweeping love story people of my generation grew up watching. Streamers, particularly Netflix, have helped shift that narrative commercially for Rom-Coms especially at scale, opening up possibilities for projects.
As it turned out, Netflix was looking for a story like that too. I knew I wanted to co-write it, so I reached out to Ozzy Etomi, and together we developed a pitch. At its core, the story is about a young event planner who finds herself swept into a whirlwind romance with a rising Afrobeats star during Lagos’s bustling event week. From the outset, the idea ticked all the right boxes—romance, spectacle, cultural energy—and aligned with both our creative vision and what Netflix was looking to support.
They greenlit it for development, and we spent about a year working on the script and the project as a whole. In July 2024, we finally began filming—and that’s how A Lagos Love Story came to be.
How did the writing process differ when developing a commissioned Netflix title compared to writing for a theatrical release?
Ever since we began working on Far From Home, we’ve made a conscious effort to adopt the same development model across all our projects—regardless of who the commissioning agent is.
Once we experienced the studio-style development process, we incorporated it into our own writing workflow: starting with a three-page outline, expanding and treating to a detailed longer outline, then progressing to script drafts and approvals.
The real difference isn’t in the structure of the process—it’s in the time available and the number of drafts required. But ultimately, we’ve found that this approach consistently leads to stronger scripts, so we’ve made it our standard across the board.
Did Notes from the Netflix development team lean toward shaping the story for a global audience?
We don’t typically frame the conversation around targeting a specific audience in that way. One of the consistent insights we’ve received is that stories rooted in local truth often resonate most globally.
So our focus was always: This is the story we want to tell—how do we tell the best version of it?
Netflix played a key role in that process. Their feedback helped us refine the narrative, and their notes were instrumental in shaping the final version of the film you’ll see on screen.
Is this a story-driven title or a much more character-driven title?
Story is ultimately about character.
Spectacle means nothing if there aren’t compelling characters at its core. The emotional journey of Promise Quest (played by Jemima Osunde) and King Kator (played by Mike Afolarin) is what truly drives the narrative forward, especially by the film’s conclusion.
Yes, the world and setting add visual appeal—but without that central human connection, you don’t have a Film. For us, character and story are inseparable because character drives the story.
Considering your rom-com experience, what was different in terms of you directing it?
One of the key things you focus on when directing a rom-com is finding the moments—because at its core, the genre is all about emotional connection. I spent a lot of time working with the actors to make each moment feel bigger, ensuring every beat stayed true to their characters. In parallel, I worked closely with the Director of Photography to plan how we could visually accentuate those key moments—using cinematography to enhance the performances, not just frame them.
As a director, it’s about constantly marrying the technical with the performance. So the more experience you get, you become more instinctive in how you do that. That, for me, has been the biggest lesson from A Lagos Love Story.
For you as a writer/director, what does scale mean to you in film language?
Scale can be a small or big moment. Nìyí Akimolayan has referenced how Titanic is a typical Nollywood movie but it just happened on a ship sinking in the middle of the Atlantic. So, the moments have to be intimate and relatable, it’s where they happen that gives the story its scale.
That’s how I define scale: taking deeply personal, character-driven moments that build a connection with the audience and placing them on the biggest canvas possible.
Was the title locked in from the pitching process or it was after the story had been done?
From the very beginning, I knew the film was going to be a love letter to Lagos and I knew that Lagos’s love story was going to be in the film. Those two elements were clear early on and then we decided to use that as a title track. So it was always going to end as “A Lagos Love Story” and eventually, it just made sense to bring them together.
This film is set in Lagos, and how did you approach capturing the city’s essence on screen?
I was born in Lagos and I grew up in Lagos. Lagos is family, Lagos is home, Lagos is life and one of the things that I wanted to do with this film was showcase Lagos in a different perspective. We tried to show all the different places people are moving through in the movie. You’ll never be exhausted just because of how big and expansive Lagos is, but we want to get a sense of this story which could potentially only happen in Lagos.
The mix of young people, the creativity, the drive, the hunger and how the rich and the poor sit on top of each other and sometimes intercept. So, we wanted to make a film we felt was culturally unique to Lagos.
What are your thoughts on Lagos as a business hub of Nollywood?
Lagos is undeniably the business hub of Nollywood—it draws everything into its orbit.
By its nature, Lagos embodies a uniquely Nigerian experience that many people across the country can connect with. While it represents only about 10% of Nigeria’s population, it has outside influence on how Nigeria sees itself. It’s not the only expression of Nigeria, but it’s certainly one of the most powerful and visible ones.
What’s the one thing people would really not see as a side of Lagos that they will see in the movie?
There is a thing I call “just because”. This is when people in Lagos do things just because it matters to them. The younger sister played by Susan Pwajok and her friends are artists, models, fashion designers etc, and they squat in an abandoned government building.
Lagos is an expensive city, and that “can-do” spirit that drives Lagosians often emerges in creative, unexpected ways—that spirit is something we aimed to capture in the film
How did you approach casting in A Lagos Love Story?
One of the most important elements in any rom-com is the leads—people the audience genuinely wants to see fall in love. After finishing the script with Ozzy, we knew the focus wasn’t just on finding great individual actors, but on finding two people who had undeniable chemistry. Mike and Jemima were the first two actors we saw for the lead roles. Once we witnessed their connection during auditions, we knew immediately—they were perfect.
For the character of Susan, I had already envisioned her while writing. She had auditioned for us several times before, so we had a strong sense of her range and potential. She was the only person we considered, and she completely owned the role.
When it came to casting newer or less traditional actors, a couple of things were involved. For instance, we needed someone to play a designer of international stature—and we remembered that Zulu had once been a model. That led us to Lanre Da Silva, who fit the role perfectly. We reached out, and she agreed.
IK had long expressed interest in acting, and when I told him I had a role for him, he was all in. He was filming Idols at the time but rearranged his schedule just to make it work—that’s how much he wanted to be part of this project.
Ultimately, I wanted to build a cast that brought together a mix: people I’d worked with before, fresh faces, and established industry talent I hadn’t yet collaborated with. The result is a strong, diverse ensemble that reflects the many layers of the film.
As you step into the director’s chair for your fifth film, what key lessons from your previous four projects have shaped your growth—and how have those experiences influenced your approach to this latest work?
There are easier paths you can take in life—and in filmmaking—but I’ve never been drawn to easy paths. Each film I’ve directed has been a learning experience for its own unique reasons, and for this one, the biggest lesson was in managing scale.
This project had 12 major events spread across the story, and from the start, I knew I wanted to take on that challenge. But if this had been my first film, I don’t think we could have pulled it off the way we did. It required experience—not just in directing actors, but in orchestrating large, complex set pieces while still maintaining emotional integrity and strong performances. And often, those big days came one after another.
What really made it work was close collaboration with my production team and crew. Together, we figured out how to translate an ambitious script into something grounded and cinematic—without losing momentum or compromising the emotional core. Of course, the audience doesn’t see all of that behind-the-scenes complexity, nor should they. Their only expectation is to be entertained—and have a good time. Our job is to take the ambition on the page and deliver what you see on the screen.
How many days did you spend shooting the film? Any pickups?
We did 24 days of shoot and there were no pickups. One of the things we did was ensure we kept the script itself short so we could have enough time to shoot across, given the weight of the set pieces. The Script was less than 100 Pages, I think it was barely about 90.
When you’re directing, what usually determines the pace of an actor’s dialogue? Do you ever feel like improv can hit harder than what’s written?
For me, the actors are the driving force behind the characters. The script is, of course, the foundation—it’s the primary blueprint—but I always tell my actors: by the time we’re on set, you know this character more intimately than I do. That’s why I prioritize open discussions around character motivations.
What I’ve found is that when an actor fully understands their character, any ad-libs or improvisations they bring to the performance tend to stay true to the character’s voice. It doesn’t feel off—it actually deepens the authenticity.
Coming from a writing background, I’m surprisingly flexible with dialogue, as long as the intention of the scene remains intact. That’s where I draw the line: if an improvisation shifts the intention or emotional trajectory of the scene, then I’ll insist we stick to the script.
But once the actors are locked into the character’s intention, the tension between improvisation and scripted lines disappears. They’re no longer just saying lines—they’re executing the emotional and narrative purpose of the scene. And ultimately, that’s what matters most
How do you make sure that the story, tone, and emotion from the script actually come through on screen the way they’re meant to? And on set, what steps do you take to make sure everything stays on track so that vision connects with viewers
As a filmmaker, your first audience is always yourself. You make the kind of film you’d want to watch, and then you hope your taste aligns with that of the wider audience. When it does, that’s a beautiful bit of luck. When it doesn’t, well—that’s part of the risk you take.
We started initial conversations around this film back in 2022, and it’s only coming out in 2025. That’s a long lead time, and in that gap, audience preferences can shift dramatically. Predicting what people will want three years down the line is incredibly difficult, if not impossible. That’s why I believe in making the best version of the story you’re passionate about telling, and trusting that there will be an audience that connects with it.
The idea that you can ‘manufacture’ taste or follow a guaranteed trend is a bit of a myth. You might try to ride a wave, but filmmaking isn’t real-time—what you’re releasing today was likely conceived years ago. So much can change between then and now.
Ultimately, I think if you’re honest in your storytelling and deliver something you genuinely believe in, the right audience will find it. Maybe not immediately—but the film lives on. Sometimes it just takes a little while for people to catch up, and that’s okay too.
King Kator’s characterization really pops on screen—one of the first things people pick up on is that strong Asake vibe. Was that a deliberate nod, or did it come together more organically?
So, we actually designed King Kator’s look from scratch—the tattoos, the red braids, all of it. It wasn’t until we got to the hair and makeup test that someone on the team, totally surprised, said, ‘Wait… he looks like Asake!’ That’s when it hit us—people might think we were referencing him. But honestly, that wasn’t the intention at all. The look came from our vision of who King Kator should be— his shine, his presence. Though Damola keeps telling me to just say it was the plan all along!” [laughs]
That said, Damola’s version has weight too.
There’s been a real shift in Afrobeats over the past decade—this global breakthrough. And part of what we wanted to capture with King Kator was that mindset: when you know you’re global, you move differently. That energy, that swagger—it’s what Mike brought to the role. The idea wasn’t just that he was a Nigerian star; it was that he was a global phenomenon from Nigeria – that’s a nuance we really wanted to land.
On an overall note, How does Inkblot approach its release schedules?
Our approach is guided by the overall vision for the slate each year, and we choose release dates we believe will best serve each project. Last Year, for instance, our focus shifted toward key holiday periods. We released Muri & Ko around Eid, When Love Strikes around the Prophet’s birthday, and Family Gbese later in the year, aligning with the expectation that cinema attendance tends to pick up from October into November.
We’re also mindful about spacing. The more films you produce, the more important it becomes to give each one room to breathe regarding marketing and visibility. One of the key things we’ve learned over the years is how to strategically manage, promote, and push multiple features across the calendar year.
What are your thoughts on the current state of the industry? Is the industry still competitive at this time?
What I would say is that we always want to harness every distribution option. Everything that adds to the number of places that we can see our content is important. Everything that can monetize our content is important. I always believe that it’s every distribution channel that’s added that continues to increase the value of our content. And that’s what we want at the end of the day. We want Nigerian films to be worth one million dollars, three million dollars, and five million dollars over time because that is what makes the Nigerian film industry a thing, and it doesn’t matter what side of the industry you belong to.
For example, if an average YouTube film used to be worth two thousand dollars, now they are worth five thousand dollars, ten thousand dollars. That improves the economics of that space and it makes that space better and more vibrant.
No matter what level you’ve been, you want to continue to add value to the economics of that content. This is what matters to distribution. So, what you will find is people focus a lot on the current-day version of that. That is, what’s the value today versus what are the things you need to build today to get to the value?
During the streaming wars in 2022 and 2023, the value wasn’t where it needed to be. So we needed to build, irrespective of who was building and who wasn’t. That has not changed, and we need to continue to do that. The cinema needs more patronage. The streamers need more subscribers.
Everything we needed in 2023 is still needed. We just have to keep building and investing. We all know that Nigerians in the diaspora like to watch Nigerian films. This is something that has been proven across the board. We even have what’s called fans of Nollywood in other markets. So, we have to continue to get to them consistently which will enable creators to benefit and monetize accordingly.
Shock Newsroom broke the news last year that Inkblot is having a finance deal with TLG. So, is there a context to add to that? Is there a set of films that you’re financing with TLG, or did they invest in Inkblot as a company?
I think the TLG release speaks for itself. In terms of the details we can disclose at this time, I’m just going to say that we are very grateful for their partnership. It has helped us as we continue to develop our quest to build an institution that will stand the test of time.
Why do you think Netflix is limiting titles to African regions and not taking them across different global markets as it was before?
Here’s the thing, Netflix’s individual business decisions are things I’m not privy to. They didn’t invite me to their money strategy meetings. But they did make it clear to all their partners that things were changing, but they will ensure that the local market, our primary audience, is well served. So, all we can do is service them locally. What all producers want to continue to do is to continue to broaden their distributors.
We have seen that many titles that are local titles on Netflix have also been able to get distribution outside Africa. So, it’s not a thing that limits their distribution.
In terms of how streaming platforms and box office platforms are sort of Window 1 and Window 2, do you think there’s a scenario where this particular title, A Lagos Love Story, could have gone to the box office and come to Netflix? Or was that a deal that could have happened in any way, shape, or form?
It depends. Anything can happen. One of the things I’d like to say is that there can always be flexibility across both platforms. Titles like Anikulapo and Funmilayo Ransome Kuti went to the box office and later on went to Netflix and Prime Video, respectively. It’s a function of many things.
For example, I think when we were releasing No Way Through on Prime Video, we actually discussed it with the cinema, but it didn’t work because of the timing. It was a December release, and there were discussions that the film was not a December film, and there was also a December film that was about to break records.
Basically, every film and situation determines individual circumstances, but we felt that this film would benefit from the way we originally intended, which was the first run on Netflix.
What are your thoughts about 3rd acts in Nollywood films, where audiences think the third act is not as strong as it would be? What’s your approach to avoiding this pitfall?
In my general opinion, I will reject the fundamental premise of your question. However, the whole idea of a third act is satisfying, that in itself is what everyone is trying to do. So, I’m not going to agree that Nollywood third acts don’t work in general. What I rather think is that people who don’t have a satisfying experience with the third act should say that it doesn’t work for them, as opposed to saying that it doesn’t work in general. Most people make a mistake by generalising from their specific experience to a broader experience.
This is why I’m pushing back on that. What I would say is that the whole point of a third act is to make you feel good after you have spent two hours with a film.
Every writer, director, or filmmaker strives for this. Crafting a satisfying ending is easier said than done, and I don’t think Nollywood can be exempted from this. However, everyone should strive very hard to ensure that their endings are satisfying and make the audience relieved.
As a director who takes on multiple acts in terms of producers, executive producers, investors, writers, etc., for this fifth feature, what’s something interesting that you observed about your directing identity that you feel will be a part of you going forward?
It’s simple. I just want to tell stories. I want to make cool stuff. People like to abstract these things, but at the end of the day, filmmakers as artists want to do things that they find interesting. I think that’s one of the key things about an adult. You must believe that the lens through which you want to view the world is interesting.
We’ve done many films at Inkblot, but the core of every single film we’ve done, irrespective of who’s writing, directing, or producing, is that we find it interesting, and the lens through which we enter the film is something we find interest in.
This is why we have done it for so long. If you look at our films, they are very idiosyncratic. How we’ve been able to survive is that we follow what matters to us in the world.
This is what has kept us in the industry after these many years, and we will continue to do that. And as a director, writer, producer, investor, or whatever act, we have to continue to do that, and we’ll also continue to relate with filmmakers or storytellers who want to tell stories like us.
“A Lagos Love Story” is now streaming on Netflix.
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