Meet new faces of Kannywood, Nollywood

With the Nigerian entertainment industry going global, it has made room for many to showcase their acting talents to the world. Within the last year, a new wave of actors made a name for themselves and are slowly becoming popular faces of the industry. In this report, Weekend magazine highlights the new faces of Kannywood and Nollywood.

Rukky Alim

Rukayya Ahmad Aliyu, popularly known as Rukky Alim is a one of the new faces of Kannywood. She started her career in a relatively low key, but she now considered among the top actresses in the industry. She acted in some best movies of present time, such as Sanda, Haram, Alaqa and others. The Jalingo born diva said she is lucky to have played the major role in most of her movies.

Zikrullah Abubakar

Zikrullah is one of the new kids that is dubbed the star boy of Kannywood. His movie, Alaqa is a web series produced and directed by Ali Nuhu whom he described as his boss. He is calm, tall, handsome and has a unique way of acting which is why he is seen by many as a future big name in the industry. He has since featured in some other movies and music videos.

Bilkisu Abdullahi Safana

Bilkisu Safana, popularly known as Bee Safna is another new face that is making wave in the industry. That actress has been appearing majorly in music videos for a long time but was not well known before she acted in Alaqa produced and directed by Ali Nuhu. The beautiful actress is now becoming very popular in the northern film industry.

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Tobi Bakre

One of the creatives who utilised the Big Brother Naija platform and developed themselves sufficiently to totally own the title with their talent is Tobi Bakre. The actor and TV personality began his acting career in 2018 with a part in the Africa Magic TV series Hustle, but it wasn’t until his inclusion in the 2019 movie Sugar Rush that he received his breakthrough role. He has appeared in notable Nollywood movies since Sugar Rush, including Brotherhood (2022) and The Blood Covenant (2022). His performance in Brotherhood is particularly admirable since it demonstrates how much development he has gone through.

Maurice Sam

Another new Nollywood star with the charisma and good looks to carry off his parts is Maurice Sam. After appearing in the Africa Magic television series Hotel Majestic, the actor made his acting debut in 2015. He didn’t land his first major role as a cast member in one of Nollywood’s biggest movies, Blood Sisters, until 2022. In the movie, he played a hired assassin. The actor has appeared in numerous movies after Blood Sisters’ debut, including When Men Cry (2022), Ideal Assistant (2022), and more.

Mike Afolarin

Mike Afolarin is a director as well as an actor. During his time at the University of Lagos, he launched his career in 2013 with the theatre performance Magic Time.The actor has worked as both an assistant director and a set designer on short films, including Ajuwaya (2017) and the 3rd Rule. He first gained notoriety for his portrayal as Chikodi in the Emamode Edosio film “Kasala” (2018), but his performance in the Netflix series “Far from Home” launched him to greater heights. He has been in a number of big-budget movies in the past two years, including Soole (2022), Your Excellency (2019), Inspector K (2020), and others.

Moshood Fattah

After starring as the child soldier Gwanza in the Spirit of David Musical, Moshood Fattah launched his career as a performer in 2015. After breaking into the profession, he has been in a number of big stage productions, including the Lufodo-produced Heartbeat (2016) and the Bolanle Austen Peters-produced Fela and the Kalakuta Queens (2017). He recently appeared in the Funke Akindele-produced movie Battle on Buka Street and the popular Nollywood series Far from Home.

Meg Otanwa

Meg Otanwa is a Nigerian actress who began her career in 2011 but didn’t break through until 2022, courtesy of her appearance in the Damilola Orimogunje-directed film For Maria Ebun Pataki, which is about postpartum depression Before getting her big break, the actress had roles in Charles Novia’s Atlanta, Bodunrin Sasore’s Before 30 (2015), and Kunle Afolayan’s October 1 (2014). (2004). She appeared in Soole, Zubaida, and Before Valentine’s in 2022, a variety of casting that has elevated her to the ranks of actresses to keep an eye on. She appeared in the films The Wait, Disconnect, and The Wedding Planner in January 2023.

Genoveva Umeh

Following the publication of Blood Sisters, actress Genoveva Umeh’s performance as Timeyin was a topic of discussion for weeks, as she handled the part with comprehension and expertise. The 27-year-old actress made her feature film debut in 2019 with the Stanley Obi-directed film Blameless. Prior to her breakthrough performance in Blood Sisters (2022) and most recently a feature in Far from Home, she appeared in numerous movies like Lizard (2020), Superstar (2021), and many others since her debut. In addition to acting, she is a producer. She contributed as an associate producer to the Netflix movie The Griot in 2022.

Elma Mbadiwe

The movie “Phases” brought Elma Mbadiwe widespread recognition, but she has been working in the industry for longer. She has appeared in huge blockbusters like Far From Home (2022), Worlds Apart (2022), Rattle Snake: The Ahanna Story (2021), and Quam’s Money (2021). (2020). She co-wrote and co-starred in the Durban International Film Festival-premiered movie Employee of the Month with Tope Tedela.