Launched in 2020, the First Features Project is designed to support early-career filmmakers with the tools, mentorship, and industry pathways needed to thrive in the global film landscape.
By Adedamola Jones Adedayo
Natives Filmworks and Michelangelo Productions, the Nigerian production companies behind the First Features Project, have entered into a landmark partnership with the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Nigeria-based Aquarian Consult to expand the scope of the First Features Project, an empowerment initiative for early-career filmmakers, beyond Nigeria and into the global arena.
This collaboration marks a major step in increasing access for Black storytellers worldwide, engendering a global platform for emerging voices and deepening creative ties between Africa and the Diaspora. The international expansion of the First Features Projects will include a call for submissions open to filmmakers across Africa and the Diaspora, the creation of a diverse, world-class facility for talent incubation, a pragmatic creative relationship between Africa and the Caribbean, and the sustenance of a pipeline for globally competitive films.
With over two decades of experience in Nigeria’s film production ecosystem, Natives Filmworks has championed notable films and documentaries in the industry, including A Place in the Stars (2014), 93 Days (2016) and Living In Bondage: Breaking Free (the 2019 sequel to the 1992 classic, recognised as one of the films that shaped major trends in contemporary Nollywood), under the leadership of founder and CEO Steve Gukas.
Launched in 2020, the First Features Project is designed to support early-career filmmakers with the tools, mentorship, and industry pathways needed to thrive in the global film landscape. The initiative emerged from a strategic collaboration between Natives Filmworks, led by Gukas, and Michelangelo Productions, headed by Dotun Olakunri, with the goal of elevating Nigerian cinema to global prominence through training and funding opportunities for debut feature films.
So far, the initiative has birthed a new generation of filmmakers, resulting in projects such as Cake (2022), Love and Life (2023), It Blooms in June (2024), Kill Boro (2024), A Father’s Love (2024), At Ease (2024), A Danfo Christmas (2024), Katangari Goes To Town (2025), The Lost Days (2025), and Colour Me True (2025).
Speaking to Afrocritik, Steve Gukas described the inaugural First Features Project as an extension of a broader vision, noting that the new phase will adopt an expansive Afrocentric approach. This will include a filmmaking bootcamp featuring faculty and advisors from around the world. He also highlighted his longstanding collaboration with Dotun Olakunri of Michelangelo Productions as one built on “a shared vision” and “mutual respect”.
“The partnership with St. Kitts provides the seed funding for the launch of the initiative and then to build a partnership, a community that supports the funding of the project, and create a faculty of filmmakers and people in the industry,” Gukas said. “There will be a call to submissions that we will put out, and filmmakers will make their submissions. Then, the team [of Natives Filmworks] and Michelangelo will select the participants”.
Commenting on the prospects of African cinema amidst global dynamics, Gukas added, “I think that for African and Caribbean filmmaking, creating these extensions of the global African collection of films will expand the reach of filmmakers in terms of widening access to markets and connecting filmmakers to new audiences across borders. The future is not just about a crop of talents that are going to be part of the project, but also about creating openings for more partnerships. My current participation is also what I think is exciting for the future of African cinema.”
With the latest expansion and international partnership, the First Features Project rebrands itself, moving away from its previous domestic Nollywood-only approach towards what is a next-level Pan-African development.