The Learner

  Top 7 Kannywood Series of 2024   By Habibu Maaruf Abdu For the Kannywood film industry, 2024 has been a remarkable year filled with unprecedented achievements and historic milestones. These include Ali Nuhu’s appointment as the Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation and Rahama Sadau becoming part of the federal government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprise Program (iDICE). However, while the year was marred by the losses of veteran actress Saratu Gidado (Daso) and singer El-Muaz Birniwa, it also witnessed the emergence of fresh talent and a notable improvement in film quality. Big-budget productions like  Nanjala  and  Mai Martaba  achieved significant feats;  Nanjala  debuted in Turkey and the United States, and  Mai Martaba was selected as Nigeria’s official entry for the 97th Academy Awards. Moreover, Sadau’s film  Mamah  was screened at the prestigious Red Sea Film Festival in Saudi Arabia. Interesting...

By  Muhsin Ibrahim & Habibu Ma’aruf muhsin2008@gmail.com As 2023 draws to a close, the closure of Kano Filmhouse Cinema is one of Kannywood’s most regrettable events in the outgoing year. Consequently, there was a significant decline in the number of cinematic releases. Nevertheless, amid this setback, a silver lining emerged as it spurred a notable shift towards series films, with prominent producers and directors venturing into the evolving market. From  Labarina ,  Alaqa , and  Manyan Mata  to  Fatake ,  Amaryar Tiktok  and  Gidan Sarauta , Kannywood’s audience has been captivated by numerous enthralling TV and web series. While the series market faces criticism for potentially fostering second-rate productions, the following list highlights the best seven series films aired in the year. Please note that the numbering is not hierarchical.  1. Labarina Labarina  stands out as a household name among Hausa film enthusiasts. Desp...

  On the Final Episode of Kwana Casa’in (Season 4)   Filmmakers famously announce that “it’s a wrap” after the last camera roll on the final shooting day. It gives them, and of course, the entire actors and actresses present, an immense sense of relief. Naturally, humans want to rest and become excited when they reach the point of getting it. But, that’s the point when the post-production team and subsequently the audience begin their work – of reading the work in their way. The “wrap” always leaves many holes unfilled. Although Kwana Casa’in is, unarguably, the most expensive and expansive Hausa drama yet, the final episode of season four, aired yesterday (27.12.2020), leaves much to be desired. Hence, I felt the need to quickly write this brief ‘review’ in addition to the one I wrote in July 2019.  So much has happened between then (season one) and now (season four). But, there is no need to narrate the story as I believe most of my readers follow the series. ...

It is no longer news that the coronavirus pandemic has changed our lives and the world in general. The virus has already killed more than a million people and rendered tens of thousands others jobless. The tragic stories about the pandemic are numerous. There was a palpable fear for Africa, the most challenged continent on earth. Some analysts projected that there would be corpses littering African streets. However, the embattled continent, so far, fares much better than the rest, including Europe and North America. Likewise, some African filmmakers have not closed shop because of COVID-19. They, amazingly, do even better than ever. The makers of a Kannywood YouTube series, titled Izzar So , are some of these lucky lots.   Kannywood, the largely Hausa film industry, barely survives amidst a myriad of problems from within and outside. The biggest of them all is, perhaps, the collapse of the CD/DVD market in Kano and other northern Nigerian states. Recently, they started trying o...