1,185 films approved in 2025 – Censors Board
The board reduced classification fees for films produced in indigenous languages aside the major ones.
The National Film and Video Censors Board has said it approved and classified 1,185 films between January and December 2025.
The figure represents an increase from the 1,088 films classified in 2024.
The Director of Corporate Affairs of the board, Ogbonna Onwumere, disclosed this in a statement, NAN reports on Wednesday.
He said the rise in film approvals reflected sustained growth in Nigeria’s film industry and a high level of activity among filmmakers and distributors nationwide.
According to him, the classified films cut across various genres and languages, highlighting the vibrancy of local productions as well as the continued submission of foreign-language titles for classification.
Onwumere noted that English-language films accounted for the highest number of approvals in 2025.
”Yoruba and Igbo films followed, while Hausa and other indigenous Nigerian language films appeared less frequently,” he said.
He added that there was, however, broader representation of indigenous languages such as Nupe, Berom and Gbagyi, especially in September 2025.
”In terms of audience ratings, data revealed a strong concentration of films classified under 15 and 18 ratings across all months, suggesting that most of the films approved in 2025 were targeted at mature audiences.
”Family-friendly classifications such as G, PG and 12A were comparatively fewer, pointing to limited production of children’s and general-audience content,” he said.
A monthly breakdown showed that May 2025 recorded the highest number of approvals, with 173 films classified.
He reiterated the board’s commitment to promoting diversity in film production and encouraging greater investment in family-friendly content, as well as increased use of indigenous Nigerian languages.
He added that the board had reduced classification fees for films produced in indigenous languages other than Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa to encourage more submissions.
NAN
