City People Takes You Inside KANO Film Village

• Where Hausa Movies Are Shot!

For years, Kano has actually been the pounding heart of Hausa-language filmmaking. From the early home-video period to the modern-day Kannywood market, the ancient city has actually produced a few of Northern Nigeria’s most significant stars, filmmakers, manufacturers and stories.

While the market continued to grow, one significant difficulty stayed: where do they really make these movies?

For many years, Kannywood productions have actually been shot in normal homes, streets, leased places, hotels and other areas that filmmakers needed to adjust for the needs of a motion picture. Manufacturers typically needed to move from one area to another, investing more cash and time in the procedure.

Today, there is a various story emerging in Kano. It is the story of the Kano Film Village, a devoted production center established by veteran broadcaster and filmmaker Abdullaziz Dansmall.

Unlike the enthusiastic Federal Government movie town proposed for Kano in 2016, which was prepared as an enormous 20-hectare task with studios, a movie theater, hotel, training centers, hostels, going shopping centers and other facilities however was ultimately shelved, today Kano Film Village is an independently established job that has actually been growing slowly from real movie production. Which is what makes its story especially intriguing.

THE MAN BEHIND THE VILLAGE

At the centre of the Kano Film Village story is Abdullaziz Dansmall, a broadcaster and filmmaker who chose that Kannywood required more than simply gifted stars and excellent stories. It required a location where those stories might be made. Dansmall did not develop the center over night. According to him, the job begun with the earnings of filmmaking itself. His very first significant production was Gidang Haya. Instead of just invest the cash made from the task, he reinvested part of the income into establishing the center. Bit by bit, the website broadened. Dansmall has actually described that the long-lasting aspiration is to change the area into a completely established movie town efficient in managing bigger productions. It is an intriguing example of a filmmaker trying to resolve among the issues challenging his own market. Rather of waiting on a government-backed mega job to show up, he started developing a production environment from the earnings of business itself.

WHY A FILM VILLAGE MATTERS

For individuals outside the Hausa movie market, a movie town might seem like absolutely nothing more than a big area where stars go to shoot motion pictures. It is far more than that. A movie production includes lots of individuals working behind the scenes. There are directors, cinematographers, sound engineers, editors, makeup artists, outfit designers, production assistants, lighting specialists, set designers, place supervisors and many other employees. When production centers are not available, filmmakers need to improvise. They lease homes. They work out access to hotels. They closed down parts of streets. They move devices from one place to another. They look for suitable backgrounds and settings for every single scene. A devoted production environment can make that procedure simpler. This is among the factors the Kano Film Village has actually brought in attention beyond Kannywood.

THE EU VISIT

In June 2026, a Team Europe delegation checked out Kano as part of conversations around the imaginative market, tasks, abilities advancement and social modification. Among the locations they went to was the Kano Film Village. Throughout the trip, Dansmall described how the center had actually grown from the profits of Gidang Haya and how he had actually continued broadening it with time. The go to put the center in a much larger discussion about the financial capacity of Nigeria’s imaginative markets.

KANNYWOOD IS BIGGER THAN MOVIES

According to star actor, Ali Nuhu, Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation, research study suggests that movie production is the second-largest source of youth work in Kano State after farming. That suggests the market offers chances far beyond individuals whose faces appear on film posters. Every production needs individuals working behind the video camera and companies providing services to the production. From transport to catering, outfits, makeup, devices leasing, areas, modifying and digital circulation, a film can support a whole chain of financial activity. The Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board has likewise stated it has actually authorized more than 10,000 movies throughout the years and continues to support professionals through training programs, workshops and stakeholder engagement. When a center such as the Kano Film Village grows, the discussion is not just about where stars shoot their next film. It is likewise about facilities for a market that utilizes and supports countless individuals.

FROM VHS TO DIGITAL

Kannywood itself has actually taken a trip a long method. The Hausa-language home-video motion got significant momentum in the 1990s. Among the movies often recognized as a crucial early industrial Hausa home motion picture is Ibrahim Mandawari’s Turmin Danya, launched in 1990. The success of such productions assisted develop the home-video culture that ultimately ended up being a huge part of Kannywood. For several years, VHS and later on VCD and DVD sales were main to business. The market has actually altered. Digital platforms have actually changed how movies are dispersed and taken in, while the standard DVD organization has actually decreased. Ali Nuhu likewise determined circulation and access to production centers amongst the obstacles still dealing with the market. Kannywood filmmakers have actually progressively turned towards digital platforms and online circulation channels as the old circulation design damaged.

THE FILM VILLAGE THAT NEVER HAPPENED

There is another remarkable chapter to the Kano Film Village story. In 2016, the Federal Government revealed prepare for a huge movie town in Kano. The proposed task was apparently backed by a spending plan of N3 billion and was anticipated to rest on about 20 hectares of land. Strategies consisted of a cinematography centre, sound phase, 400-capacity auditorium, hostels, hotel lodging, shopping centers, restaurants, a center and other facilities. It was expected to end up being a significant filmmaking and training centre for Kannywood and the larger Nigerian movie market. The task never ever ended up being the movie town that had actually been guaranteed. The proposition produced debate at the time, consisting of opposition from some Islamic clerics who argued that such a job might promote worths they thought about unsuitable. The task was consequently shelved.

CONSTRUCTING FROM THE GROUND UP

The existing Kano Film Village might not yet be the enormous, all-in-one home entertainment city pictured in the initial federal government proposition. Its significance lies in how it came into presence. It has actually been established slowly, with cash created from filmmaking being returned into filmmaking facilities. That makes the job a reflection of the market’s own journey. Kannywood has actually invested years developing stars, producing countless films and establishing an audience throughout Northern Nigeria and beyond. Now, the market is likewise starting to develop a few of the physical facilities needed to support its next phase. Dansmall’s aspiration is for the center to continue broadening up until it can support bigger productions. That indicates the Kano Film Village might still be an operate in development. So is Kannywood itself.

INDIVIDUAL BEHIND THE CAMERA

Among the simplest things to forget when enjoying a Hausa film is the number of individuals it requires to develop what ultimately appears on screen. The star gets the applause. The director gets the credit. The manufacturer gets the headings. Filmmaking is a group sport. There are individuals dealing with cams, lights, noise, outfits, makeup, connection, props, transport and post-production. There are likewise individuals who offer food, lodging, logistics and other services. A long-term production environment possibly brings a lot of these activities better together.

A NEW CHAPTER FOR KANNYWOOD?

Kannywood has actually made it through a number of significant modifications. It moved from early tv drama and theatrical customs into home video. It welcomed VHS. VCD and DVD ended up being the dominant circulation channels. Now streaming, social networks and digital platforms are altering the method Hausa movies reach audiences. The next phase might have to do with facilities. The Kano Film Village represents one effort to address that requirement. It is not just about building structures where stars can stand in front of cams. It has to do with developing an environment where filmmakers can produce more effectively, decrease a few of the logistical obstacles of production and ultimately handle bigger tasks. For a market that has actually typically needed to improvise its method forward, having a devoted production environment is a substantial advancement. And possibly the most exceptional part of the story is how various the journey has actually been from the initial federal government dream till this day.

By Emmanuel Daniji