A Land Apart: Nollywood Imagines a Nigeria Without Oil
Bem Pever's A Land Apart, a Zanzibar winner set in a Nigeria built on farming, not oil, opens in cinemas on October 23 with RMD and Daniel Etim Effiong.
Article
What would Nigeria look like if it had built its wealth on farming instead of crude oil? That is the question behind A Land Apart , a political thriller from director Bem Pever that opens in cinemas across Nigeria on October 23, 2026. Nile Entertainment is handling the theatrical release, Tribune Online reports. The film arrives with a festival prize already in hand: Best Feature Film at the 2026 Zanzibar International Film Festival. The story The film is set in an alternate Nigeria where agriculture, not oil, became the foundation of the country's prosperity. At its centre is Ahura Agric International Corporation (AAIC), whose proprietary formula, AX-103, has helped sustain food production across Africa. The story turns when the company's founder, Dekera Ahura, is killed shortly before deciding which country should receive the formula. His secret heir, Dooshima Bida Ahura, is pulled into a fight for control of the empire as family members challenge her and international interests move to secure AX-103. YNaija sums up her dilemma: she inherits control of a potentially life-saving crop formula and must decide which global power should have access to it. "What if Nigeria never found oil?" Desauce Magazine calls it the point where October's cinema slate "becomes genuinely intriguing." The question underneath the thriller, it argues, "is a very Nigerian one. What would this country look like if agriculture had become our greatest source of wealth instead of oil?" The cast Veteran actor Richard Mofe-Damijo leads the cast, alongside Princess Mufeedah, Daniel Etim Effiong, Sam Dede, Adam Garba, Ronya Man, Frank Donga, Ummi Baba Ahmed, Iveren Antiev and Preach Bassey. The late actress and singer Onyeka Onwenu also appears, playing Madam Ngozi, the Market Queen of Zaki Biam, Tribune Online says. RMD has a busy month. He also features in Phoenix Fury, which opens on October 30, and he was recently honoured at the US-Nigeria Creative Awards . Rooted in Tiv culture The film is set among the Tiv people of Benue State and weaves the region's culture and agricultural heritage into its fictional world. It explores family, power, wealth and political interests, according to Tribune Online. Key facts Title: A Land Apart Director: Bem Pever Writers: Emil Garuba and Michael Garuba Release: October 23, 2026, nationwide in Nigeria Distributor: Nile Entertainment Award: Best Feature Film, 2026 Zanzibar International Film Festival Producers: Bem Pever, Sally Williams Ngwobia, Emil Garuba; executive producer Samira Buhari From Cannes to Zanzibar Besides its Zanzibar win, A Land Apart was selected for the Creative Africa Content Pavilion at the Cannes Marché du Film and for the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival. Pever has said the film's appearance at Cannes opened conversations with international industry figures and showed the interest in authentic African stories, Tribune Online reports. For him, it is a chance to take a distinctly Nigerian story to audiences abroad. The film is a production of Take 7 Media and Entertainment in association with Sutoritera Limited. A crowded release day A Land Apart opens on the same day as Akay Mason's thriller No Fury and the campus romance Tele x Zikora, according to YNaija. Desauce adds Onibon Oje, led by Odunlade Adekola. It all comes as Nollywood titles such as Agbara Nla: The Return lead the box office. Pever on Cannes Pever is the founder of Take 7 Media and Entertainment, an Abuja-based production company, and has directed and produced titles including Sons of the Caliphate, 4th Republic, Maia, Kariya and Hidden Riches, NTA reports. In May, A Land Apart screened at the NiFS x CACOP Creative Africa Content Pavilion Best of Africa Film Showcase in Cannes. "My overall impression was that the world is genuinely hungry for authentic African stories. That hunger is real," he told NTA. His most memorable moment, he said, was "watching A Land Apart on that platform, in that company, and feeling the room respond to a story rooted entirely in Nigerian soil." He also named the Roma African Film Festival in Italy among the festivals that selected the film. After its Nigerian run, the film is set for a global release. Pever is developing Lord Piver, a 26-episode political drama set at a private country club in Abuja, and Hanalu, a drama series set in 1980s Tiv culture. What's next A Land Apart reaches cinemas on October 23. With a festival win and a premise built around one of Nigeria's biggest what-ifs, it is one of the most talked-about titles of the month. Follow our film coverage and Nigeria hub for more. Sources: Tribune Online | Desauce Magazine | YNaija | NTA