Damilola Osikoya and Nora Awolowo: The Women Behind Nigeria’s Guinness World Record for Largest Film Screening Attendance
Two Nigerian women have been credited with delivering one of Nollywood’s most memorable public moments after a film screening in Lagos earned a new Guinness World Record. Damilola Osikoya and Nora Awolowo are the names behind the Nigeria Guinness World Record for the largest attendance at a film screening, achieved with the crime thriller Black Market at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Guinness World Records verified 51,258 viewers for the event. The figure was lower than some estimates announced at the venue, because the official count included only people who stayed for the whole film. Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat said about 64,000 people attended the TBS event, while roughly 51,000 remained from beginning to end. The previous record of 43,624 was set in 2015 by a Filipino film. An official of Guinness World Records confirmed the number on site, and the crowd responded with celebration and fireworks.
The achievement combined two roles. Awolowo, founder of Rixel Studios, produced Black Market, the film that drew the crowd. Osikoya, CEO of Switch Visuals, was credited as Event Production Producer for the screening. Guinness World Records lists Osikoya, Switch Visual Limited, Awolowo and Rixel Studios as the record holders. Omowunmi Dada served as co-producer and executive producer. The film was directed by Fatimah Binta Gimsay, who wrote it with Abdul Tijani Ahmed.
Coverage of the night has highlighted how much work happened out of public view. Reports say Osikoya’s contribution went beyond her formal credit, and included bringing sponsors and partners on board and helping shape how the budget was built and spent. In her thank-you message she acknowledged backers including Zenith Bank, Oraimo, Johnnie Walker Blonde, the Lagos State Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Swoop, saying nobody builds a night like this alone. She also thanked Awolowo and the Black Market team for giving the audience a film worth gathering for.
The attempt was announced well in advance, with organisers aiming to bring at least 50,000 people together for a simultaneous viewing. On the day, long queues formed around TBS as attendees arrived hours early. By the night’s end, the target had been passed.
Recognition came quickly from the top. In a statement issued on Monday by his special adviser on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Bola Tinubu congratulated both filmmakers. He praised their creativity, enterprise and ambition and described the record as further evidence of the talent driving Nigeria’s creative industry. The President said the creative economy is building businesses, creating jobs and opening new markets, and that the project shows what is possible when creativity is matched with enterprise and scale.
The record arrives as the government promotes the creative sector as an engine of exports and investment, with Lagos preparing to host the CANEX gathering in November. For Nollywood, the night offers a striking example of what large-scale audience engagement and event production can achieve.
Industry observers say the challenge now is to turn a one-night spectacle into lasting gains for film distribution and box office performance across Africa.
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