The Nollywood industry which came to life in the early 1990 is often seen as a natural heir to the Nigerian TV series, which had already produced roughly 14,000 video films in the previous decade. These video films of the early years have now become full feature film and an integral part of popular life in Nigeria. Local audiences appreciate these home grown productions relating to daily life in the country.
The over 1000 films produced yearly offer a mix of urban scenes and village encounters, they appeal to both young people and to families reaching out to local audience on several Nigerian languages. The films are mainly produced in the big cities on the south of the country such as Lagos, Onitsha, Enugu, Aba, Ibadan, Calabar and Asaba. Though they are usually set in Lagos or Abuja, they involve crews and actors from various ethnic backgrounds, while Yoruba and Hausa film makers have opted for productions foregrounding their respective languages.
Statistics show that most of the films emanating from Igbo land are in Nigerian English, a choice which has allowed them to reach out to wider audience in other parts of the country and abroad. This has made them an instant hit and projected Nollywood on the international scene.
The number of films produced in other Nigerian languages such as Ubobo, Ijo, Hausa and Ogba has equally gained momentum. In less than three decades, Nollywood has gained an international reputation and inspired new film industries across Africa. The industry is widely considered as a showcase of the country. Interestingly, although a growing number of these films are now set in locations abroad, most remain firmly grounded in Nigerian cultures.
Over the years, the African public has come to discover and appreciate Nollywood, nevertheless, outside Nigeria, its public remains the Nigerian diaspora. Research carried out in London and Paris nine years ago sought out the opinions of Nigerians living abroad about the films. The result showed that respondents spend significant portion of their leisure time together with other Nigerians or other Africans viewing Nigerian video films. They overwhelmingly preferred them to foreign films. These observations have since been enriched by follow up interviews, confirming that these results remain relevant.
By and large, protagonists in Nollywood films adhere to ancestral beliefs and carry on with most rural traditions. The ancestral village that nurtured these beliefs never disappeared entirely. It is nearly always the scene of at least a few family encounters. The acknowledgement that follows the film gives precious details about the place used, such as community centres, hospitals or churches. The village is usually signalled by narrow paths,mud houses, grassy compounds and  farmlands, people in wrappers, bare-chested men or chiefs in traditional attire and oja music among others.
The set is far less important than the content, it is just there to provide a background to the protagonists actions and reinforce message that the individuals behaviour is partly determined by their family background.