Nollywood icon Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde is stepping behind the camera for the first time with Mother’s Love, a film she says was inspired by Nollywood’s limited exploration of authentic mother-daughter relationships.
Speaking in a recent interview on Yanga FM, the award-winning actress pointed out what she described as a glaring gap in the industry’s storytelling.
“We don’t have too many films that explore or showcase the relationship between mothers and daughters,” Omotola said, noting that the theme is deeply personal to her.
Reflecting on her own journey into motherhood, she admitted that when raising her first daughter, she leaned heavily on discipline. “I didn’t do a good job,” she said candidly, explaining that she initially approached parenting through control rather than emotional openness.
Inside Mother’s Love
At the heart of the film is Adebisi, a sheltered young woman from a wealthy but rigid household controlled by her father. Her first real taste of independence comes during her NYSC year, where distance from home allows her to begin discovering her identity outside family expectations.
She befriends a young man from a modest background, and through him, starts to see life differently. However, the emotional anchor of the story lies with her mother — a seemingly quiet and compliant woman who gradually reveals inner strength when her daughter’s safety and future are threatened.
As buried secrets and long-held grief come to light, Mother’s Love shifts from a story about youthful rebellion to one centred on maternal sacrifice, trauma, and the emotional cost of survival within a patriarchal system.
The film explores heavy themes including PTSD, unresolved grief, and social inequality — steering away from the sentimental tone often associated with traditional Mother’s Day-style narratives.
Cast and Creative Milestone
The project marks a significant milestone for Omotola, who has spent decades shaping Nollywood from in front of the camera. She stars in the film alongside Ifeanyi Kalu, Olumide Oworu, and Noray Nehita.
Mother’s Love had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025, and is scheduled for nationwide cinema release in Nigeria on March 6, 2026.
On Nollywood and Viral Marketing
During the Yanga FM interview, Omotola also addressed the growing pressure on actors and filmmakers to create viral TikTok content to promote their films. She described the trend as exhausting and unnatural, though she refrained from criticising colleagues who embrace the strategy.
“Do whatever you can do. It’s exhausting, it’s not natural. For me, the film industry is not supposed to be like that. We are encouraging nonsense if we are doing that. It doesn’t mean that whoever is doing it is wrong,” she said.
Her remarks come amid ongoing debates within the industry about marketing strategies, following public exchanges between Kunle Afolayan and Funke Akindele over promotional approaches.
A Shift in Storytelling?
Omotola’s critique of Nollywood’s portrayal of mothers underscores a broader issue. Mothers are often depicted either as saintly, prayerful figures or as antagonists driving the plot. Rarely do films explore the nuanced emotional terrain between mothers and daughters — the negotiations, regrets, inherited trauma, and complex love that defines many real-life relationships.
With Mother’s Love, Omotola seeks to fill that gap by presenting motherhood as lived experience rather than archetype.
If successful, the film could pave the way for more layered portrayals of women and family dynamics in Nollywood — expanding how stories about motherhood are told on screen.
