The push to break the Guinness World Record at the Black Market premiere is moving beyond film industry circles and into government. Rixel Studios founder Nora Awolowo has met with Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, to discuss plans for the record attempt and formally engage Lagos State as the host city for the September 26th event at Tafawa Balewa Square.
The meeting is a significant development for a project that has already attracted considerable national attention. Tafawa Balewa Square, the same ground where Nigeria declared independence in 1960, is the venue where Rixel Studios is attempting to gather 50,000 people at a single film screening, which would surpass the current Guinness World Record of 43,624 attendees set by the 2015 Filipino biographical film Felix Manalo at the Philippine Arena. No African film has ever broken that record.
Black Market is the second feature film from Rixel Studios, directed and co-written by Fatimah Binta Gimsay alongside Abdul Tijani-Ahmed, and shot in Abeokuta, Ogun State. The film tells the story of five market women running a cross-border fuel smuggling ring in the middle of Nigeria’s economic chaos. It stars Lateef Adedimeji, Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Omowunmi Dada, Susan Pwajok, Itele D Icon, Teniola Aladese, Uzor Arukwe, Scarlet Gomez, Folagade Banks, and Tomiwa Tegbe. Following the world record premiere on September 26th, Black Market will go into general theatrical release nationwide through FilmOne Distribution on October 2nd, 2026.
The record attempt is being organised in partnership with FilmOne Studios, Signet Ring Studios, and Switch Visuals Production. Nora Awolowo and Nicole Ofoegbu serve as producers, with executive producers from Rixel, FilmOne, and Signet Ring Studios all aligned behind the project.
Awolowo founded Rixel Studios at the age of 19 after teaching herself photography before transitioning into cinematography and documentary filmmaking. She gained recognition with the 2019 documentary Life at the Bay and later became the first Nigerian woman nominated for Best Cinematography at the AMVCAs for her camerawork on Lisabi: The Uprising. Her debut feature Red Circle, directed by Akay Mason and starring Folu Storms, opened in cinemas in June 2025, grossing ₦33.8 million in its opening weekend and crossing ₦100 million at the Nigerian box office within three weeks, making Awolowo the youngest Nigerian producer to achieve that milestone.
Speaking on Black Market, Awolowo said the production reflects the team’s commitment to innovation and their determination to push creative boundaries while building on lessons from their debut. Chief Content Officer of FilmOne Studios, Ladun Awobokun, described the Guinness World Record attempt as an opportunity to create history and showcase Nigerian creativity and Nollywood on a global stage.
Awolowo used the occasion of the government meeting to also shout out the team working tirelessly behind the scenes, including director Fatimah Gimsay, Omowunmi Dada, Susan Pwajok, FilmOne Entertainment, Switch Visuals, Nicole Ofoegbu, Mily Whyte, Zebra Stripes, and RedBox. Tickets for the September 26th premiere are already on sale.
Regular admission is ₦2,000 and premium admission is ₦50,000.
