Nigerian Filmmakers Complete AI-Heavy Yoruba Sci-Fi Epic, Call for Government Support

Mysterious Tech Studio and Yoruba Nollywood actress Tanwa Hameed have completed "Asiri Ilu Awon Osu" (Mystery of Osu Land), a three-hour-plus Yoruba-language sci-fi feature film in which 80% of the visuals were generated using AI tools, with the remaining 20% comprising live-action performance and human direction. The project, developed over three months in 2025, draws on Yoruba culture and African storytelling traditions, and its creators are positioning it as a demonstration of how AI can lower the financial and logistical barriers to ambitious filmmaking in Nigeria.

Following the film's completion, the filmmakers have urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to create supportive policies and digital infrastructure for AI adoption in the creative sector. A bid to enter the Guinness World Records under a proposed category for the longest AI-co-created cinematic film was declined in January 2026 on the grounds that the category had not been formally established — a result the filmmakers characterised as procedural rather than a rejection of the work itself. Mysterious Tech Studio says it will proceed with a global release targeting general audiences, critics, researchers, and technology innovators.