Digital Transformation of Documentary in Nollywood: Rethinking Production, Distribution and Audience Engagement

Abstract

The shift to the adoption of digital technologies has meaningfully restructured every facet of human endeavour. This study is set out to assess how digital media has revolutionised the scenery of documentary filmmaking in Nollywood, with specificity to production, distribution and audience consumption. Positioning the argument within the postcolonial archives of Nigerian experiences, and anchoring it on media convergence and participatory culture theories; the paper questions how Nollywood documentaries record and arbitrate any social, political and cultural realties in the contemporary era. Adopting secondary data (desktop research), the study reviews scholarly literature, to assess how technological inventions have transformed plot techniques, aesthetics choices, and means of engagement. The study finds that digital production technologies have democratised documentary filmmaking by lowering production costs, expanding creative possibilities and enabling independent filmmakers to produce socially relevant documentaries with limited resources. It also reveals that digital streaming platforms and social media have significantly transformed documentary distribution by replacing traditional gatekeepers with platform-driven models that enhance local and global visibility The study further establishes that audiences have evolved from passive viewers into active participants who interpret, share, comment on and circulate documentary content across digital platforms.