In 2015, a group of teenagers from Kaduna, Nigeria, formed The Critics, deciding to make sci-fi films by taking advantage of the visual potential of their smartphones. Since then, they’ve been gifted equipment by JJ Abrams, have been approached by Nollywood and Hollywood production companies, and have been nominated for numerous film festival awards.
The One Minutes Series ‘When Art Isn't Life’, curated by The Critics (2025, NL, 12 min.)
The Critics has posed a thought-provoking question to our global communities: Art is life. What happens when it isn’t? With over 65 submissions from around the world, The Critics have curated 12 One Minutes that challenge this question from Belgium, Iceland, Nigeria, and the United States.
Participating artists: The Critics, Yitao Yuan, Kári Thayer, Louis van Lamsweerde, Prime Snow, Qidubem, Victor Josiah, Moon Van den Hende, Abraham, Lieven Nollet, Emanuele Dainotti.
The Critics: »We believe that this curation is fundamentally about celebrating life and creativity, and we wanted to see films that question this subject both metaphorically and literally. The debate over whether art should be viewed objectively or subjectively has persisted throughout history. It’s a continuous discussion, and these films serve as an addition to the long list of contributions to the argument. This curation is a collection of films that you can enjoy, be inspired by, and have monologues about as time passes.
This is what art should be, or not?
It is up to YOU.»
Chase - The Movie!, The Critics (2018, Nigeria, 4,55 min.)
The debut breakthrough film for The Critics, helping them gain international attention, is a sci-fi short films using limited resources, filmed with borrowed mobile phones and using Blender as their primary animation and visual effects software.
Timotheé, Godwin Gaza Josiah (2021, Nigeria, 18 min.)
Timothee is a story by The Critics of a humanoid boy trying to navigate life in the northern part of Nigeria as he finds himself in a series of misfortunate events that come as a result of his past.
Ogun Ola: War is Coming, Godwin Gaza Josiah (2022, Nigeria, 18 min.)
A teenager discovers he is the reincarnation of a demigod and must face his newfound destiny. This film by The Critics is produced by Morgan Freeman’s Revelation Entertainment.
One can only hope and wonder, Raymond J. Yusuff (2023, Nigeria, 15,59 min.)
A narrative film by The Critics Company that explores the historical context of the Benin Expedition of 1897. The film examines the colonial looting of approximately 3,500-4,000 artworks from the Kingdom of Benin, focusing on themes of cultural loss, artistic restitution, and historical memo
"One Can Only Hope and Wonder uses experimental codes, close to video art, to denounce the plundering of African art by colonial powers." El País
Remember: every two months, The One Minutes releases a new series of one-minute films exploring our current time through moving images. Submit your videos!
https://theoneminutes.org/participate
Video still: When Arts Isn't Life, The Critics, 2024 (© the artist, courtesy by The One Minutes Foundation)