Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde’s Directorial Debut Mother’s Love Screens at PAFF, Extending Strategic Festival Rollout Ahead of Nigerian March Premiere

Nile-Distributed Mother’s Love Advances Global Festival Campaign

Star of the evening, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, in Ade Bakare London. Image: Sammy Oguejiofor 

Los Angeles, California- February 16, 2026

Following a successful international festival trajectory from the Silicon Valley Africa Film Festival (SVAFF) to the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Mother's Love, the directorial debut of Nollywood legend, TIME 100 honoree, and global screen force Omotola Jalade Ekeinde screened at the esteemed Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) on Monday, February 16, 2026 at 5:51 PM PST.

Now in its 34th year, PAFF remains one the largest film and arts festivals in the United States, showcasing over 200 films from across the African diaspora. This year's edition featured more than 60 narrative features among its slate, positioning Mother's Love alongside a strong lineup of story-led feature narratives, including works such as Son of The Soil starring British-Nigerian actor Raz Adoti.

Omotola with contemporaries, including Jimmy Jean Louis (far right).  Image: Sammy Oguejiofor

The February 16 screening was met with an overwhelmingly positive reception from both audiences and Ekeinde's peers, despite heavy rainfall across Los Angeles earlier in the day.

Among those in attendance were Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ose Oyamedan of Nollywood in Hollywood, Ashkan Tabitha of 90210 Network, Dami Kujembola of Amplify Africa, and other diaspora creatives and industry stakeholders.

Mother's Love is a layered and intimate exploration of maternal resilience, highlighting the quiet but unyielding influence of mothers across different social classes. The film examines the complexities of mother-daughter relationships particularly those of first-born daughters while addressing grief, PTSD, and social stratification.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9UsldRPXQs

Ekeinde, who recently celebrated her birthday and marks an extraordinary 30-year milestone in film, flew into Los Angeles specifically for the PAFF screening before departing at 6:00 a.m. the following morning to resume her press run in Lagos.

The film is scheduled for a Lagos premiere on March 1, 2026, ahead of its nationwide Nigerian theatrical release on March 6. It will then embark on a global theatrical tour, with a release timed to coincide with Mother's Day,  underscoring the film's universal appeal.

Distributed by Nile, Mother's Love reflects a growing pattern of strategic festival positioning among Nollywood A-list filmmakers seeking diaspora consolidation ahead of domestic box office launch.

A Deliberate Platform for Black and African Brands

A closer look at Omotola’s outfit styled by Ade Bakare. Image: Sammy Oguejiofor

Throughout the Mother's Love festival tour, Ekeinde has made a point of centering Black and African brands at every stop: a choice that reads as intentional as the film's narrative itself. For the PAFF screening, she arrived in a custom couture design by celebrated London-based designer Ade Bakare, embracing African craftsmanship and luxury on a global stage. The tour has also featured prominent support for brands including Ofuure and others, signaling that for Ekeinde, the film's cultural mission extends beyond the screen and into the visibility economy of Black and African creative enterprise.

Industry Context

A still from the screening. In-set: Audience members at the Pan African Film Festival.  Image: Sammy Oguejiofor

From an industry perspective, Ekeinde's transition into directing aligns with a broader rise of women directors reshaping global cinema. In the United States, films directed by women have accounted for approximately 30–35% of top-grossing studio releases in recent years, with several outperforming male-directed counterparts at the box office. In Nigeria, female directors have increasingly commanded festival selections and theatrical releases, with women-led projects representing a growing share of high-profile Nollywood premieres.

For Ekeinde, this directorial debut is not only a career milestone but a celebration of her remarkable 30-year journey in film, one that has taken her from Nollywood royalty to a global cultural force, and now into a new chapter as a filmmaker shaping stories from behind the lens.

From (L) to (R ) Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, and Rejoice Abutsa at the 2025 SVAFF where she was awarded. Images: Asha Weal, Rice Media

Black Film Wire has followed Mother's Love since its inaugural festival win in June 2025, when Omotola Jalade Ekeinde was awarded a Certificate of Excellence in the category of Debut Filmmaker, a distinction that foreshadowed the film's steady ascent through the international festival circuit. The publication's coverage has tracked each milestone of that journey, from early recognition to its current diaspora momentum. According to Black Film Wire, the steady migration of Nollywood A-list actors into directing reflects a maturing industry cycle: one where creative ownership, global positioning, and multi-territory visibility are increasingly central to long-term brand equity.

With screenings spanning SVAFF, TIFF, Dubai International Festival and now PAFF, Mother's Love continues to build both diaspora engagement and press momentum as it prepares to meet Nigerian audiences this March.

The film will later embark on a global theatrical tour timed for Mother's Day. Tickets for Nigerian cinemas go on sale soon.

Photography by Sammy Oguejiofor. Festival Run: African Pictures International.

Mother’s Love at PAFF – Event Credits

• Festival (PAFF): @paff_now

• Photography: @sammyoguejiofor

• Videography — @michaelekeinde

• Styling/Designer: Ade Bakare London | @adebakare

• Festival & Industry Relations Director: Sahndra Fon Dufe (African Pictures International)

• Team Lead: Francis Onelum, (Q4 Entertainment)