CERTIFICATE VS CERTIFICATION: The Dangerous Film School Myth Holding African Filmmakers Back
There’s a growing misconception spreading across African film schools, a subtle but dangerous myth that seduces thousands of young filmmakers into unrealistic expectations, disappointment, and in some cases, premature career death. Misconception I’ve witnessed repeatedly as an alumnus of three reputable film schools and as someone who has worked across writing, directing, producing, film criticism, and story development.
It’s the belief that a certificate from film school equals success.
Let me start with a caveat: I have nothing against film school. In fact, film school changed my life. I emerged as Best Editing Student (2022) and Best Directing Student (2023) at one of Africa’s top academies. My film Imole made history by winning 13 awards, the most in the school’s history.
It later won Aforevo TV’s REVOlution Through the Lens Competition (2024).
Film school gave me training, exposure, and confidence. But it did not give me success. And that’s the part many African creatives misunderstand.
Myth #1: “Film School equals Automatic Career in Nollywood”
A harsh but necessary truth: Nollywood is not structured like Hollywood. You don’t graduate into waiting talent agents, formal pipelines, studio fellowship programs, or guaranteed apprenticeships.
Film school does one main thing for you: It trains you. That’s it!
Film school makes you competent, not established. Competence is your foundation, not your breakthrough. A certificate is not an automatic ticket into Nollywood, far from it.
In this industry, nobody cares about your certificate. They care about: Who trained you. The projects you made after film school. Your work ethic. Your recommendation source.
Once, in a writers’ workshop, an established Nollywood producer asked if any trained directors were in the room. I raised my hand proudly. The first question wasn’t “Where did you graduate from?” but: “Who trained you?” Followed by: “Send me the links to what you’ve directed.”
Nobody cares about your certificate. Everyone cares about your work. Your portfolio, not your certificate, is your real qualification.
Stanley Kubrick was right: “The best education in film is to make one.”
Your post-school films are your real certification.
Myth #2: “We all graduated together, so our careers should rise together.”
This is the most emotionally destructive fallacy in African film schools. No two filmmakers start with the same story.
Some students already had industry jobs before enrolling. Some entered with mentors, sponsors, or well-connected families. Some have financial backing ready for their projects. Others, like many of us, came in with nothing but passion.
So when you see a classmate blow up after graduation, don’t self-destruct. They simply had a head start. Your journey is not late, it’s different. Comparison kills creativity. To compare your journey with someone who had a 5-year head start, sponsorship, or industry links is to set yourself up for depression.
Your path is your path and the creative industry punishes those who compare.
Myth #3: “Only network vertically with big producers, stars, and gatekeepers.”
This is one of the greatest tragedies I see in film schools today. Students obsess over impressing established filmmakers while ignoring the future stars sitting right next to them. Film school’s greatest gift is horizontal networking, building with your peers.
B.B. Sasore once told me about his early relationships with Kemi Adetiba and Jade Osiberu. They weren’t big names then. They were peers. Collaborators. Today, they are culture shapers.
And here’s the truth nobody likes to admit: You are not the only one in an established filmmaker’s DM.
I learned this painfully the day Bright Wonder showed me his inbox, a graveyard of unread messages from hundreds of filmmakers seeking attention. Stop chasing validation upward.
Start building collaboration sideways.
Two of the most important people in my filmmaking journey today, PELUMI Pelumi-Folarin and Sandra Jazom came from film school. They have stood by me at my lowest points.
We’ve made films together that travelled across festivals worldwide. They shaped my journey far more than any “big name” could have. Even my first major job as a movie reviewer came through work I did with AfroFilm Herald Times Ltd., the media platform founded by Pelumi-Folarin, before I was hired by a major media outlet.
Film school gave me people, not just paper.
Your classmates today are the studio executives, festival winners, and industry leaders of tomorrow. Don’t dishonor the people on your level. Film school is not just a place of learning; it is a relationship factory.
Horizontal relationships, the friends, peers, collaborators sitting next to you, are the real gifts of film school.
Myth #4: “Networking means collecting contacts.”
Most people at film schools or networking events aren’t there to connect, they’re there to extract but networking is not about extraction. It is about authentic connection.
They brag about imaginary Netflix deals. They shove business cards in your hands. They see humans as ladders.
Naval Ravikant said it best: “Networking is overrated. Go do something great and your network will instantly emerge.”
Real relationships come from: creating projects, helping others, showing up consistently, being genuinely kind, sharing your work, and being someone worth knowing. Not from forcing yourself into conversations with strangers.
I’ve built more lasting relationships in film school hallways, auditions, and lunch breaks than at all the networking events I’ve ever attended. Your community will form when you start doing.
Certificate vs Certification — What Truly Matters
A certificate is what you post on Instagram.
Certification is what you can actually do.
A certificate is paper.
Certification is evidence.
A certificate is a title.
Certification is competence.
A certificate says “I studied filmmaking.”
Certification says “I can MAKE films.”
There are engineering graduates who can’t fix a car and mechanics who never went to school but can rebuild an engine.
Filmmaking is the same.
Movie industry rewards skill, evidence, grit, and relationships, not certificates.
Your true certification is your filmography, your network, your character, and your consistency.
Film school can equip you, but it cannot crown you. Only your work can do that. Your real network grows organically, through doing, not asking.
SO WHAT IS THE TRUE VALUE OF FILM SCHOOL?
Not the certificate.
Not the graduation photo.
Not the alumni title.
But:
Skills
Exposure
Access to mentorship
A structured environment to learn through mistakes
Lifelong friendships
Horizontal networks
The discipline to create repeatedly
The proof of your growth, your projects
I repeat, certificate is what you post on social media. Certification is what you can do when the camera rolls.
In Africa, no one hires you because you graduated. They hire you because you can deliver.
FINAL WORD
Study to show yourself approved. Let your work speak louder than your certificate. Let your relationships outgrow your expectations. And let your filmmaking journey be shaped not by entitlement, but by commitment, excellence, humility, and community.
Film school is the beginning, not the guarantee.
Certificate is documentation.
Certification is transformation.
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