Nigerian documentary filmmaker Joel Kachi Benson has made history, becoming the first Nigerian director to win an Emmy Award for a documentary, as his Disney Original Documentary Maduclinched Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary at the 2025 News & Documentary Emmy Awards held in New York City.
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About Madu: A Story That Touched the World
Co-directed with Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matt Ogens, Madu tells the deeply moving story of Anthony Madu, a young ballet dancer from Lagos who captivated global hearts when a video of him dancing barefoot in the rain went viral.
The documentary chronicles Anthony’s emotional journey from that humble moment to earning a scholarship at the Elmhurst Ballet School in the UK, capturing his transformation across continents, cultures, and challenges.
“This Emmy is a win for Nigeria, for storytellers everywhere, and for anyone who dares to dream. ‘Madu’ is proof that our stories matter,” said Benson during his acceptance speech.
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A Double Win: Mothers of Chibok Triumphs in South Africa
Benson’s landmark Emmy wasn’t the only major recognition he earned this week. His newest feature documentary, Mothers of Chibok, took home Best African Feature Documentary at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival—Africa’s top festival for non-fiction cinema.
The film serves as a powerful follow-up to his award-winning VR documentary Daughters of Chibok, which made global headlines after winning the Venice Lion for Best VR Story in 2019—a first for an African filmmaker.
Mothers of Chibok gives voice to the enduring pain and strength of the women whose daughters were abducted in the infamous 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping by Boko Haram. The film serves as both a tribute to resilience and a sobering reminder of an unresolved national tragedy.
“Stories like Madu and Mothers of Chibok reinforce my belief that documentaries truly can change lives,” Benson said.
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A Voice for Africa, A Vision for the World
With an Emmy and Africa’s most prestigious doc prize under his belt, Joel Kachi Benson is cementing his place as one of the leading voices in African storytelling. Through his Lagos-based company JB Multimedia Studios, he continues to push boundaries, center untold Nigerian narratives, and use documentary film as a tool for social change and cultural recognition.
As Madu gains global recognition and Mothers of Chibok continues to tour the international festival circuit, Benson’s work is not just winning awards—it’s rewriting the global perception of Nigerian filmmaking.
