When Nigeria Happens is a 2025 Nigerian danceâÂÂdrama film written and directed by Ema Edosio. It follows a group of young street dancers in Lagos, Nigeria whose pursuit of art collides with harsh social and economic realities. The film opened the Open Doors section of the Locarno Film Festival in 2025.
The film centres on six misfit dancers (Fagbo, Pocco, Lighter, Movement, Colos and Poppy) who use dance as an act of freedom and resistance in contemporary Lagos. As Fagbo's mother becomes critically ill, he is forced into a series of difficult choices to pay for her care while the group struggles to keep its artistic dreams alive under mounting pressures.
When Nigeria Happens had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, where it opened the Open Doors section focused on cinema from emerging regions. The film also screened at Ake Arts & Book Festival in Lagos.