Amina

Amina (2021) is a Nigerian historical epic you can watch online on iFILM. Directed by Izu Ojukwu, it follows a warrior whose name has survived in Hausa lore for roughly five hundred years.

Born into the ruling house of Zazzau, the city known today as Zaria, she trains in combat beside the men from a young age. When the throne comes under threat, she takes command of the army herself: leading campaigns, pushing the borders outward and proving a woman can run a war council. The film is at its best out in the dust, on horseback, in the clash of cavalry rather than in palace talk.

It draws on the life of the real Queen Amina, a legendary fighter of pre-colonial Africa who almost never gets her own film. Lucy Ameh plays her hard, with no allowances made for her sex. A big, costumed drama shot in Nigeria, it's for viewers curious about history beyond the usual European frame. Stream Amina (2021) online on iFILM.