On Sunday, March 8, 2020, photos from Nollywood and Nigerian military’s film collaboration 'Eagle Wings: the Nigerian Air Force story' made the rounds. 

While 'Eagle Wings the Nigerian Air Force story' might not be Nollywood and the Nigerian military's first film collaboration, but it is arguably the first of its kind in Nigeria with the military’s major backing especially with its high-end military equipment. 

Principal photography kicked off about 2 weeks ago in Kaduna state, amidst intense training conducted by the Nigerian Air Force. One of its lead cast, Femi Jacobs, shared a video on Instagram of himself weapon training with live rounds. 

On his experience, the trained pilot turned actor shared, also on Instagram: “Been real. Still ongoing. I asked God for adventure, I got the thrill of a lifetime”.

The ongoing production is led by multi-talented filmmaker, Paul Apel Papel who doubles as screenwriter and actor.

Asides 'Eagle Wings: the Nigerian Air Force Story' being the first Nollywood film to be backed with major warfare equipment, it’s also a grand slide next level achievement for the industry in terms of production quality. 

Papel shared: “This first of a kind movie is being shot using the @atlaslensco Orion 2x anamorphic lenses on the @Arri Alexa mini cameras, shooting OpenGate-the first to be ever done in West Africa and Nollywood at large”. 

According to the award-winning filmmaker, 'Eagle Wings: the Nigerian Air Force story' is an action war drama based on the tragic experiences of an Air Force fighter pilot in the heat of insurgency. The Ministry of Defense confirmed via their Twitter handle that the movie is based on true stories shared by officers. It stars Enyinna Nwigwe, Femi Jacobs and Patience Ujah.