LAGOS, Jan. 29 -- In an abandoned print works in a scruffy but bohemian Lagos neighbourhood, an improvised cinema has opened, gigantic black drapes blocking out the light.

Dozens of young people crowd round the screen on plastic chairs, ready to discover the new wave of Nigerian cinema.

The second edition of the S16 film festival, which took place late last year, brought together Nigerian filmmakers looking to do things differently.

They are determined to break away from Nollywood, the powerful and influential film industry that has inundated Africa's market with blockbusters that generate millions of dollars.

Nollywood is driven by two things - entertainment and profit, according to Abba T. Makama, cofounder of the indie film festiva...