Nigeria, Dec. 27 -- There is a specific expectation that comes with Christmas films. They are usually warm, familiar, sometimes predictable, and often centred on the idea of homecoming, families reuniting, old grievances softened by nostalgia, and reconciliation wrapped in festivities.

But anyone who has lived long enough knows that Christmas can also be the season when buried wounds resurface.

Long-held secrets finally demand attention, at least in most Hollywood Christmas family films. Lately, Nigerian filmmakers have also caught the bug, and the audiences are loving it too.

That is the story behind 'A Very Dirty Christmas'.

Directed by Akay Mason and produced by Ini Edo, the film was released in cinemas nationwide on 16 December an...