However, the LGBT-themed series was re-released on Sept. 13 on the same YouTube channel, with four episodes now streaming.

The circumstances surrounding the initial removal remain unclear. It is not known whether YouTube or the filmmakers removed the videos, whether the NFVCB submitted a formal takedown request, or why only three of the seven episodes were initially restored.

The online re-release marks a new phase in the dispute. While the NFVCB’s initial intervention focused on stopping a physical premiere in Lagos, the production’s appearance on YouTube has shifted attention to the Board’s regulation of Nigerian films distributed through global digital platforms.

The regulator has maintained that Nigerian productions released on platforms such as YouTube must be submitted for classification and registration before release.

How it started

On Aug. 26, the NFVCB issued a statement titled “Unauthorised Media Event and Premiere of Unclassified Film ‘Living in Colors’,” saying it had been alerted to publicity for a media press call and movie premiere scheduled to take place at a cinema in Lagos.

The regulator said preliminary investigations showed that the trailer contained what it described as “explicit pornography” and promoted same-sex relationships.

The Board subsequently said the production had not been submitted, vetted or classified by it and therefore warned that its public exhibition or promotion would be unlawful.

The NFVCB said it was collaborating with federal and state security agencies to track down, disrupt, and halt the proposed event.

It also contacted the proposed venue and warned that hosting an unclassified film could attract sanctions, including the facility’s sealing and the revocation of its operating licence.

The Board further said it was initiating legal proceedings against the production company, producers, and promoters involved.

However, it has not publicly disclosed whether the threatened proceedings have been filed or provided details of any case.

“Living in Colors” is a Nigerian production by Prism House Studio, with Manuel Ruben credited as producer and Tega Idogho and Udo Casciavit as directors. The cast includes Solomon James, Gabby John, Kris Shaddy, Khalid Omokalemoh, Mirable Samuel, Temitope Alex, Joshua Eronini, Daniel Nsude and Emery Ogolo.

The series follows five friends, Jeremy, Chris, Robert, Justin, and Shawn, who live together in Lagos while navigating relationships, sexuality, friendship, ambition, and personal struggles.

Justin, an effeminate gay man, goes out to meet a date but is attacked by hoodlums who object to his feminine appearance. He is rescued by Chris, his housemate, who does not identify as gay but lives in a house occupied by people with different sexual orientations. Chris later becomes involved in a sexual relationship with Justin’s date, a married man, whose wife subsequently escalates the affair.

Robert is self-absorbed and unsuccessful in his attempts to find a romantic partner, but eventually meets someone he finds attractive. The encounter, however, turns into a trap, leading to his abduction and beating.

Shawn is bisexual and sexually adventurous, with his choices eventually carrying consequences for him. Jeremy, meanwhile, becomes involved in an office romance that ultimately costs him his job.

Through the lives of the five characters, the series explores the tensions among personal identity, relationships, friendship, sexuality, and survival in contemporary Lagos.

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Same-sex content and Nigerian law

The NFVCB’s intervention comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s strict legal framework governing both film exhibition and same-sex relationships.

One concern the Board raised in its warning against the series centers on the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, 2013, which prohibits same-sex marriage and civil unions, as well as the “public show of same-sex amorous relationship directly or indirectly.” The law prescribes penalties for specified offences, including a prison term of up to 10 years for a person who directly or indirectly makes a public show of a same-sex amorous relationship.

However, the Board’s allegations regarding the series’s content and any resulting criminal liability remain matters for due process and, where necessary, judicial determination.

The dispute also raises the question of whether a fictional portrayal of same-sex relationships amounts to the “public show” contemplated by the law. This question has not been judicially determined in this case.

Movies and television productions have long served as mirrors of society. Beyond entertainment, they can expose audiences to realities that may otherwise remain hidden, stimulate conversations and challenge viewers to examine difficult social questions.

“Living in Colors” attempts to do precisely that by placing questions of sexuality, identity, relationships, violence and family responsibility at the centre of its narrative. But the production also raises a difficult question for filmmakers: How should sensitive realities be portrayed when some forms of representation may conflict with existing laws and regulatory standards?

There is no denying that same-sex relationships exist in Nigerian society despite the country’s legal restrictions. The question is whether such realities can be represented on screen without crossing the boundaries established by Nigerian law and the NFVCB’s classification guidelines.

For some viewers, the series’s explicit treatment of sexuality may be considered an attempt at realism. For others, particularly within Nigeria’s conservative social and religious context, it may be viewed as unnecessary or inappropriate.

However, the brief online run also produced another intriguing dimension.

With each of the seven episodes reportedly attracting more than 90,000 views before the series was removed, viewers’ comments expressing some support for the production raise questions about the appetite for controversial Nigerian digital content.

But viewership figures and comments alone cannot establish whether audiences approved of the content, although they raise questions about the level of interest it generated. Some viewers may have watched out of curiosity following the NFVCB’s warning. Others may have deliberately sought out the series for its portrayal of same-sex relationships. The numbers, therefore, demonstrate audience interest but do not necessarily amount to endorsement.

Speaking with Premium Times regarding the release of the production, the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NFVCB, Shaibu Husseini, said the Board maintained its position and would go all out to ensure that the series was taken down.

“The movie in totality is a promotion of same-sex; it is not a film that encourages the art. We have taken all the regulatory steps to ensure the film is not released, including preventing its premiere or exhibition in the country. We will go all the way to ensure it is removed from streaming platforms like YouTube. If it has to be shown, let it be shown in another territory where they allow that, but it won’t be shown in the Nigerian space,” Husseini said.

“The movie promotes something unlawful. We don’t have any problem with anybody identifying with their sexuality, but it should not be promoted through entertainment.”