It started not as a grand plan, but as a whisper. Hiyana, a young, ambitious filmmaker from Kano, noticed a gap in the industry. While Kannywood was rich with melodramas and royal epics, there was a hunger for something sharper—urban stories told with cinematic polish, relatable dialogue, and high-energy soundtracks. In 2018, armed with a single DSLR camera and a cast of hungry new actors, Hiyana launched his first short, "Mafarki a Rana" (Daydream). It wasn't an instant hit, but its crisp editing and natural lighting turned heads.
Hiyana himself rarely speaks. But in a rare interview, he said: "We don't make videos. We make mirrors. If you see yourself in my story, I have succeeded."
Then came the breakthrough. The pandemic had shut down major productions, but Hiyana saw an opportunity. He gathered a small crew and shot a 15-minute short about a broke university student who finds a lost wallet. Titled "Wata Rana" , the video was uploaded on a quiet Thursday night. By Friday morning, it had 50,000 views. By Sunday, half a million.
And as millions click, share, and cry to his narratives every month, it's clear that mirror reflects something profoundly true.