(CNN) -- For award-winning Nigerian film director Obi Emelonye, the London premiere of "Last flight to Abuja" in early June was supposed to be a celebratory event, a marquee moment introducing his suspense-filled airplane disaster thriller to the rest of the world with pomp and grandeur. But then June 3rd happened. On that fateful Sunday, the Dana Air Flight 992 from the Nigerian capital of Abuja crashed into a densely populated neighborhood in Lagos, killing all 153 people aboard as well as at least 10 people on the ground. The tragic news left Emelonye, whose high-octane action movie is based on a series of fatal air crashes that stunned Nigeria in 2006, in a state of shock.
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Obi Emelonye is the director of Nollywood's latest hit, "Last flight to Abuja"
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He uses the film to campaign for better civil aviation safety over African airspace
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The high-octane thriller is currently playing across West Africa and in London
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"We have a film that has pushed the boundaries with Nollywood," he says
Nigerian
Nigerian
Nigeria
But after consulting his team, @placeholder officials and some of the families of the bereaved, Emelonye was convinced to go ahead with the original plan, using the movie to spotlight aviation safety in Nigeria.
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"It has become an advocacy ... for aviation safety, not just in Nigeria but for the whole of @placeholder, and it's a responsibility I take very seriously."
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Nollywood
And now he is aiming for further success with "Last Flight to Abuja," a big-budget production starring many of @placeholder's biggest names.
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Nollywood
Emelonye says @placeholder films are growing in popularity because they offer audiences a narrative they can connect to.
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Nollywood
"There's something I call the quintessential African voice, which has kind of given @placeholder, in spite of its qualitative problems, international attention -- it's watched across Africa, it's watched across the world, even though they're shot on very low quality cameras, very simplistic stories, they have a common connection with people that is great."
West Africa
"There's something I call the quintessential African voice, which has kind of given Nollywood, in spite of its qualitative problems, international attention -- it's watched across @placeholder, it's watched across the world, even though they're shot on very low quality cameras, very simplistic stories, they have a common connection with people that is great."