CAN Condemns ‘A Very Dirty Christmas’ Movie, Calls for Apology

The Christian Association of Nigeria has denounced the movie, “A Very Dirty Christmas”. In a press release, CAN has labeled the film "not only offensive but an act of disrespect against the Christian religion." This fierce opposition comes against the backdrop that "the movie has finally been released in cinemas nationwide on December 16, 2025. 

The Christmas season, which holds the most profound meanings spiritually, should symbolically portray purity, peace, and love in particular," but "anyone who calls the revered season 'dirty' in the title of the movie has simply demeaned all that Christmas stands for," the Christian Association of Nigeria has argued.

CAN’s president, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, spelled out his concerns in a statement, highlighting how the movie title turns a very significant religious event into something sensational and raw. "It’s not just any holiday," he continually stresses, "but it’s also a commemorative holiday of the birth of Jesus Christ, who represents purity and cleansing. It’s borderline offensive to link that to something unclean," he says, referring to the term "dirty".

However, the issue is not just with the title, CAN, perturbed. The organization has expressed its concern about how the movie reached the screen, questioning the role the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) played in the matter. The film's title alone is a problem big enough to prompt scrutiny of the role that movies play in religion.

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Although the Christian Association of Nigeria accepted that artists are free to express their creativity through their works, it emphasized that this freedom should be exercised with responsibility. Given Nigeria's high level of religiosity, artists should keep in mind the ideals cherished by different religious groups. The tone expressed in the movie title, as highlighted by CAN, is a display of a lack of concern for religious feelings, and that’s unfortunate, particularly at such a critical juncture in the lives of Christians.

“The film is more of poor taste for CAN, but it has an even larger implication regarding how the media and entertainment can impact society,” said an explanation from the group, stating a title such as “A Very Dirty Christmas,” proffered by a group that expected it might exacerbate a divided society already struggling with morality issues. “It could further divide a society already beset with certain moral issues at a time when Christmas is a highly emotive occasion for Nigerians,” it said.

What CAN hasn’t done is restrict their remarks to criticism. They are asking the producers, most especially Ini Edo, to change the title and issue an apology over the movie. This goes beyond the issue of the title and encompasses the setting of a standard for the use of religious subjects and symbols in the Nigerian movie industry. They are asking the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), as well as the Nollywood community, to rise up and ensure that religious symbols and themes are not treated flippantly and might not offend the whole community, especially during the religious season of Christmas.

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The point of the controversy is not the naming of the movie itself; the point is the respect that the entertainment sector ought to have for holy moments. The objection that CAN has directed at ‘A Very Dirty Christmas’ is not only about the movie; the objection is, in fact, the appeal that the Nigerian entertainment sector ought to make.