Film Review: Miss Nigeria, “What Happened to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines?” (In Alphabetical Order)

SHORT SUMMARY (for those who prefer a quick read)
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In Miss Nigeria, “What Happened to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines?” (In Alphabetical Order), a beauty pageant blunder causes a media frenzy when Miss Colombia is mistakenly crowned, only for the title to be retracted and given to Miss Philippines. Forced into a global press tour, the two rivals are kidnapped by The Alphas, a group promoting regressive gender roles. While held captive, they form a bond and devise an escape plan, embedding coded messages in their forced confession videos. Their daring breakout turns them into global heroes, with Miss Nigeria joining them to challenge outdated ideals. The film critiques beauty pageants, media manipulation, and patriarchal control, transforming the contestants from victims to empowered leaders, and highlighting solidarity over competition. Through humor and satire, it exposes the complexities of feminist struggles in a world obsessed with performative activism.

Miss Nigeria, “What Happened to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines?” 
(In Alphabetical Order)

Director: Nina Okafor
Producer: Maya Kapoor
Screenwriters: Isabella Martinez, Aya Nakamura, and Leila Haddad.

Cast
Chimamanda Eke (Miss Nigeria) 
Janelle Reyes (Miss Philippines) 
Camila Rojas (Miss Colombia) 

FULL STORY

In the black comedy Miss Nigeria, “What Happened to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines?” (In Alphabetical Order), the world of beauty pageants gets turned upside down after a disastrous mistake at the Miss Beautiful contest. The story begins with an epic blunder: the host mistakenly crowns Miss Colombia as the winner, only to retract it minutes later and announce Miss Philippines as the true victor. This embarrassing moment sparks a media frenzy, with the public outraged and the global pageant’s already declining viewership now plummeting further.

To save the Miss Beautiful organization from collapse, Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia are forced to embark on an awkward worldwide press tour. Despite the media playing up their rivalry, the two women harbor real resentment toward each other after the public humiliation. Meanwhile, Miss Nigeria, who finished third, quietly joins the tour, offering support to her fellow contestants but staying in the background for now.

As the tension between Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia intensifies, things take a dark turn. During the tour, both women are kidnapped by The Alphas, a fringe extremist group committed to restoring “traditional gender roles” by force. The Alphas plan to use the two beauty queens as propaganda tools, forcing them to make viral videos that support their regressive ideology. They aim to manipulate the media into turning Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia into symbols of domestic submission.

The authorities, along with the Miss Beautiful Organization, launch a massive investigation to find the women, but The Alphas stay hidden, moving between secret locations while using their captives to push their agenda. In the meantime, the media closely follows the case, with Miss Nigeria reluctantly stepping into the spotlight. She becomes a public face for the pageant, making heartfelt statements about her missing fellow contestants and keeping their plight in the headlines. However, Miss Nigeria’s popularity grows not from self-promotion but from her genuine empathy and determination to help her fellow contestants.

While Miss Nigeria advocates for them, Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia endure weeks of captivity. The Alphas attempt to brainwash them, but the women secretly form a bond and begin to plot their escape. The brainwashing leaves psychological scars, with moments of self-doubt and vulnerability, but they draw strength from each other. Together, they create a cunning escape plan, leveraging the very media tools The Alphas use against them. The women stage a public “confession” video, secretly embedding coded messages in their statements. This clever ruse fools The Alphas into believing they are compliant, allowing Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia to make their daring escape during a live-streamed event.

Their breakout grabs global attention, and they are welcomed back as heroes. Alongside Miss Nigeria, the three women unite to challenge The Alphas’ outdated ideals. The Miss Beautiful Organization, recognizing the significance of their ordeal, cancels the ongoing competition and holds a special event to honor their bravery and resilience. The pageant, once teetering on the brink of collapse, now enjoys renewed popularity—not because of scandal, but due to the women’s empowerment narrative.

By the film’s end, Miss Philippines, Miss Colombia, and Miss Nigeria have transformed from victims into symbols of strength and leadership. Rather than fading into obscurity, Miss Philippines and Miss Colombia establish a global foundation focused on women’s rights, while Miss Nigeria supports them in their efforts. The public no longer sees them as mere pageant contestants, but as leaders of a positive movement that challenges regressive ideologies and promotes empowerment on a global scale.

FILM REVIEW

Miss Nigeria, “What Happened to Miss Colombia and Miss Philippines?” (In Alphabetical Order) offers a timely and sharp feminist critique, cleverly dissecting the superficiality of beauty pageants and turning it on its head to explore the deeper social forces at play. Set in a world where image is everything, the film boldly challenges the way society commodifies women under the guise of empowerment. In an era where social media relentlessly amplifies both empowerment and misogyny, the film holds a mirror to the toxic blend of public scrutiny, gender politics, and performative activism.

What makes this film stand out is its subversive take on the “beauty queen” narrative. By shifting the focus from competition to cooperation, the film flips the script on the traditional catfight trope often imposed on women in the spotlight. The film not only exposes how women are pitted against one another for mass entertainment but also unravels the cultural obsession with women’s submission and perfection—often dictated by patriarchal ideals masquerading as female empowerment.

Miss Philippines, Miss Colombia, and Miss Nigeria become complex symbols of resilience, refusing to be reduced to victims or decorative figures. Their journey, from public shaming to media manipulation and eventual empowerment, underscores the film’s message: true strength is found in solidarity, not in the pursuit of outdated standards imposed on women. Moreover, their use of media—a tool so often weaponized against them—to engineer their own escape cleverly highlights how women can reclaim narratives and reshape the gaze that has objectified them for so long.

The film also confronts the ever-present pressure for women to be “likable” and palatable, as embodied in Miss Nigeria’s understated role throughout the narrative. She doesn’t strive for the spotlight, yet finds herself forced into it by circumstance, proving that real influence comes not from playing the game but from authenticity and empathy—qualities that media often undervalues.

In an age when virality, public opinion, and media manipulation dominate the discourse on women’s rights, the film reminds us that feminist victories are often messy, complicated, and hard-won. The film uses humor and satire to challenge the shallow empowerment narratives perpetuated online, making it a fierce call to rethink how we view women’s power in a digital age that’s both hyper-visible and profoundly exploitative. It’s a brilliant testament to how, in the face of pressure to conform, the most radical act a woman can do is take back control of her own story.