Award-winning filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has said that some lessons he learnt from his late father, Ade Afolayan, who was also an icon in the industry, are part of the principles propelling him.
The producer of acclaimed works such as Figurine and October 1 said he paid attention to the relationship that his father maintained between real performance and good pictures in his movies.
More important, however, Afolayan noted that although the dad left a legacy of works that could be described as classical, he was bankrupt at the time of his death because he did not master the business of filmmaking enough.
The producer of the soon-to-be-released flick, The CEO, shared the intimate stories with his colleagues on Wednesday night when he was hosted by the Ibadan Film Circle, an online group that focuses on the development of the sector in Nigeria and beyond.
Responding to a question on whether a practitioner can survive or break even without doing any other business, Afolayan said, “It’s an open playground for us all to play. It is now left to every individual to decide on his/her own pattern of playing. My father didn’t do any other business, which was why he went bankrupt before he passed on. I have learnt a lesson here. Not that I do other businesses, but I have put preventive measures in place as I don’t want to go bankrupt.”
He added that the late Afolayan and celebrated film-maker, Tunde Kelani, were a great influence on him.
He said, “Well, I learnt about great performances from my father and much more about the importance of good pictures from the great Tunde Kelani. The combination of both is what has brought me this far.
“As an actor, I learnt through my father that there are several characteristics that make a good actor and discipline is one of them. Also, I learnt that good acting does not only come with physical looks, but inner depth is also important. I learnt from him as a director that the audience will rather see great performances than great pictures.”
On the challenges facing indigenous-language films, Afolayan said it was true that works in English and other languages were triumphing over it but argued that all the practitioners needed was to up their game.
He said, “I totally agree. Nevertheless, I think the onus lies on those who believe in the craft and in using film as a tool to help keep the heritage and our culture. Angelique has won Grammy three times and she only uses Yoruba and Egun as her main languages.
“Generally, we have to start creating the very content and stories that people want to see and not what we hope they will like. Why are the people so glued to Zee World channel, Windek and all other foreign telenovelas? It’s simply about how captivating the stories are and how well they use the camera and sound to heighten their tempos. Let’s not even forget that they are all converted from original language to voice dub and people still like them.”
