Film Marketing Remarks: ‘I have absolutely nothing against Funke Akindele’

Following the backlash he received from fellow filmmaker Funke Akindele, Kunle Afolayan has said he has nothing against her.

Recently, news surfaced that Ms Akindele’s film ‘Behind The Scenes’ broke box-office records, grossing over N2.4 billion.

The achievement earned her commendations from the Federal Government, the Lagos State Government, the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and others.

Speaking at the recent Lagos Business of Film Summit, Afolayan described the relentless cycle of content creation demanded by modern film promotion as “unsustainable.”

He said the exhaustive nature of the process was a key reason he stepped back from producing cinema releases, despite being one of the pioneers of Nigeria’s cinema resurgence.

Afolayan also took a swipe at Funke, saying, “I want to make a film if you guarantee that I do not have to dance to sell that film. Are there other ways? We need to come up with different strategies. How do we sell without exhausting ourselves? I do not know how Funke and the likes of them are doing it – creating all of those skits and changing costumes every day.

“I cannot do it. But we have stories we have been working on for more than four years, and we are willing to do,” he added.

Wrong notion

While ‘Behind The Scenes’ cinema run is still being used as a template for success, Afolayan corrected the notion that he doesn’t do cinema films, saying that he is one of the pioneers of aggressive marketing.

The filmmaker, who just released his latest production, ‘Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens’ on Netflix, said, “I am one of the people who started all of the cinema gigs. Even though I began all this dancing before anybody, you can ask. I danced in London, so it’s not just local. I met the senior Kene at Odeon Streatham, not even in Greenwich, where everybody is going now.

“And this was in 2007, 2006 actually, and we did all the runs. But see, it was, it’s draining. I want to make a film if you guarantee that I won’t have to dance to sell it. We need to come up with other strategies. How do we sell without exhausting ourselves? I don’t know how Funke and the rest of them are doing it, creating so many of those skits. Every day, changing into different costumes, I cannot.”

Retort

Although some perceive his comments as a compliment, Ms Akindele was not having any of it.

In a series of posts on her Instagram status, the ‘Jenifa’ actress said that she is not hindering Mr Afolayan’s progress.

“If you can’t beat them, join them. Create your own path. Do not allow jealousy to burn you. The sky is so big that everybody can fly. Eyin Werey jojo.

“Go ahead and create an alternative promotion or marketing strategy for promoting your business, or hire a company to handle it. You can do it. The opportunities are endless, and everyone has their own path. I’m focused on mine. And I have faith in God’s plan for me,” she wrote.

READ ALSO: MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Aníkúlápó: The Ghoul Awakens’ wants to say everything at once

Clarification

Providing some clarification to his statement, Afolayan said that, contrary to what Ms Akindele thinks, he is a product of travelling theatre.

The filmmaker, who was a guest on Arise TV, said that his parents used to go around the streets trying to get people to come to the theatre.

“And I’ve said this before, it is great for film, over the years. Over the years, I would take my children to the cinema, and we would be pretty much dragging people to say Come and watch our film,’ and I’m saying in recent times. But for me, it’s draining, and I never said anything was wrong with it.

“She called, and she said, Mr Afolayan, I know you don’t like me, but don’t mention my name in your interviews. She was yelling, and she dropped the phone after that. I texted her, and I said, I don’t know what must have caused this, but it’s fine and I explained a few things to her, and that was it,” he said.

Providing more clarity, the filmmaker said that if a film makes N2 billion in cinemas, after sharing, tax deductions, and all, the producer’s take-home would be about N500 million.

He further stated that last week, at a festival in Kaduna where he facilitated a masterclass, he encouraged young people there to adopt Ms Akidele’s model of film marketing.

“What I was saying is, I can’t do what they are doing because I feel they have too much energy, and it’s working for them. Do you know how many things I do? I run a resort. I have a cultural centre in Lagos. I have an academy that trains people, and we have partners that are not even Nigerians. But film is my core. Film gave birth to all of these other things. So I do things in the ecosystem of cinema, film and television.

“Ask her colleagues, I support people’s projects. I support people’s initiative. I don’t know what got into Funke, but I have absolutely nothing against her. And I didn’t say they shouldn’t dance,” Afolayan added.