Anikulapo transforming Nigeria’s movie industry, months before its release

Kunle Afolayan unveiled his latest work, Anikulapo in January. The production of the star-studded movie pioneered a film village in Oyo State making fans liken the exploits of Kunle Afolayan to America’s Tyler Perry.  The movie is already breaking ground asides from being among three movies originally signed by Netflix to be produced and directed […]

Kunle Afolayan unveiled his latest work, Anikulapo in January. The production of the star-studded movie pioneered a film village in Oyo State making fans liken the exploits of Kunle Afolayan to America’s Tyler Perry. 

The movie is already breaking ground asides from being among three movies originally signed by Netflix to be produced and directed by Kunle Afolayan. The movie will be produced on a 40 acres mass of land with all infrastructures built from the scratch with over 300 men working on-site as Kunle Afolayan revealed recently. When Kunle Afolayan posted a photograph on Instagram in December 2021 on the Kunle Afolayan Production (KAP) Film Village, a fan _akanimo_ reacted, ‘our Tyler Perry’ likening the Nigerian veteran movie producer and director to Perry who acquired a 330 acre of land in Atlanta where he converted to a studio. Perry in February said Black Panther was the first movie to be filmed in the studio. Black Panther went on to be a Marvel Blockbuster with global recognitions and awards. Probably Anikulapo toes the same path as Black Panther.

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Afolayan on the new movie said, “The movie dates back to the 17th century and plots around the old Oyo Empire. This entire production isn’t merely bold but signals the birth of a new dawn. Basically, think Hollywood (the location and infrastructure), think KAP Film Village, Studio and Resort because Kunle Afolayan isn’t building for the purpose of this movie alone but for the purpose of constant and repeated use. Indeed, we are witnessing the birth of a new era as we watch the resort blossom before our very eyes. We are witnessing in our days, the appreciation and rebirth of the almost dying Yoruba culture, we are experiencing the rise of hope for the heritage that was once thought to be lost.”

 

He said the movie – Anikulapo – means he who has death in his pouch. “This could mean “he” has conquered death; it could also mean “he” is indebted to death, variably, it could also suggest that “he” is greater than death. The riddle remains unsolved until Anikulapo is revealed for all to see,” he said.

He said the movie will have the appearances of Sola Sobowale, Hakeem K. Kazeem, Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Taiwo Hassan, Fathia Balogun, Adebayo Salami, Moji Olayiwola, Kareem Adepoju aka Babawande and many others will feature in this film.

His innovative approach to movie production became evident since he appeared in Saworo Ide as Arese jabata when he ‘defied death’ in the home video that was released in 1999 to save the Jogbo Kingdom from a tyrant. Kunle Afolayan has gone ahead, evolving as he soars to telling the Nigerian story and redeeming Nigeria’s movie industry.

He has made his name synonymous with excellence through his award-winning productions as he has transited from facing the camera to dominating roles behind the cameras. His continued rise in the industry shows his unwavering vision and passion for telling Nigerian stories in a cultural manner to the delight of the local and global audiences.

From leading Golden Effects Pictures where October 1, Figurine and Phone Swap were produced, he went on to establish the Kunle Afolayan Productions Hub, a creative cultural center that subsumes Golden Effects Services Limited and its subsidiaries. And his pioneering roles in the movie industry continue when he on his Instagram page in December 2021 unveiled the KAP Film Village. Subsequent posts showed that the veteran producer, director and scriptwriter has in a revolutionary move established the Kunle Afolayan Production Film Village Studio and Resort in Igbojaye, Komu in Itesiwaju Local Government, Oyo State.

Buoyed by the establishment of the film village, the Oyo State government said an adequate enabling environment would be provided so that the village will lend structural capacity to the film industry and provide relaxation and other facilities for tourists when completed.

The State Commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatubosun said the village will be transformed to be the best tourist destination in Africa.

Olatubosun said apart from the late Hubert Ogunde and Adeyemi Afolayan, the father of Kunle Afolayan, no theatre practitioner has put so much effort into the theatre to the extent of establishing a Film Village till the latter did at Igbojaye.

Kunle Afolayan said the film village was envisioned to create tourist attractions in the area of resorts with mountain hiking, recreation and opportunity for filmmakers to have ready-made structures to make good films.

He said his Film Institute has started training 300,000 students on Film Studies in three years, in collaboration with MasterCard Foundation.

“We came here in November for a suitable location for a film, but on getting here, I thought about it and I felt this is just a beautiful place, if you are coming from Ibadan, get to Iseyin, leaving Iseyin and on your way here, you will hardly see mountains, rocks and valleys like you see here, when you come to Okaka till you get to Otu, you won’t find those natural ambience, but from Igbojaye to Komu-Baba Ode, the places are surrounded with all these natural gifts that people are not taking advantage of.

“There are a lot of well-known tourists’ destinations around the world that, as a matter of fact, do not have half of what we have here or because of how they are positioned, how they are structured and a lot of government supports, they get loans and people fly there from all over the world.

“That is what we are trying to create here too, for people from Lagos, people from Abuja and other areas will come down here, you do not have to go to Obudu again if you want natural ambience, where you are at peace with yourself, that is the bigger picture, it is not just going to be a film studio, it is also going to be a recreation center, a resort with mountain hiking, that is what we are going to sell.”