“My new Film TANI is an asset to make inroad into mainstream Nollywood”- Pelumi-Folarin
OLUWANBEPELUMI
Adiv Pelumi-Folarin, is a Filmmaker
with experience in project and
organisational management. He studied Creative Producing at the highly prestigious EbonyLife Creative Academy. He also did Directing and Post-Production at Africa
Film Academy, and has a professional credential in Screenwriting at the
University of Cambridge. He is the CEO of Shining AfriTest Studios(SAS).
In this interview with a team of editorial staff from the Business Africa Digest led by the Managing Editor, Ewache Ajefu, Pelumi- Folarin opens up on his journey to become a filmMaker, challenges encountered so far and how his Final Film Project at the academy became a huge success and other sundry matters in the Nigerian Film Industry. Excerpts:
Business Africa Digest- Who are you and can you tell us about your background?
Pelumi- My name is OLUWANBEPELUMI Adiv Pelumi-Folarin, I am a Filmmaker with experience in project and organisational management. I studied Creative Producing at the highly prestigious EbonyLife Creative Academy, Directing and Post-Production at Africa Film Academy, and I also have a professional credential in Screenwriting, University of Cambridge.
I am the CEO of Shining AfriTest Studios(SAS), SAS is registered with the ultimate agenda of advancing the emancipation agenda of Africa and Africans through a digital storytelling medium.
Business Africa Digest- What made you venture into filmmaking?
Pelumi- Filmmaking has been a burning passion since I was a little boy. I thought I could run away from it, of
course I did for a long time, but the passion finally got me possessed and obsessed. I am a man of many talents and gifts, I am so excited to have discovered that it is only in filmmaking that all these talents and gifts can find their unique and distinct expression.
Business Africa Digest-. What major entry have you made into Filmmaking?
Pelumi- Philip Stanhope, in a letter to his son back in 1774 is quoted as saying “Anything worth doing is worth
overdoing. Moderation is for cowards.” This has been my year long motivation: “Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.” My quest to always do it well was what made me choose EbonyLife Creative Academy(ELCA). This is a major entry point for me. Guess what, the film I produced as part of my final project, became a huge
success at ELCA, being one of the most viewed films on the academic’s platform.
After ELCA, I have directed a couple of movies for people. But I am mostly excited about ‘TANI?’ this is a short film that I wrote, produced and directed. The film is about a revenge-driven woman, who risks a healthy marital relationship to get justice for the murder of her father. The film is set to come out in November 14 of this year(2022)
Business Africa Digest- In view of serious competition in the industry, do you think you can make inroad into Filmmaking?
Pelumi-Absolutely! As a matter of fact, the competition is not as fierce as it is commonly perceived from outside. Of course there are pockets of challenges, however, things are far better than they used to be a decade or even five years ago. I have the asset needed to make inroad into the mainstream,Nollywood. I am an Africa aficionado, I have the knowledge, the skill, the passion, the authenticity, and the technical know-how that won’t only give me access, but also make me thrive.
Business Africa Digest-. Can you let us into some of the challenges if any in the course of the your adventure into Filmmaking?
Pelumi- There are two basic challenges that all filmmakers are being faced with, no one in our clime is completely immune from them, they are funding and structure/infrastructure challenges. I am contending with these two entities at the moment, just as many young and old filmmakers. Although, some big guns in the industry have conquered the funding constraints, nevertheless, they too are suffering from lack of structures for the industry. nonetheless the good news is that Lagos state
government tends to be taking a proactive stance to solving the problem of structure. In that wise, the future of entertainment is more promising especially in Lagos state.
Business Africa Digest-. Who were or are your mentors if any, and how have they inspired you to this day?
Pelumi-Talking about mentors, I’ll like to mention just four in no particular order, here they are: Ousmane Sembene, the great filmmaker that is often credited as the “father of African film” he was a Senegalese film director, producer and writer, Uncle Tunde Kelani whose body of work has been of immense inspiration to me. His Thunderbolt: Magun remains one of my favorites, and most recently released movie ‘Ayinla’. Third on my list is Kunle Afolayan. And last but not the least is Achor Yusuf, Achor is an amazing filmaker, he was my HOD at Africa Film Academy, Directing Department. I have huge respect for these men.
Business Africa Digest-. What is your opinion of the future of Nollywood on Nigeria?
Pelumi-Just as our music has gone global, I am of the opinion that our movies are beginning to catch global attention as well. Nollywood is between the second and third largest in the world. This statistic speaks to the quantity at the moment, however, quality-wise, we are beginning to get the attention of the global audience. This is not to discredit the great effort that goes into filmmaking in our country by our amazing film-makers, this is to encourage the government to invest massively in the mammoth potential of Nigerian Filmmakers by providing grants or loans, above all, by creating an enabling environment for filmmakers, I am convinced Nollywood will gracefully move to the global first position both in quality and quantity.
