Tag: Kunle Afolayan

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Why I Reconciled With My Brother, Aremu At Our Mother’s Burial – Actor, Kunle Afolayan Speaks

Kunle Afolayan, the popular Nigerian actor cum movie producer, has spoken about the reasons for ending a longtime fight with his brother, Aremu Afolayan.

The two sons of the late iconic filmmaker and theatre legend, Ade Love, have been at odds for a long time.

In 2018, the duo’s feud attracted public attention after Aremu claimed their father lived in poverty despite fame.

Reacting to Aremu’s remarks during a viral interview, Kunle called Aremu stupid.

However, the siblings finally ended their rift during the wake-keep ceremony for their mother in Oyo State on Friday, November 22 2024.

Speaking at the event, Kunle said he was not Aremu’s brother but his father, emphasizing that he was 10 years older than him.

He said, “One thing I want to tell all Aremu’s friends is that I am not his brother but his father. I trained him and I’m 10 years older than him, but you, his female friends, push him. But love conquers all.

Similarly, Aremu apologised to Kunle; “My greatest joy today is that my mother made us talk. She didn’t stop praying because I was the black sheep in the family. I disagree with my brother Kunle; he has no excuses because they said we resemble each other.

“ I’m sorry for putting brother Kunle through the Instagram backlash. It’s because I love you.”

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I Once Directed a Movie I Didn’t Understand – Kunle Afolayan

Movie producer, Kunle Afolayan has made a confession.
He stated that he once directed a movie he didn’t understand.
Afolayan stated this at the third edition of Kunle Afolayan Productions (KAP) Film & Television Academy’s Reel Circle, an initiative for film enthusiasts to learn from industry experts.
He said:
“I was asked to direct something I know nothing about. I tried to like bail out but somehow I was convinced that I could do it. But I knew, I did not know what I was going to do. I did not understand the story. It is an installation film, even at the time I didn’t know what installation film was.
 
“Before I agreed to it, I read the script, I did not understand it. I called someone Biodun Aleja, may his soul rest in peace, he read it and said ‘this is crazy’ and then a few other people. I spoke to the person who introduced me to the project that ‘can I meet with the producer? Maybe if she shares her vision, I would get it’.
 
“Then he flew me to London and we sat for like two hours and she was talking. She showed me her showreel and I knew there was a problem because the showreel did not make sense. It was a complete abstract installation, people just doing weird things and I am a narrative director. Then I called the link and said ‘I am not doing this, I would not even know what to say’.
“But he was like they are paying you $40,000, you have to do it. I said okay but I was like let us do an adaptation of a scene but even with it I did not know what to adapt. But because Biodun Aleja was there, he studied Performing Arts, so his literature is stronger. I was like look, we have to find a way. They are flying us to Miami and Chicago, we cannot turn that down.
 
“They did this and we went, we filmed in like the oldest museum. I was the director and there were five trucks of equipments. It’s like someone throwing you into the ocean and asking you to start swimming. I am like I am the director, so I have to use that power. But then I have always wanted to shoot in a space where they have large windows, where I can have a ray of light.
 
“So I was focusing on other things, I did not understand the story. Up till now, after we shot the film, if I watch it again, I am like what was the story? There was no story but guess what? They flew me to five countries to premiere the film and they were flying me in business class since 2007.”
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2023 AMVCA: Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Anikulapo’ bags 16 nominations

Renowned Nigerian filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, receives the highest number of nominations at the ninth Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) for his 2022 film, Anikulapo.

The movie is nominated in 16 out of 33 categories at this year’s event, making it the most nominated film. Check out the full list here.

Categories Anikulapo was Nominated at the 2023 AMVCA

  1. Best Overall Movie
  2. Best Soundtrack
  3. Best Indigenous Language – Yoruba
  4. Best Movie West Africa
  5. Best Writer In A Movie Or TV Series
  6. Best Actress In A Drama Movie/TV Series
  7. Best Costume Designer In A Drama/TV Series
  8. Best Sound Editor, Best Picture Editor
  9. Best Makeup Artist In A Movie or TV Series
  10. Best Lightning Engineer In A Movie Or TV Series
  11. Best Cinematographer
  12. Best Supporting Actor (Two actors nominated)
  13. Best Supporting Actress
  14. Best Picture Editor
  15. Best Director

It is worth noting that Kunle Afolayan’s Anikulapo generated a significant amount of buzz on both Netflix and in theatres within two weeks of its release.

It became the top-performing film on Netflix’s Non-English global category with 8.7 million hours of hourly views for the week, while also grossing N12 million at the box office during the same period.

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Kunle Afolayan: “Netflix Wants Me To Create Anikulapo Series”

Popular Nollywood performer Kunle Afolayan has disclosed that the international streaming service Netflix wants him to make an Anikulapo television series.
In an interview with the Guardian UK today, the award-winning director stated as much, adding that he was confident “Anikulapo,” the picture he had been working on for six years, will be a box office success.

On September 30, 2022, “Anikulapo,” a Netflix original movie set in the ancient Oyo kingdom of the seventeenth century, had its premiere. A week later, with a total of 8.7 million streaming hours, it had surpassed all other non-English movies on the service.

In “Anikulapo,” Kunle Afolayan, who starred his daughter Eyiyemi Afolayan, 17, said that he originally intended to make it into a series, but Netflix persuaded him to first make it a feature film. If the film was successful, he could then turn it into a series.

“I’ve been working on Aníkúlápó for six years. Originally, I wanted to make a series, but I shopped it and kept telling people that this movie would be bigger than Game of Thrones,” Afolayan said.

“Eventually, Netflix told me to make a movie first since I believed in the project that much, and if it became a success, we’d develop a series.

“Right now, Netflix is the one urging me to start making the series. I knew we made a great film and that it’d start conversations, but I didn’t know it’d do as well as it has done,” he added.

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Nigerians are incensed at the Oscars committee’s rejection of Kunle Afolayan’s film “Anikulapo”.


The Nigerian Academy Awards selection committee has removed Kunle Afolayan’s most recent film, “Anikulapo,” from consideration for the Academy Awards, often known as the Oscars. 

The Nigerian actor and producer also voiced his disappointment while sharing the news on social media. 

As per Kunle Afolayan: “I am so pleased and delighted that the whole world has decided to tag ANIKULAPO film “a masterpiece “even though the Nigeria Oscar selection committee think it’s not worth submitting for the Oscars. Will keep doing my own thing”.

Despite the wonderful reviews Anikulapo has gotten all around the world since its premiere, the Academy Awards do not think it merits being nominated. 

The Nigerian Oscar selection committee said last month that it has received three Yoruba-language entries: Anklápó, Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman, and King of Thieves.

All three films were deemed “ineligible” by the majority of the selection committee members, who decided that they would not be entered into the competition.

The film was produced and shot by Jonathan Kovel at the recently opened KAP resort in a village in Oyo State. Afolayan had partnered with Netflix. 

The Oscars are given to films that exhibit artistic and technical excellence in the American and international film industries. 

The honor is recognized as the most prestigious and noteworthy accomplishment in the global entertainment sector. 

Since then, the news has angered a lot of Nigerians and even followers worldwide.