By FEMI OGUNTAYO
Rotimi Adeola was the Secretary to the Ondo State Government (SSG) under Governor Olusegun Mimiko between 2009 and 2017. However, because of his love for the entertainment industry, he proceeded to the Mainframe Media and Film Institute owned by Tunde Kelani in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he was trained as a film producer. In this interview by FEMI OGUNTAYO, the Organisational Psychology Ph.D holder from the University of Ibadan, who now owns his production studio (NUMBER9 Film Studio), talks about the Nigerian movie industry and his upcoming movie, ‘The New Patriots’. Excerpts:
Having worked as SSG under Governor Olusegun Mimiko between 2009 and 2017 and also worked across several other sectors like oil and gas, financial services, manufacturing etc., how did filmmaking come into the picture?
As a professional psychologist, I have worked in many sectors; academics, as a teacher of Psychology, in the manufacturing sector as a Personnel Psychologist; a human resource consultant; organisational psychologist in the financial services, oil and gas and public sectors. In film making, I am a psychologist working to influence behaviours through the medium of audio-visual storytelling.
What does filmmaking mean to you?
Irrespective of the genre, a movie should be a catalyst for change in societal values as well as individual and group behaviour. That is what filmmaking means to me.
Having produced two movies now, would you say the Nigerian movie industry is worth investing in or are you still studying the industry?
The Nigerian movie industry is the second largest in the world by virtue of the volume of films produced. It is a massive job generator, with millions of young men and women earning their livelihood from the industry. Although, there are challenges of quality production and marketing, the industry still contributes substantially to Nigeria’s GDP with gross annual income in billions of dollars. The current challenges of the industry indicate the need for more strategic investment, especially in human capital development, production infrastructure and the establishment of more cinema houses.
The various states and local governments can add meaningful value to the efforts of private sector investors in the industry. Currently, there are about 250 cinema screens in Nigeria to service a burgeoning population of entertainment lovers. Assume each local government establishes a standard cinema house and release the same to professionals to manage that means additional 774 cinema screens to facilitate the theatre exploitation of films by young filmmakers. The multiplier effects on employment generation and poverty reduction will be exponential.
What would you say about the Nigerian movie industry, the loopholes and how it has developed, and how it can be more developed?
As l mentioned earlier, there is a need for training and retraining of individuals working in the Nigerian film industry. Certainly, this will have positive impacts on the quality of films produced.
Your movie ‘The New Patriots’ will be in the cinemas soon, why is this movie so special to you?
‘The New Patriots’ is a political thriller. It is set in a fictional tiny African country called the Republic of Aruguna. The movie is an adaptation of a novel titled “Patriots and Sinners” by Nnenna Ihebom. ‘The New Patriots’ is a primer for youths on their relationships with career politicians; and it is also crafted to procreate positive changes in the attitudes, values and electioneering behaviour of politicians.
How come the movie has been selected for about four international film festivals even before its release to the cinema?
‘The New Patriots’ parades top grade and popular actors like Akin Lewis, Dele Odule, Bimbo Oshin, Taiwo Ibikunle, Lateef Adedimeji, Bimpe Oyebade, Bimbo Sunday, Damipe Adekoya, Motilola Adekunle, Jibola Soyele, Kemi Isijola, among other trained actors. Experienced Adebayo Tijani directed the movie and was assisted by Terry Ayebo. The relevance of the story to a developing nation, the quality of acting as well as the quality of the production must have informed the selection of ‘The New Patriots’ for four international film festivals.
The movie will also be out in the cinemas a day to this year’s Democracy Day, what is its (The New Patriots) significance to Nigeria’s Democracy?
In my opinion, two main issues bedevil Nigeria: inappropriate political structure and fraudulent elections. If successive elections had been credible, perhaps the clamour for restructuring would have been less vociferous. Free, fair, non-violent and non-vote-buying elections, as exemplified by the June 12 election, would have allowed competent, intellectually mobile and transformational leaders to emerge at all levels for genuine work of nation-building.
The June 12 election is described as a watershed in the history of electioneering and election management because there were no cases of manipulation of youths by career politicians to commit electoral crimes. The lessons encapsulated in ‘The New Patriots’, if absorbed, would generate phenomenal changes in the attitude, values and behaviour of the youths, incumbent governments and politicians. This, in turn, would propel opportunities for other elections, analogous to June 12 election, to occur in Nigeria in the short term. However, this is without prejudice to the clamour for true federalism.
What do you think is the future of filmmaking in Nigeria and Africa at large?
Filmmaking means education and entertainment, and these are trillion naira endeavours all over the world. The future is very bright for the film industry in Nigeria if genuine investors activate interest in the sector. As the future unfolds, however, opportunities will dim for illiterate actors and crew members. Therefore, whoever wants to operate gainfully in this multi-trillion naira sector must be educated, trained and retrained.