In the interview, Afolayan pointed out the growing presence of streaming platforms in Nigeria and Africa, including, Netflix and Prime Video. He emphasised the continent’s unique storytelling methods and perspectives which have proven to be very attractive to Western investors.
“Well, I think it’s going to get better. One, Netflix is not the only one operating in Nigeria. Now you have Amazon [Prime Video], and you have a lot of people trying to come in. Why are they coming? It’s because there’s something here. And it means it’s because there’s something in Africa. There’s something in the continent,” he said.
Afolayan also talked about the importance of creative freedom for Nigerians as well as Africans and highlighted the past limitations faced by francophone African films, funded by European countries but rarely accessible to local audiences.
“So again, if we have some of these guys who are investors, but at the same time, who allow you to stay creative and do your thing without necessarily controlling how you tell your narrative, then I think it’s a great thing for Nigeria and for Africa. Unlike before, when most of the Francophone films were funded by Europe, France, Germany, Belgium and all. And most of these films, yeah, great production value, but even the citizens and indigenes of all of those countries actually don’t get to see the films,” he said.
He advised filmmakers to push forward and use available resources to them. He also disclosed that he took a loan to make some of his films before getting a three-film deal with Netflix in 2021.
“But then if you go all out, use your money. People don’t know. I used my money to make a film. I’ve taken a bank loan, which is actually against the ethics of film funding. But I’ve always looked for every possible way to fund film before this Netflix intervention and partnership came. So I think in the next five years, it will be safe to say that there will be more young filmmakers doing great things.” he stated.
He further emphasised the importance of filmmakers building a strong work ethic, saying, “You need a championing course, and this championing means that you need to convince people who listen to you and see sense and value in whatever it is you’re preaching, and once you’re able to do that, people will follow. You have to, of course, put in a lot yourself.”
