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Kayode Kasum Reveals His 4 Favourite Films

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With keen eyes on visual competence, story credibility and audience appeal, Kayode Kasum graciously shares a pool with filmmakers who, outside their inner chi, sift through ideas in existing films to bolster their creative geniuses. Following successes from his critically acclaimed indie film “Oga Bolaji” and the laudable box office hit “Sugar rush”, Kasum, in a chat with Filmkaku, outlines below the top four films that have contributed profoundly to his film education. https://youtu.be/SuwD1NDEVJ8 SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION BY FRANK DARABONT As an ode to the strength and wilfulness of the human spirit, Shawshank Redemption is an agonizing tale of a man wrongfully convicted for killing his wife and his lover.  Confined to the Shawshank state penitentiary, he develops an uncanny friendship with another inmate. The film stars Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman and dons the skilfulness of three-time Oscar nominee, Frank Dupont as writer and director. https://youtu.be/PS4s6QH_RHI ISOKEN BY JADE OSIBERU Lauded…

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A Love Letter to Daniel Oriahi’s Sylvia: On Creating Moments, by Damola Layonu

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I recently watched an analysis of Zack Snyder’s work which broke down some of its arguable inadequacies, most prominently displayed in the box office behemoth: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Video essayist, Evan Puschak, who runs the delightfully illuminating YouTube channel, Nerdwriter, simplified it by criticizing the director’s “obsession with moments at the expense of scenes”. This prompted a re-watch of the film (truth be told, I wasn’t fond of it the first time around) and I have to say, Puschak is right. Between the slow-motion montages and highly emotional touch-points of the film, there’s little in the way of world-building, character-building, or any kind of building. I’m not here to question Snyder’s competence as a director. The existence of films like Watchmen, Man of Steel and 300 alone crowns him forever as one of my faves and let’s face it, the man can employ a slow-mo action like no other. But I…

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Learning from failure in Nollywood

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Everyone loves stories. They are basic to our survival as a people, regardless of culture and nationality. But eeking a career out of telling stories can be a thankless task. Most people fail; a reality that hits even harder in the chronically volatile Nigerian film industry teeming with the young and old, eager and passionate, most of whom are, sadly, broke. It is easy to fail and many stop after a few attempts at battling the tide. Nobody sets out to fail, and while that grim eventuality is nothing anybody wants to be rooted in,  the truth is we can learn from failure and actually become better versions of ourselves. The greatest people in history were failures at some point in their journeys. Different fields are rife with stories of inspiring comebacks from setbacks that we can always check out to glean some  confidence and encouragement at low moments. Nollywood…

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Done with Netflix? Check out 10 African Films on Showmax

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The unfortunate Covid-19 pandemic riddling the world has necessitated the shutdown of cinemas, or any avenue for public gathering, and for good reason. This has seen everyone turn to streaming platforms for content. And while Netflix has become synedochial with the idea of streaming movies, boasting increments in subscriptions per week, viewers looking for African movies to pass the time may want to check out other platforms boasting an equally rich array of content. SHOWMAX, for one, has a plethora of some of the best African films made by Africans. This strong collection shouldn’t be surprising as the streaming platform is a subsidiary of the South African company, Multichoice. The following are some of the best African films available on Showmax: 93 Days (2016) –Nigeria As the world fights to curb the spread of the Covid-19 Pandemic, now is a good time to draw strength and hope from this biopic…

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Covid 19 and Nollywood

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The Nigerian film industry is facing a serious financial shock with cinemas shut and productions halted. I consider some of the implications of the COVID- 19 pandemic on Nollywood Cinema Releases With cinemas closed, the Nigerian cinema industry is likely to lose about 2.1 billion naira in ticket sales from March-June as cinema goers stay home, based on equivalent figures from 2019. Closed cinema doors means mass layoff of cinema staff, with even more service staff affected indirectly. On Post Lock-down Cinema Attendances For most industry insiders, it remains to be seen how comfortable consumers will be sitting together in cinemas even when the lock-down is lifted. Cinema houses will need to maintain strict codes of public hygiene. However, I’m punting that Nigerian cinema goers will have no problems returning to the cinemas. Television Audiences The mandatory lock-downs have pushed television audience numbers up, with both cable and streaming platforms…

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10 African Movies on Netflix that will blow your mind.

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Fed up with the compulsory stay at home and wondering how to pass the time? You don’t have to spend the whole day daydreaming,  sleeping or watching TikTok videos. Why not give the impressive collection of African films on Netflix a chance? Netflix has shown an admirable dedication to showcasing the diverse filmic languages from all over the world and now is the time to join millions immersing themselves in original African content.    In no particular order, here are the 10 African films you have to see: Lionheart (2018) – Nigeria Africa’s first Netflix Original. This warm and simple film on family, love and posterity is the kind of bubblegum you need to distract you from all the grim news out there. The film tells the story of Adaeze, who is on a quest to save her family’s transport company from bankruptcy. Lionheart stars Genevieve Nnaji, Nkem Owoh,…

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Opinion: Three Things Bling Lagosians Could Have Done Better by David Osarieme

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“As each member of the Holloway family work to solve their problems, they prepare for Mopelola’s party, clearly to become the year’s biggest society event. But the buzz about the party compels the Asset Management Corporation to foreclose on ST. IVES, the family business, after the death of His godfather Baba Eko who had been protecting Akin Holloway. He must then fight a bigger battle – getting Mopelola to cancel her party and maintain a low profile to get them of the radar, while he tries to save the business” Munched from IMDB, the above paragraph concocts the plot summary of Bolanle Austen Peter’s 2019 box office smasher: Bling Lagosians. Peter’s directorial debut follows successes with numerous theatre productions and 93 days (2016), a feature film on the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, where she manned the Producer’s helm. In Bling Lagosians, acclaimed screenwriter Anthony K. Joseph skillfully reflects the glamour of Lagos…

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Is there Really A Nollywood Post Parasite Discussion?

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Measuring the success of “Parasite” from Korean auteur Bong Joon Ho is a task that will continue for ages.  Made for a relatively low Budget of 11 million dollars, it is the latest success story of the foreign language film like Enter The Dragon, Pan’s Labyrinth, Amelie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Life is Beautiful. It also finds veritable company with America indie films like Napoleon Dynamite Moonlight, Get out and so on for finding commercial and critical success despite the obvious art film sensibilities. Already hitting 167 million dollars at the global box office before going on to win big at the Oscars, it is easy to declare Parasite as one of the most successful subtitled film in ages.  For Nollywood, navigating a Post “Parasite” discussion depends on which ideological aisle of the industry you’re looking at. On one side, the success of this film is simply a product of…

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The Artist that inspires Abba Makama

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Director Abba Makama has created some of the most visually and thematically interesting films in Africa in recent times thanks in part to the art that inspires him. Dodorowsky, as he’s fondly called, is regarded as one of the freshest African voices, making a killing at major film festivals like Toronto International Film Festival(Tiff), twice now, with his films Green White Green and The Lost Okoroshi. Along with CJ Obasi and Michael Gouken of the Surreal 16 collective, his unique brand of storytelling combines elements of/from masquerades, dreamscapes, art, music, dance and more importantly, his greatest inspiration, Alejandro Jodorowksy, a Chilean-French Artist, who has worked as a screenwriter, a poet, a playwright, an essayist, a film and theater director and producer, an actor, a film editor, a comic writer, a musician and composer, a philosopher, a puppeteer, a mime, a psychologist and psychoanalyst, a draughtsman, a painter, a sculptor,…

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