Filmmaker and creative industry entrepreneur, Kunle Afolayan, has clarified his recent comments about film promotion, firmly stating that he holds no grievances against actress and producer Funke Akindele, while urging young filmmakers to emulate her career strategy.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Sunday, Afolayan said:
“I have absolutely nothing against her, she’s my sister, we grew up together…so when she called and she said, I know you don’t like me, it was weird, and I’m like, where is this coming from…if for any reason she feels offended, I’m sorry.”
On the issue of promoting films, Afolayan explained the reasoning behind his comments about film marketing, highlighting his admiration for Funke Akindele’s method:
“I clearly said to them, that if you want to adopt a model, that I think, you know, will work for you now, then follow Funke Akindele’s model, I’m going to get the video, and I’ll put it, and I said, follow her model, because Funke started, you know, at a younger age…look at Funke’s brand now, she has grown, you know, it’s a consistent growth.”
Afolayan also clarified his broader position on cinema releases and film promotion, noting that his own strategy differs due to other commitments in the creative ecosystem: “Do you know how many things I do? I run a resort, all right, I have a cultural center in Lagos, all right, I have an academy that trains people, like, you know, and we have partners, that are not even Nigerians, so I do, film is my core, film gave birth to all of these other things, so I do this in the ecosystem of, you know, cinema, film, and television.”
He stressed that his comments were not a critique of Akindele or her marketing approach: “I have absolutely nothing against her, and I didn’t say that she don’t dance.”
Afolayan’s remarks come amid discussions on how filmmakers in Nigeria can balance creative work with commercial sustainability, while also acknowledging colleagues’ successes and innovations in marketing and distribution.
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