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      July 13, 2019

      Interview

      WHAT LIES WITHIN, an interview with Paul Utomi

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        On the last edition of A Cheesy Saturday, Film Rats hosted Paul Utomi as the guest on the whatsapp platform. The session was moderated by Dika Ofoma (Film Rats Club). May 25th, 2019 3pm Paul Utomi is an actor, voice over artiste, and Filmmaker. He studied Economics at the Lagos State University and took a course in acting and directing. His acting career began in 2011 and has featured in productions like: Eve, Hush, Lekki Wives, Flower girl,  Jones, B4 30, Friends, Tarima, Enter the Claxton, Behind the smile, Case file, In God’s Name e.t.c. He has done several radio jingles for brands like Etisalat, Seven Up, Inter-Continental Bank just to mention a few and also a lot of Radio Dramas. More recently he produced the film Love Is Yellow directed by Kayode Kasum. Which was selected to screen at the RealTime International Film Festival. The session kicked off with a question about his journey into filmmaking, an impressive jump from Economics. “It happened by accident,” Paul said. “A friend suggested I apply for a writing/sports analyst gig at a sports media production company and I did…reluctantly. I got the job and started writing in their weekly sports magazine called ‘The Game’. Then my boss suggested I record/voiceover a documentary series for ‘The Principal’s Cup’, also suggesting that I should present an episode of AM Express Sport on the NTA network. I guess one thing led to another.” Dika Ofoma: Pretty cool, so if any of these events never happened would you have still considered acting? Paul Utomi: I don’t know, probably not. Because from presenting I started modeling, radio dramas and I said YES to all these opportunities when they were presented, but when acting was suggested I remember being very skeptical and not being as keen. It took a couple of months before someone swindled me into attending an audition. So basically just being open to new opportunities and stepping out of your comfort zone.” Dika Ofoma: What would you say has been the most interesting thing you’ve learnt on this journey as an actor/filmmakers? Paul Utomi: Life is what happens when we’re busy making plans. Dika Ofoma: Let’s put aside all the productions you have been in, what role would you say is your favorite and why? Paul Utomi: Hmmmm…. I don’t know. Dika Ofoma: I knew you’d say this, but there should be one. Paul Utomi: Honestly I can’t single out one; I’ve tried to do the best I could with all these characters and I hope the audience enjoyed watching all of them. Dika Ofoma: Interesting, does that mean that no character has been memorable enough? Paul Utomi: I wouldn’t say that…. I kinda hope every time I accept to work on a project I do the very best I can. My dad would say “whatever is worth doing is worth doing well” Dika Ofoma: Very important and true. This brings me to ask why are you an actor and a producer. A plus, what influences your work? Paul Utomi: Magic! Dika Ofoma: lol.. Like Harry Potter magic or vodoo? Paul Utomi: I grew up watching a lot of great films and hearing actors utter a lot of great lines, catchphrases or witness a lot of remarkable moments in film and as a kid it was like witnessing someone catch lightening in a bottle. I remember how some of those cinematic moments made me feel and on some level I want to be able to create something as an actor or filmmaker that would leave an indelible impression on members of the audience. By the way The Harry Potter books and some of the films are brilliant. Dika Ofoma: That’s super amazing to hear, they really are. Moving on, speaking of Harry Potter books and films, what is the one fictional character you dream of bringing to life? Paul Utomi: Well… there are several interesting but one characters might be ‘Akin the drummer boy’, or Amadioha. Dika Ofoma: “I remember how some of those cinematic moments made me feel and on some level I want to be able to create something as an actor or filmmaker that would leave an indelible impression on members of the audience” Any Nigerian Film reference here? Paul Utomi: Hmmm… I’m afraid not (laughs) Dika Ofoma: Okay, what or who were your inspirations? Paul Utomi: Spielberg, Scorsese, KatherineBigelow, Tarantino, Hitchcock, SpikeLee, Alejandro Inaritu, Guy Ritchie, Antoine Fuqua. Dika Ofoma: That’s a handful. I’m sure there’d be space for an Africa influence somewhere? None? Paul Utomi: Usman Sembene, Jimi Odumosu, Amaka Igwe, Neil Blompkamp. Dika Ofoma: Okay. You’ve mentioned quite a lot of this big names and that’s quite impressive. Can you please tell us more about your recent production as a producer and how these Filmmakers have influenced your story. Paul Utomi: I wrote WHAT LIES WITHIN so that may provide a small glimpse as to how my mind works. I also co-produced LOVE IS YELLOW which is a simple love story. They are both different in style and execution. I would like to believe that if nothing else I’m influenced by their attention to detail and unrelenting desire ‘to spin a good yarn’. I’d also like to think that I plan and work as hard as I can to not shortchange the audience. Dika Ofoma: What’s your view on stereotyping in Nollywood, where an actor play a certain kind of roles throughout his/her career? Paul Utomi: Hmmm… The truth is at the end of the day this isn’t just about art. It’s business and most people want to see a turn on their investment. This leaves filmmakers with little or no choice when investors insist that certain casting decisions are made. Dika Ofoma: Don’t you think this limits the actor to doing more? Paul Utomi: It probably does. A lot of casting decisions aren’t based on actual talent or work ethic unfortunately. Dika Ofoma: On looking out to bankable producers, what do you wish you knew as an actor back then? Paul

      Feature

      Coming From Insanity, a review by ‘Chukwu Martin

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        Death is the ultimate punisher in this flick. It finds its way around, sentences the criminals and leaves us with a modern tragedy. Boom! The end. Written, directed, and edited by Akinyemi Sebastian Akinropo, produced by Ibidolapo Ajayi for The Movement Pro Production in association with BOI Nollyfund and distributed by FilmOne, “Coming From Insanity” is sure to be a money-spending adventure. Gabriel Afolayan plays the leading man wearing the accent of Kossi the Bear, the eponymous protagonist/anti-hero from Togo living and working as a houseboy in Nigeria since he was a boy. Years later, still owing his service to a family who would later think it okay to send him back to Togo with N500,000. Grown Kossi must find his way out and join millions of Nigerians in the search of a better life, and this he did with a little more craze than many would even dare. His idea is simple, an idea that many Nigerians and many around the world have thought about many times. That idea that keeps you up at night because you don’t have the moral balls to pull it off. This story rockets to another level of Kossi lording a group of unsatisfied, and greedy youths to making their own money. This act possesses the main events of the narrative. Starting with a narrative style, Kossi (Gabriel Afolayan) lends his voice to guide us through his adventure. Gabriel Afolayan finds his trigger and we can see him in his cinematic element like never before (well you might choose otherwise). He brings a certain amalgamated beauty to the screen expressing in dashing flashes, innocence, brutality, suave and a boyish charm that runs through the entire film. This crime drama pilfers cleverly from many films in its genre despite its claim to be a True story. It however retains its originality in detailed visual appreciation of the film worlds social culture, context and its decent use of actors. I say decent because the cameos are subtly pitched in the film, not over-burdening the screen with unnecessary blabbers and screen time.   HOW INSANE WERE THE FILMMAKERS? Quoting from Kossis line in the film, he mentions “…Obsession makes perfect…” The filmmakers however seemed a little more ambitious than they were obsessed with this project. Director Aderopo and Producer Ibidolapo have certainly pulled off an impressive debut, and since practice, they say, makes perfect, we can believe that a bigger, better beaten obsession will emerge from their stables. Coming From Insanity seems to lack worthy subplot(s) and the sub-characters are a bit too bland to move the essence of this criminal adventure any further. To this, Gabriel Afolayan (Kossi) has to carry the cross. This is not the misgiving of the actors however; the writing and directing must take the fall for it. But then again, the fact that it is accounted as a true story creates a personal effect on its audience and this, I should say, is, perhaps what makes all flaws permissible . The film has a strong potential for elevation into that big crime syndicate and motion picture that could redefine an underexploited genre but perhaps staying true to the original story reduced the need to explore the potential of the story. Here the question of Fiction and History come to reason. Should the accuracy of True life stories be sacrificed for the spectacle of Production value? Coming From Insanity is a fruitful exploration of a crime movie for a year such as 2019, Nigeria, where yahoo has stemmed into a socio-economic culture among many. I say fruitful because to gauge a film’s effect, I believe the viewers interest in the outcome of the characters and events during viewing play quite a major role in the films impact and significance. This was the case with the audience around me in the theatre, hearts racing and girls squeaking in apprehension seeking to be soothed by their partners as they guessed what might become the end to the life of their supposed hero. For me, it was a matter of interest to know that the filmmakers were telling a true life story and these rather unscrupulous events actually happened; that is, if they told it “exactly” as it happened or tried to lie with the truth in their hands. Nevertheless, Coming From Insanity is a laudable attempt to revive true stories and crime stories in our narrative culture in Nigeria.  

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