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      Interview

      Interview

      Uche Chika Elumelu on respecting the Director’s Ultimate Eye.

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      The great Marlon Brando once said, an actor is at most poet and at least an entertainer. Regardless of where the pendulum swings, at different points in a career, as projects come and go, the actor’s mind remains a rich well of experiences. The Filmrats club strove for this when we latched onto the opportunity to interview the delectable Uche Chika Elumelu. Do enjoy the transcript of the discussion here: Folashade:  How are you doing today? Uche Chika: I’m quite well, thank you. Good afternoon, folks. Folashade: How’s the quarantine and social distancing period been for you? Uche Chika: Restful! Gosh, it’s been really restful. Of course, my heart goes out to those who are more directly affected and pray for things to get back to normal as soon as possible Folashade: Amen, we are all affected in one way or another. Right, so let’s get to it, who is Uche Chika Elumelu? Uche Chika: Oooooh. You missed the chance to say, “Can we meet you, ma?” Folashade: Honestly, I was avoiding using that exact line. (They both share a laugh as our guest continues) Uche Chika: Uche Chika Elumelu is an intense being, performer of immense skill and family-oriented to the core. Folashade: Hmmm, okay, let me ask this one question that bugs a lot of Rats even if they don’t admit it. Are you in anyway related to Tony Elumelu? Uche Chika: He’s related to me. Folashade: *snaps fingers* Knew it! (Again they share that infectious virtual laugh) Uche Chika: Well, here’s the official statement – Uche Chika Elumelu is a performer of immense skill. Watching Africa Magic’s buzz-worthy telenovela, UNBROKEN, one would agree that her portrayal of the character “Kosi” is a delight. This comes barely a year after fans of the network fell in love with “Onyeje”; a character Elumelu plays on Africa Magic epic series, AJOCHE. Box office hit, SUGAR RUSH, and favorite web series, SGIT Season 6, are two of the major projects that shaped 2019 for the actor. During her time in Queen’s College, she was an active member and eventual President of the Drama Club. She graduated from the Department of Geography, University of Ibadan, with First Class Honours. Forging alliances with colleagues at the Department of Theatre Arts of the aforementioned institution, she continued to hone her creative skills by featuring in a wide range of student projects. Elumelu has worked with critically-acclaimed directors such as Felix Okolo, Kenneth Uphopho, Femi Elufowoju Jr. & Najite Dede. Her notable stage credits include Heartbeat the Musical, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives and Legends the Musical. In addition to theatre practice, the 28 year-old is also a fitness buff; a skill she has found extremely useful in her craft. Folashade: Alright, I gather you have a degree in Geography and you graduated with honours, so how did we get here? Performing, I mean. Uche Chika: Interesting question. Geography was my favourite subject back at Queen’s College. But I wanted to study Theatre Arts. My family was skeptical so they asked me to choose another course. Geography was the next best thing. However, we struck a deal. I keep my grades up, they let me do theatre on the side. That was how I honed my skills. So you could say that my love for theatre drove me to excel in school. Folashade: Wow. There’s actually nothing like having your family’s support. The invincibility it portends is priceless. Okay, can you recall that ‘exact moment’ that you decided you wanted to be a PERFORMER? Uche Chika: That’s right. Family is everything and more. Frankly, I don’t remember having an “aha moment” in particular but I always loved being in church plays as a child. It made me feel like I could express my truest self in performance. I still feel that way. Folashade: You juggle screen and stage performances commendably well but which do you find yourself most comfortable in and which do you find most challenging? Uche Chika: Well, I’m a stage girl. I only ventured into screen because, let’s face it, it pays better. Way better. There’s something magical about live theatre that keeps you grounded.  Screen, on the other hand, is challenging because CONTINUITY is a beech! But I’m learning to embrace both in equal measures. Balance is key in life. Folashade: Continuity is indeed a headache, especially when you have to repeat exact words and actions which, in my own point of view, tampers authenticity. So far, what’s the most challenging character you’ve had to play? Uche Chika: I will go with Queen Amina of Zazzau from Legends the Musical. I don’t think I’d ever pushed that hard in my career to deliver. So, the tricky thing was, someone else (a friend) played the character in the maiden edition. I felt I had to bring a fresh energy to it so I decided to learn the accent, bits of the language and dance like a warrior. Every bike man was my tutor. I would start before everyone else and go home last, just so I could do her justice. My existing fitness culture was a plus too. Thankfully, I got a lot of good reviews. But the hardest part was staying away from comparisons with my friend’s performance. As an actor, comparison outside the confines of you & the character will destroy you. Folashade: So how do you become a character? What’s your process? Uche Chika: I know there is a textbook way. But I won’t bore you with that. Truth is, approaching a character depends on your antecedents and natural proclivities. Let me break it down: Actors, over time, have a repertoire, a toolbox of sorts. You pick elements from this box to build this character and procure more if need be. In the case of a fictional character, I find more freedom because there’s no reference to an actual life. I can decide to give her a lisp, a limp or a funny laugh, so far

      Interview

      The New World Order of Ifa Therapy Director, Moses Ipadeola

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      Commentaries in films about mental health can never be enough, especially now, with the increased awareness of how debilitating ignoring it could be to the society at large.  While doubts remain over the storytelling of most of these films, thanks to the utilization of overt soapboxes and the refusal to accept that education and cinema are not mutually exclusive, the noble intentions guiding their production and release must not go unappreciated. With Ifa Therapy, Moses Ipadeola subverts the expectations of the mental health commentaries we are used to. Here, the therapist charged with salvation is different; the investigations veer from what have come to be the standard into much more homegrown routes; the solution proffered is a journey back into what the director effusively refers to as the reason or essence beingness. But the problem remains the same: Disillusionment, confusion and a stream of unanswered questions about self. Read, here, the interview with Moses Ipadeola: Abiodun: To start with, outside your name, how would you describe yourself? Director Mo: I am a graduate of University of Ibadan, Theatre Arts, where I had my first degree with Directing and Stage Management as a Major focus. I had my Master’s degree at the University of Lagos where I further majored in Directing.  I remain a student, however, driven by curiosity. Abiodun: Amazing background I must note. Can you please hint briefly about projects you may have conceptualized, directed or created for film in the past outside “Ifa Therapy?” Director Mo: For the screen, I started out by directing about 13 Episodes of the first season of Awon Aladun De (A Yoruba Sitcom) in 2015. I then moved on to direct about 15 Episodes of the first season of Sisi Clara (A Yoruba Sitcom) in 2016. Then there was Girls Hostel, also a series, after which I moved into Content Creation for Nigerian Breweries. Abiodun: So, this is the very first film (short) you will be working on? Between the sitcoms and film, which would you rather consider challenging and why? Director Mo: I had directed my first short film for Mike Adejonwo (Old Man) shortly after the completion of my first degree in the University of Ibadan. And I had worked on Feature Length films with Bogunmbe Abiola Paul as Assistant Director for some of his projects like “Same Day” amongst others. It must be said here that during this fresh start out of the University where I didn’t learn directing for the screen but for the stage, Bogunmbe was the first person to show me the way in film directing (even though I was learning this unconsciously in school). But to answer your question, yes, Ifa Therapy is my first official short film. Abiodun: Looking into your background, you were trained on stage, particularly in stage directing. Would you consider directing for stage a necessary skill for directing film using your experience on “Ifa Therapy”? Director Mo: Directing for stage isn’t a necessary skill for directing film. But it’s a big addition for some of us who studied directing for the stage. For “Ifa Therapy”, some techniques I had learnt from Directing for the stage helped me a lot. For example, the way we look for inner meanings, metaphors, interpret scripts and uplift them into theatrical pieces for the stage is slightly evident in the way I approached the film. Some things were in the film that you can’t find in the script. I must also add that having studied theatre directing for my first degree, I was already equipped with the basic skills I need as a storyteller so approaching the idea from the dynamic angle I planned to utilize was quite seamless. Abiodun: It was evident that some directorial metaphors were projected. Do you think the visual representation was explorative enough? Is it unlikely that some interpretive beats of the experimental piece may have been more visually engaging than ‘wordy’? Director Mo: The visual representation could still be better explored, definitely. At the same time, I was trying to satisfy my sentiments for both visual storytelling and dialogue. Maybe on a feature, I would be more liberal with exploration. Abiodun: So your interpretation may have tilted more to the aesthetics of dialogue and sound possibly? Director Mo: No. We set out to make a film that would be both visually and acoustically appealing. But, more importantly, the personal message I wanted to communicate was the bigger priority. Abiodun: Lets journey into your mind for evolving that hybrid i.e. “ifa” and “therapy”. What was or were your intentions? Why the name or title? Director Mo: First, I wanted to do something “Anti-Eurocentric”. I got inspired by reading some piece in Mama Sophie Bosede Oluwole’s “Socrates vs Orunmila”. I discovered that there are so many things embedded in the Ifa Corpus or the Ifa Literary World that are beyond the inanities Nollywood feeds us (Medicine and Witchcraft or so) very generously. I realized Orunmila had cured not just health problems, or financial problems but also psychological problems as well. In a period that came way before the advent of the Western “Therapy Sessions”. So the story of suicide and varied hereditary implications came to mind and I just wanted to show the world that there were and are solutions rooted here in Africa, in the Yoruba culture. “Ifa Therapy” was just a working title at the time. But it stuck over time.  I liked it. My fellow Masquerades liked it too and that was it. I also believe that in this New World where Euro-centrism has eaten the Black man and the solution is for the Man to go back to his root and find his reason for beingness. Abiodun: What is the genre of this ‘experiment’, if you will permit the tag? Do you think films like this will have their voice amongst numerous others that will rather align with Eurocentrism as core content perhaps for commercialization sake or merely to trend? Director Mo: It’s Drama. But I have

      Interview

      Screenwriting with Kehinde Joseph

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      Mr. Kehinde Joseph is a foremost screenwriter and teacher. Some of the films he’s penned include Knocking on Heaven’s Door, Falling, Kiss N Tell, Bling Lagosians and Merry men. Amongst other recognitions and awards, he got nominated for the Achievement in Screenplay category of the African Movie Academy Awards. The film rats club recently got a chance to talk screenwriting with him. Read below an abridged version of the conversation: ISAAC: This is the Film Rats club and what we do, majorly, is “talk” about  film. Our intention is to grow film literacy and encourage film criticism. MR KENNY: Great. Checked out your stuff ISAAC:  We have had our eyes on you for quite some time. It’s a huge honour to have you here. So let’s start from the very beginning. (But Mr Kenny would interject and say) MR KENNY: May I ask the first question? ISAAC: Sure MR KENNY: Why ‘Film Rats’? Isaac gives a witty explanation about the history of the term, read on to find out. ISAAC: Why screenwriting?  Is this something you have always wanted to do right from time? Or, like most of us, a departure from a very different initial plan happened? MR KENNY: It started with Richard Donner’s Superman. I came to Nigeria as a 7 year old when my dad was retired. ISAAC: Oh, I see. You returned early. What informed the decision to come back to Nigeria? Did you consider remaining in Europe to pursue a career? MR KENNY; As a kid in Europe (my dad was a diplomat), I grew up in a house of film lovers. Every evening, we’d gather round the TV like it was a campfire and watch classics of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s (Ford, Howard Hawks, Sergio Leone, Kubrick, silent movies, Dance musicals, et al). But my older sisters took my twin sis and I to go watch a showing of Superman in the early 80’s and I was hooked. I loved Christopher Reeves as superman and wanted to be him. After that, movies like Raiders of the lost Ark, E.T, The Goonies, Back to the Future and Beverly Hills Cops cemented and somewhat pre-decided my future in film. Of course, I thought I was going to be a lawyer, and then a journalist, and then a diplomat – even at one point, a novelist (Ben Okri’s The Famished Road made me start to scribble one) but ultimately, it dawned on me in 1995 that I could never be happy being anything but a storyteller for film. And, true story, I wanted to come in as an actor. Somehow, I dodged that lane (read: bullet) and I’m now a writer. ISAAC: How has screenwriting in Nigeria been for you so far? Can you give a summary of the journey to where you are, right now? MR KENNY: To be honest, It’s been a great journey. I was a radio presenter for 9 years but throughout that period, I used to consume movie scripts like how Fela did igbo. Chris Ihidero and a few other guys (Tope Oshin, Kunle Dada, including) had a show on the station, & afterwards, Chris and I would talk for hours. He later got a job with Amaka Igwe and invited me for a workshop with her. She was looking for a team of writers and 15 or so of us showed up (most of them now big names in film and other media, including – God rest her soul – Tosin Bucknor). After a week of training, we submitted our screenplays and I was the only writer picked. I wrote for her for a few years and at the same time, my client base gradually swole. I don’t earn what I want but I’m paid a tidy sum. It pays my princess’ fees, keeps the lights on, keeps madam and my sidechick happy.  Of course, this being Naija, it can and must get better. ISAAC: Do you still retain that burning fervor for the craft? Or has Nigeria dampened it? MR KENNY: Not for a freaking second. This year alone (2019), I’ve spent more than a 100k on books and webinars. I’m addicted to learning & have a childlike wonder about my work. I read screenplays, watch movies and discuss with great minds. I belong to online screenwriting fora with great screenwriters and consume so much knowledge. Of course, our industry occassionally gives one cause to be disheartened but by and large, I’m still as stoked today as the kid who saw Superman and wanted to make movies. Artistically, I’ve had zero satisfaction. Due respects to everyone I’ve worked with (and considering their own limitations too) but no one has interpreted what I wrote the way I imagined it. None. Again though, I’ve never written a great screenplay. I’ve written the best I can given the limitations I have – little time, barely any research, etc. All said, I’m grateful for the journey thus far. It gets better every day and I never stop dreaming. Nollywood has never been closer to co-production opportunities with Hollywood. I’ve been in interesting meetings in the last few weeks. Things are happening. ISAAC: This is amazing. Questions about the fora to come later. By the way, with that side-chic joke, you deserve to be in the next Alakada movie. MR KENNY gives a hearty “lol” ISAAC: I appreciate the honesty about the nil artistic satisfaction. Why this guff between what you pen and what eventually gets displayed on screen? Can you propound any reasons? Are your ideas too advanced for Nigerian directors/producers/actors? Are they flat out antithetical? Care to explain this dissonance? MR KENNY: Your script can never find its potentials in the hands of a director (and her team) who are artistically/creatively beneath the material. Since film is an assembly line of sorts, the final product is only as good as each sum that ultimately makes the whole. If one stage is low – Costume Design, Wardrobe, Lights – the overall quality

      Interview

      IN CONVERSATION WITH BOGUNMBE ABIOLA ON “MAJELE” THE MOVIE

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      Interview Session with Bogunmbe Abiola Paul on the production of his movie MAJELE (2019) moderated by Seun Afolabi (SeunStoryteller) on the 24th November 2019. Compiled from the WhatsApp session by Mide Adeleke.    Bogunmbe Abiola Paul is a Nollywood movie director and producer has been practicing since the year 2009. Bogunmbe claims to have learnt scriptwriting and producing basically from his Dad but went on to acquire more knowledge on film production from Muyiwa Ademola amongst others. Bogunmbe cites Muyiwa Ademola, Adebayo Tijani and Razaq Olayiwola as his mentors. Bogunmbe whose works cut across majorly in the “Yoruba Nolly” arm of the Nigerian film industry is a bankable filmmaker worthy of trust to make magic even with the most meagre production budget. The movie ‘MAJELE’, meets our interest. Q: What were your intentions with this movie? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: To propagate Yoruba culture and show the world that standard production values can be achieved in the Yoruba movies. That is, not restricted to the day to day Yoruba language exchange or Yoruba language heavy with poetry and proverbs. But just proof that Yoruba language can produce good movies that can compete in the world of filmmaking. Q: Someone here once referred to the movie as a “love letter to Oleku” a film by Tunde Kelani. Would you admit so? Any inspiration drawn from TK on this project? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: oh yes. He is a source of inspiration for MAJELE. Before I came up with MAJELE, I tried it with a script I wrote for Adeola Ayoade production titled ‘Ookun’, but it was a bit of low budget movie. Later, I tried it with Ofeefe before I finally arrived at MAJELE. I gleaned ideas from him while making this movie. It is something I’ve been dreaming to do for many years now. Q: What were the challenges you faced making this project compared to your past projects? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: About challenges, it wasn’t easy. First, we had to source for good actors. Also, compared to the other films I’ve produced, this particular one was a bit expensive. Getting the location in Ibadan didn’t come easy too, and the scripting was somewhat challenging. Q: One major striking thing about the movie to me apart from the use of language is casting. The brown skin girls -this I love, because it happens to also be a TK signature-, the male and female lead. Some people felt the male lead could have been “a known” face and claimed it would have projected the movie more, but to be honest I think the actor did well. The female lead Omowunmi Dada isn’t a regular in the “Yoruba Nolly”. This is the second time I am seeing her in a Yoruba film after Abbey Jimoh’s SOMEWHERE IN THE DARK. Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: Using brown skin girls was intentional. To show black beauty. Q: Why did you take the risk on Babalola as the lead? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: Apart from the fact that ABIODUN BABALOLA could play the role very well, he has potential. Plus, he had the time to give me for the production. When I first told most of my boss the story, they kept telling me to cast LATEEF ADEDIMEJI for the lead role because he is a face, yet I kept telling them that it’s not the face I want to achieve, but someone that could give me enough time, someone the audience will see and root for. Some star actors in the industry are now strictly commercial actors, therefore the acting lacks originality. Let’s always look new and bring something new to the table. Now with the little ground I have gained with MAJELE, any actor coming to my set will come with the mindset of nailing performance like actors in MAJELE did. Q: One would have expected one of the regulars, but a seemly new female lead who I suspected would have cost more. Why Omowunmi? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: First, Omowumi Dada has been my dream actress for a long time because she is a fantastic actress. Although she got paid more than any popular actor in Yoruba Industry, she remained the choice for the film. Q: Looking back at the hard work and what it cost (money inclusive) to make this film and the returns it has made, and your intentions for making this movie, do you think it is worth it? And would you attempt it again or encourage those who look up to you and want to do something different especially in this Yoruba Nollywood, to carry on? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: I am planning to make another one soon, titled ALARINA. This is because MAJELE gave me what I made it for, which is the recognition, the award and cultural propagation. I got amazing comments after uploading the film on YouTube. Viewers loved the language used in particular. Q: Did MAJELE at least make back its “huge” investment? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: Not really, due to loss of the MASTER copy of the film after my hard drive crashed. But I am happy I made an effort to make a good Yoruba movie that has gone to at least a few film festivals and won an award as well. Q1: For how long did you plan this movie before the shoot and what’s the duration of your shoot? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: I planned for just 4 months. Q2: Is there a particular reason why you made the film in two parts? Bogunmbe Abiola Paul: The film was not made for YouTube. The intention was to take it to Netflix or Amazon, but due to the lost Master Copy, Youtube became the only viable avenue for people can get to see the movie. Also, the distributors said it won’t be good to upload the film at once, that we should do it two parts. Q2: From part 1 and 2, this project could have been a groundbreaking masterpiece if some redundancies were chopped off. You’ll still make

      Interview

      IN CONVERSATION WITH WILFRED OKICHE

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        Critics are the bridge between audience and filmmaker. You can’t make films in a void. Critics don’t just give opinion or verdict, anyone can do that. They try to analyse the film, break it down artistically, culturally and emotionally. IN CONVERSATION WITH WILFRED OKICHE was moderated by Dika Ofoma (Rat, Writer, Film enthusiast) on Our WhatsApp group chat on the 23rd November 2019 12noon. Q: Let’s get a little personal. Tell us your favourite Nollywood films. Three of your favourites. Wilfred: Hmm. This is a difficult question for me considering I don’t like to do favourites especially for film. But I will try anyway. Kenneth Gyang’s Confusion na wa is a special one. Witty and funny. I don’t think we’ve seen anything quite like that since. Q: Now as a film critic, could you tell us the best Nigerian films ever made? Wilfred: Lionheart for the dinner scene alone. Perhaps Mildred Okwo’s The Meeting. I am sure I’m leaving other stuff out. Again impossible but I think I will maintain the above 3. Walking with Shadows and The Ghost and the House of Truth are new but I have a feeling they will hold up well. Nodash’s The Delivery Boy. Q: This session with you is themed around objectivity in film criticism.We’d like to know how plausible/implausible this is. How objective can film criticism be? Wilfred: They used to make a lot about objectivity in the past, these days not so much. And it is simple really. Art/film is by nature subjective and every person responds to it differently. So no matter how objective- what is that even?- you claim to be your personal biases based on your experiences and information will always seep in. Yes there are criteria, mostly technical with which we use to judge a film but because it is a visual and emotional medium, it is hard to explain objectivity. It is why a film like Joker despite being excellent technically has elicited polar opposite reactions. Those who love it and those who hate it. Both can recognise technical elements like the cinematography, the sound etc but it speaks to people differently. Americans based on their own realities see it differently than Nigerians. All views are valid. But which one is the objective one, the one I agree with? The one you agree with? But this all assumes that the critic has a baseline knowledge of film history and at least an appreciation of Film, what is good and what is not so good, what works and what doesn’t. So a critic owes it to himself and his audience to educate themselves first before educating others. Q: So how important is film criticism. What do critics offer other than one more opinion? Wilfred: Very important I would say. But then I am one. Critics are the bridge between audience and filmmaker. You can’t make films in a void. Critics don’t just give opinion or verdict, anyone can do that. They try to analyse the film, break it down artistically, culturally and emotionally. What does it all mean? Why should we care? What does it say about this moment in time, about anytime really. Also cinema as much as it is subjective is also objective. Audiences don’t always get it and the informed critic is in a privileged position to teach and influence thought. Q: You favourite Nigerian films differ from the films you consider the best Nigerian films ever made. I assumed favourite would be a subjective view, a personal preference. Then best films ever made is an objective view based on the knowledge and education you have as a critic and is ratified by all other critics. Would WWS, TGTHT, and Delivery Boy also make the list of another Nigerian film critic. Wilfred: Perhaps. If they are really as good as I think they are, they might. But there are so many good stuff out there that there is bound to be stuff I missed out or haven’t seen even. Q: Critics in a sense then, refine art. I like that you pointed out that art can be objective. Viewing art as subjective is ambiguous sometimes. Births the question, what is a good cinema/art? Could lead to misinterpretation of films. This is where critics then come in. Wilfred: Exactly, Sharpen it Q: This too. How important then is the Award system. Considering then that personal experiences/preferences reflect in the appreciation of cinema? For instance, does Green Book winning best picture at the Oscars make it the Best film from Hollywood or from among the submissions? Wilfred: Awards are important if done with noble intentions. It isn’t also a perfect system but the key is to try to adopt a system that strives to reward excellence not popularity or individual preferences. The Oscars primary aim is to promote the industry. Once in a while they actually reward excellence. The two objectives are different. I think that answers the Green Book question. Their system is a flawed one but credit to them for making the effort to ensure excellence always floats to the top. Whenever a group of people gather to decide on something, the result is almost never “the best” but what everyone can agree upon. That is why it is stuff with a broad appeal that eventually comes out tops as opposed to ambitious, experimental or niche stuff. No matter how excellent. Q: Moving away a little from film. You once hosted a segment on Africana Literati where you reviewed books, African novels to be precise. I discern then that you’re interested in film as you are in Literature. But you are also a medic and you practice. I know that there are relationships between film and literature; I’m not sure these relationships exist with medicine. Take us through your journey. How do you marry the arts and science? Wilfred: I still host the book review segment. We shot a new season that hasn’t aired yet. Send sponsor please dear. 😁 Q: Nice!

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