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      Interview

      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

      Interview

      “Girls are the new Boys” 🧀A CHEESY CONVERSATION with TUNDE OLAOYE

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      🧀In our Cheesy conversations now is TUNDE OLAOYE, a Nigerian Director/Writer/ Film Editor and Voice over Artiste. He’s the Director of Jenifas Diary, the blockbuster ‘Married But Living Single’, Papa Ajasco Reloaded and many others. IG. @tundeolaoyedirect We decided to post some of the remarkable words he said. “Why I think if we really desire to use visual storytelling as a tool for change, we should have the common man as our primary audience and infuse our messages of change within their expected fantasies. Be bold, over-prepare, know your script more than any actor, learn emotions, know something about everything, collaborate, you are not a god (sorry Thespians) , be open to ideas but protect your original inspiration. I always say, girls are the new boys. African women have been relegated for too long. For many years, we only saw women in make up and costumes, meanwhile God hasn’t given men any better brain than women. By the time women realized they could do some of this things, they took it with all their strength just like when a woman knows how to drive at last, the fear is gone. Women always go all out when they are finally ready to do anything, so I am not surprised. Directing isn’t a gender thing, women now know and they are going all out for it. One of the ways we can protect writers is for the industry to have a legal framework to guide practices in the industry. Do your research, know your audience, you’ll get better with hardwork. Be open minded. You can’t force your fantasies on people. If they have to pay, you do their own fantasies. If you get a grant and you are not expecting ROI, you can ignore market research and risk making something new, Peharps it will change perceptions. I would say getting started was more difficult, it is an unregulated and saturated trade(not even an industry), so sometimes your passion and talent might not be enough to be recognized. A lot of other factors like working out your luck will be involved”. Picked & Pieced from Cheesy Conversations with Tunde Olaoye on the Film Rats Club whatsapp group.

      Interview

      🧀THORN – A Cheesy Conversation With The Director

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        🧀In our Cheesy conversations now is BOLA AKANBI (Director THORN) Read The Interview Below 👇   1). At what point did you realize you wanted to become a filmmaker? I have always been a lover of arts since I was a kid. I love telling stories. As a kid, I would gather my siblings at night and tell them stories. I also wrote novellas that never got published. I didn’t know what filmmaking was then. But in 2010, I decided to start a career in filmmaking. 2). What do you think is the most fascinating part of your job? The fact that I can entertain, inform and educate people through the stories I tell and also contribute towards the growth of the society fascinates me. 3). Let’s talk a bit about your recent film THORN, why that story? Thorn is a painful reminder of our society’s refusal to confront the dangers of implosions suffered by mentally displaced persons. It is also an advocacy against domestic violence. I observed that we don’t really explore the subject beyond physical abuse which is the one everyone talks about or knows. But what about the other effects such as; PTSD, cycle of violence and much more. I explored the part that is not commonly addressed, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). 4). What was the biggest challenge in making this film? Getting a perfect location and filming during raining season was a big challenge. The rain interrupted our shoot at some point. We encountered some technical challenges too. 5). What do you hope to achieve with this film? I want to keep creating awareness and sensitizing people on mental health, especially PTSD, and the effect of Domestic Violence on children. There isn’t enough awareness on mental health in general. I hope to draw individual and health organizations’ attention on the need to create means through which people can get help. 6). What has been the biggest lesson you have learnt from filmmaking? Filmmaking is a collaborative effort. There is no such thing as ‘I’ only ‘We’. 7). What is your greatest achievement till date? You never really know if you’ve made a film until you test it with an audience. I an really fulfilled getting all the reactions I hoped for when making THORN. The short film premiered at Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) to a resounding success. That’s a great achievement for me. 8). Can you tell us about your upcoming project(s)? I am working on another short film and a feature film. They are also based on social issues. 9). What film has inspired you most? SEVEN by David Fincher, SHUTTER ISLAND by Martin Scorsese, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS by Jonathan Demme. I’m a lover of psychological thrillers. I love dark and sad stories. 10). If you get the opportunity to remake a classic, which one would you go for? TI OLUWA NI ILE by Tunde Kelani. 11). Which particular filmmaker(s) has inspired you? Tunde Kelani, Kunle Afolayan, Izu Ojukwu, Funke Akindele, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg. 12). Which book would you love to make a film out of one day? DEATH AND THE KING’S HORSEMAN by Wole Soyinka. 13). Do you have any advice for young filmmakers like yourself? Stay true to yourself, yet always be open to learn. The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. Keep your dreams alive.

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      READING BARIGA SUGAR BY ‘CHUKWU MARTIN

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      BARIGA SUGAR- A FILM BY IFEOMA NKIRUKA CHUKWUOGO  THE TWIN EFFECT  Bariga Sugar (2016) is a short film (approx. 22 minutes) about the unfortunate story of Jamil(10) and Ese(8) who live with their promiscuous single mothers amidst the shelter of Madam Sugar’s brothel in Bariga (Hence the name Bariga Sugar),it captures the melt down in a supposed Puritanist society. Similarly patterned in its plot what through its origin in Voltaire’s 1759 novel Candide has become known as the Candide pattern for reading film.  The story pattern is where a naïve and innocent person finds his character in an unusual situation. This is the case of Jamil (Tunde Azeez) and Ese( Halimat Olanrewaju) signifiers of Innocence who find themselves in this cesspool of mortal sin. These two,nonetheless, find comfort in one another as friends after Jamil moves into the ‘neighbourhood’. However, in re-interpreting this film, I choose to propound the concept of the Twin effectas an approach to interpreting this visual image. Discussing under the Yoruba cultural belief of twins, the first born twin, whether  a boy or girl, is always called Taiwo, meaning  “having the first taste of the world”, whereas the second is named Kehinde, meaning “arriving after the other”.  (In this film, Jamil arrives second, meeting his soon-to-be-bestfriend Ese in ‘that’ world).  Although being born first Taiwo is considered the younger twin. His senior, Kehinde is supposed to send out his partner to see what the outside world looks like. As soon as Taiwo has given a signal by crying, Kehinde will follow. Kehinde is supposed to be more careful, more intelligent and more reflective, while Taiwo is believed to be more curious and adventurous, but also more non-chalant (Olaleye-Oruene, 1983, Stoll & Stoll, 1960). From the viewpoint of this film, Kehinde (Jamil) carries almost all the personalities listed above. Jamil is adventurous, intelligent, and curious, he intends take Ese on this path of sharing adventures and perhaps destiny. He teaches her to read, and to see the world in a better way. To become the Queen of Bariga Sugar becomes Ese’s dream ( what else could she have been anyway. Madam Sugar is the Alpha of what she’s known all her life ), and here comes Jamil with his “big” knowledge to bring Ese to see herself more or less as the “Queen of England” rather than the “Queen of Bariga Sugar”. Hopes and dreams live only a few weeks as Jamil is caught by the unfortunate ink of the writer’s dramatic weapon of tragedy- death, but hopefully Ese would grow to make their dreams come true, hereby making Jamil live on in her memory. Following events in the film’s narrative, we find the theme of SACRIFICE evident in the story, as often a thematic myth of twins in the Yoruba belief system, that a twin may give his life for the other. The Yorubas believe that twins share the same combined soul, when a newborn twin dies, the life of the other is imperiled because the balance of his soul has become seriously disturbed. Jamil (in the light of this theory is Kehinde) and his “chi” (igbo) “ori” (Yoruba) is negotiated to die in place of Ese.Here, Jamil dies to save Ese. We can ask; why was it not Ese who stepped on the nail? Why did Jamil bring them out this far just to look at an Anthill? And then Jamil says at the tail-end of the film“…it’s getting late, let’s go home”, and that look on his face like he knows what was to happen? Does this statement connote a deeper meaning? Perhaps it did, perhaps it didn’t, but Jamil gets to eat the maggot and go “home”. The concept of the Blue Doll The Ere Ibeji effigies are carved small wooden statues that stand as symbolic substitutes for the soul o f the deceased twins. When one or both of the twins died, an ibeji statue would be carved out in their memory. The parents would treat this statue as if they were the living children by singing to them as awell as feeding and caring for them. (Mobolaji, 1997). Although representing wooden babies, the deceased twin is not always said to be dead, rather, they are said to “have gone to the market “ or have travelled” in this case of Jamil’s death, Ese narrates to us that “he has gone to heaven”(Bariga Sugar, 19:04) The film opens with Ese playing with her blue doll, the only friend she’s got before Jamil’s arrival, and doesn’t end with her playing with it, perhaps if the film had ended with her playing with the doll, the concept of the ibeji statue as observed above would have been powerfully concretized to symbolize Jamil’s soul. Nevertheless, Jamil lives on through Ese.      

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