Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, Anikulapo and the Obsession for Netflix in Nollywood

Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman, Anikulapo and the Obsession for Netflix in Nollywood

Planning is everything and everything is planning in achieving our goals in our occupations and professions.

Nobody is too big, too high or too old to learn.

The films, ‘Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" by Biyi Bandele and   "Anikulapo" by Kunle Afolayan  should have been in the Official Selections of the  Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in competition with the best new films by other filmmakers in the world. 

Both of them were produced for Netflix and the producers were fixated on seeing them in competition for the global Top 10 movies on Netflix.

The obsession of Nigerian filmmakers for Netflix deserves to be studied by psychologists.

Being on Netflix has become a status symbol for bragging rights by local filmmakers in Nollywood and their second obsession and status symbol is Amazon Prime Video SVOD.

To them being on either Netflix or Amazon Prime Video SVOD is like winning an Oscar at the annual Academy Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Once they are on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video SVOD, they have arrived, even though they are among the lowest paid filmmakers compared to the American, European, Australian and Asian filmmakers on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video SVOD.

Hundreds of the local filmmakers can stampede over themselves to be on either of the two leading streaming platforms for even US$20, 000. Yeah, they have become so cheap that many of them are giving their new movies to MultiChoice for less than US$1, 000 per movie! In fact, they fast and pray and do night vigils of praise and worship to be accepted by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video SVOD and MultiChoice.

They are doing more harm than good to the international reputation and valuation of Nollywoood and the Nigerian film industry.

If the focus of the producers of "Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" and "Anikulapo" has been on making the Official Selections of the biggest international film festivals and the Academy Awards, there would not have been any controversial rejection of the films by the  Nigerian Official Selection Committee (NOSC) for the Best International Feature Film category of the 2023 annual Academy Awards. Their focus on Netflix distracted them from following the road map to the Oscars.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima.

The Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOOD MIRROR® Series,

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"Elesin Oba: The King's Horseman" is Not the First Film Adaptation of Prof. Wole Soyinka's Works

"Elesin Oba: The King's Horseman" is Not the First Film Adaptation of Prof. Wole Soyinka's Works

The film project is the first time that one of Soyinka’s works would be made into a feature film.

http://lifestyle.thecable.ng/biyi-bandeles-elesin-oba-to-hit-cinema-oct-28/

It is baffling how Nigerian news media and their news reporters will continue to peddle falsehood on "Elesin Oba, The King's Horseman" being the first film adaptation of one of the works of Prof. Wole Soyinka.

The colourful film adaptation of "Death and the King's Horseman", one of the most popular plays of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, based on a real incident that took place in Nigeria during the British colonial era: the horseman of a Yoruba King was prevented from committing ritual suicide by the colonial authorities is erroneously being reported as the first film adaptation of one of his literary works. 

So what of the previous film adaptations of Soyinka's plays and autobiography? 

"Kongi's Harvest" of 1970 directed by Ossie Davis and produced by Francis Oladele, Lennart Bern

“Ake: The Years of Childhood” by Mr Dapo Adeniyi; 2016

"Sidi Ilunije", the film adaptation of "The Lion and the Jewel" by Tunde Kelani in 2017.

When Mo Abudu, the producer of the film said "Elesin Oba" is the first film adaptation of Prof. Wole Soyinka's works on Instagram, I corrected her that there have been film adaptations of other plays of Soyinka. But I have seen repetitions of this falsehood in several news reports.

Misinformation on the facts of life and history does collateral damage to human knowledge and education.  And the realization is more important for Mo Abudu who should be well educated on the history of filmmaking in Nigeria and film adaptations of Nigerian literary works, because she is a highly respected stakeholder in the Nigerian film industry as the Founder and CEO of the EbonyLife Group, owners of EbonyLife Studios, EbonyLife Films and the EbonyLife Creative Academy.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,

Publisher/Editor,

NOLLYWOOOD MIRROR® Series

Why "Elesin Oba" and "Anikulapo" Failed To Be Submitted For the Best International Feature Film Category of the 95th Annual Academy Awards

Why "Elesin Oba" and "Anikulapo" Failed To Be Submitted For the Best International Feature Film  Category of the 95th Annual Academy Awards

Only Biyi Bandele’s film ‘Elesin Oba’ or Kunle Afolayan’s ‘Anikulapo’ would have been eligible as Nigeria's submission for the Best Internationall Feature Film  category of the 95th annual Academy Awards, but being released on Netflix and not for theatrical release caused the rejection. Because, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) reverted back to the status quo of the pre COVID-19 pandemic rules.

After two pandemic years in which Netflix, Apple, Amazon, Hulu, and other streamers could qualify their films just on streaming platforms, the party is over.

The Motion Picture Academy has decreed that only movies that play in theaters will be eligible for the gold statues.

Academy Awards of Merit shall be given annually to honor outstanding artistic and scientific achievements in theatrically released feature-length motion pictures, and to honor other achievements as provided for in these rules and approved by the Board of Governors.

Films that, in any version, receive their first public exhibition or distribution in any manner other than as a theatrical motion picture release will not be eligible for Academy Awards in any category.

Nontheatrical public exhibition or distribution includes but is not limited to:

• Broadcast and cable television

• PPV/VOD

• DVD distribution

• Inflight airline distribution

• Internet transmission

 https://www.showbiz411.com/2022/05/18/oscars-eligibility-for-2023-shuts-out-streaming-debuts-theaters-only-rule-returns#google_vignette

There was no need for any controversy. 

A simple clarification would have been enough.

Video is not Cinema.

Video can never be like Cinema.

I prefer cinema to video.

Where there is no gra-gra

There will be no brouhaha.

The World Premiere of “Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” at the Toronto International Film Festival

The World Premiere of “Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” at the Toronto International Film Festival

"Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman” coproduced by the EbonyLife Studios and Netflix premiered at the 2022 annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Saturday, September 10. But I am still waiting for the reviews of the  premiere.

How was the reception?
How did the audience react?
What of the reviews by the film critics and journalists?

Bella Naija simply reported that it premiered at TIFF with the Executive Producer  Mo Abudu,  Odunlade Adekola, the lead actor, Omowunmi Dada, and Deyemi Okanlawon and showed their photos.
That's all.
No reviews and no interviews.

Biyi Bandele who directed the film adaptation of Nobel Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka‘s play “Death and the King’s Horsemen.” unfortunately passed on suddenly weeks ago before the world premiere.

- By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima,
The Publisher/Editor, NOLLYWOOD MIRROR® Series