I’m Proud Of Omoni Oboli’s Growth As A Director – Kunle Afolayan

Popular Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has recalled how his relationship with Omoni Oboli began in 2008. He recently reflected on their journey in the Nigerian film industry after Oboli and her team visited KAP Film Village.

Stressing that Omoni Oboli spent most of her time behind the camera on “The Figurine” set, Afolayan stated that people could have mistaken her for his assistant while they were shooting the movie.

Omoni added that sharing a set with the “Anikulapo” producer actually inspired her to become a director.

His words, “My journey with Omoni started in 2008 with the Figurine ‘Araromire’ and we are still here.

I am very proud of your achievement so far. Keep winning @Omonioboli

This is the second shoot @kapfilmvillage in one month. Come and let partner”

Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject to several controversies.

The origin of the term “Nollywood” remains unclear; Jonathan Haynes traced the earliest usage of the word to a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema.

Charles Igwe noted that Norimitsu Onishi also used the name in a September 2002 article he wrote for the New York Times. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”, the American major film hub.

Film-making in Nigeria is divided largely along regional, and marginally ethnic and religious lines. Thus, there are distinct film industries – each seeking to portray the concern of the particular section and ethnicity it represents. However, there is the English-language film industry which is a melting pot for filmmaking and filmmakers from most of the regional industries.