Why I Made “Behind The Scenes” – Funke Akindele

Nollywood filmmaker Funke Akindele has opened up about the inspiration behind her upcoming film “Behind The Scenes.” She recently had her say while addressing the audience during the movie’s premiere held on Sunday at IMAX Cinema, Lekki.

Expressing gratitude for the turnout, Funke revealed that she made the movie to help viewers wake up and stay conscious, especially when it comes to loving themselves.

Akindele added that despite the exhaustion that comes with making movies, the passion to tell original African stories keeps her going.

Her words, “Good evening, everybody. Thank you so much for coming out to celebrate with us tonight. Thank you for showing up. May God continue to bless you all.

I’ve been doing this on and on again, and honestly, it has not been easy. It can be very exhausting. There are days I ask myself, ‘Why are you doing this?’ But the passion drives me. The purpose to tell African stories. Stories that impact lives, stories people can relate to. That passion, that purpose, keeps pushing me. I don’t regret it. Thank you so much once again for coming out tonight.

So, tonight we are watching Behind the Scenes. When I first announced the title, a lot of people asked, ‘Is it about a movie? But the announcement video was a runway show… what exactly is Behind the Scenes? Why that title?’

Well, a lot happened tonight behind the scenes—before we all even left our homes. Am I right? Yet you’re still here, smiling.

It’s time for us to be conscious. It’s time to wake up. It’s time to love ourselves. You come first. And that is why this film is titled Behind the Scenes.

So please, sit back and enjoy this movie—one that comes from deep within me, created to impact your lives.

Thank you so much.”

WOW.

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.