‘If you position any film well, Nigerians will watch’ — Filmone official says
FilmOne Entertainment is an independent entertainment company focused on the distribution and production of filmed content, from Nigeria to the world. The company distributes and produces a wide range of mainstream and commercial pictures, including international and indigenous films, and maintains strategic alliances and relationships with international studios and distributors.
In an interview with Pulse, Awobokun emphasised that there are many stories already waiting for Nigerian filmmakers to develop.
“There are so many existing stories that haven’t even come on screen. For a long time, we’ve always thought that we have to create stories but there are lots of stories already that need to be told,” she said.
She stressed that there is always a film for someone and that if due process is followed during the production process of any film, it will most likely be welcomed by the public.
“If you position any film as a film to watch that should be watched, the Nigerian audience will watch it. They’re coming out for different types of films. They are coming out to watch these films in their numbers. There are so many, folks are coming out for biopic, romance, and epic and they’re doing great numbers. If you do the work, people will come out to see it. People are now asking questions. Because of that, you have to pay more attention to what you’re doing. How is it shot, what does it look like, and how was it produced,” she said.
Awobokun also discussed the process of selection for any film Filmone intends to distribute.
“We have an in-house standard and checklist and that’s how we select films we are picking for distribution. We distribute both for streaming platforms and cinemas. For cinemas, I need to have the dates. But that still can change. We consider seasons as well and quality of production, and timing too is a factor,” she said.
She added that some films that don’t make enough money in the cinemas are pitched to other platforms.
“It’s a reason why you have to look for other channels. At least to break even and make a little money. If it’s a story we believe in, then we look for other platforms to reach out to,” she said.
Brooks Eti-Inyene