Nollywood Producers Must Respect the Filmmaking Craft – Akorede Alli

US-trained filmmaker, Akorede Alli has said that producers and investors in the film business must learn to respect the craft of filmmaking to record success.

According to the Modern-Eko Studio boss, there are stages to producing a quality film and all the stages are very important and have its own time frame. “Respect the craft. I’ve found that producers and investors often focus on profit over product and lose both in the process. A few years back, I walked away from investors because of their insistence on a quick turnaround and I patiently waited until I was able to executive produce my own film and could take the time necessary to produce a quality film,” he said.

Alli, a descendant of the distinguished Akinsemoyin royal family of Lagos State is a seasoned filmmaker born and raised in Lagos State Nigeria. He started his film making journey after graduation from Pefti Film Institute Nigeria and launched his first film production company Modern-Eko Household Entertainment.

He thereafter moved to the United States to further his studies in filmmaking and Advanced Cinematography at The School of Visual Art in New York City, after which he relocated to Los Angeles, California to further his career as a film director, actor and producer. There he created his Hollywood based production company Modern-Eko Studio and returned to his home country Nigeria, where he filmed his first indigenous movie titled ‘Ran Mi Lowo’ featuring great Nollywood talents.

Speaking on Nollywood and his passion, Alli revealed that his new movie, ‘Ran Mi Lowo’ is a thriller, and he is already looking out for his next script. “I have a couple of scripts I’m reading and am excited about them and when I feel that way about a script, that’s a good sign.”

On the growth of the industry, Alli explained the Nollywood is getting better day by day. He said, “Nollywood has already started making quality films, to be the second-largest film industry in the world. Rome wasn’t built in a day, the people making those amazing films we see worked their way up there, so for me nothing is impossible.”

He added that “I think it’s everyone responsibility to grow the industry and build infrastructure because at some point everyone benefits from the industry.”

Alli, who further weighed in on the scourge of piracy stated that it is a very real concern for him. “Who doesn’t want to fully profit from their hard work? But piracy is an unfortunate consequence of this business,” he stated.

While advising young ones who desire a future in the industry, he shared some of his experiences while growing. “I had to hustle a lot and am still hustling. As a youth, I was a motor boy for a pure water truck, going from Festac to Oriole, to Ebute Metta to deliver pure water.

“I knew a girl back then who told me her mum was looking for a driver to take her to school in Babcock University. She asked if I knew anyone, and I said yes. On the day the guy was to show up to drive her to school, they were shocked when they opened the door, and it was me. I needed the money!

“I’ve worked on different film sets for free. I was a sales boy in a shoe store for women on the island, I even worked in a salon buying hair from Balogun and taking them to Ebute Metta. When I moved to America, the hustle continued. In NYC, I worked as runner in a hookah lounge, then as a server, cook, bicycle food deliverer, and kitchen receiver. When I moved to LA, I hustled as a driver for two different companies, worked as a pastry chef, dishwasher, line cook, food Delivery Company and best boy.”