Nollywood filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has responded to the criticism trailing his new series ‘Anikulapo: The Ghoul Awakens’.
The threequel to Anikulapo, the 2022 award-winning film,
premiered on Netflix on January 30. The project is a five-part mini-series.
Addressing backlash in a video shared via his Instagram page
on Tuesday evening, Afolayan emphasised that his storytelling is not meant for
universal consumption.
The ace filmmaker asserted that his work is intentionally
designed for an audience that seeks intellectual engagement over conventional
entertainment.
He explained that he targets an audience that appreciates
nuanced, layered narratives and cinema that provokes thought.
“I make films for people who can think,” Afolayan stated,
pointing to his earlier acclaimed works ‘Irapada’ and ‘The Figurine’.
Both films, he noted, weathered initial scepticism before
going on to secure international awards and enduring acclaim.
Afolayan urged viewers to allow the full story of
‘Anikulapo’ series 2 to unfold before passing final judgment.
He drew a parallel to globally successful series like Game
of Thrones, where audiences traditionally follow the narrative week-by-week,
allowing the complete arc to reveal itself before forming a definitive opinion.
‘Something that is very peculiar to the kind of films that
we make, we make films for the intellectual. We make films for people who can
think.
I don’t expect that everybody would like the film or
understand the film. But I expect that the people that I am trying to appeal to
would get it.
“I have read from scholars, professors, deepthinkers; I have
heard from them, and I appreciate them.
“To those who really don’t get it, let me break it down in
layman’s terms. It is a series that has many episodes. What you have seen are
just a few of the episodes.
“How do you conclude that in your brain that it is not good?
When you have not even seen the entire thing.
“When you watch series like ‘Game of Thrones’ and the rest,
you have to wait every week before the new episode comes out.
“You haven’t even seen it all, how come you’ve concluded
that the stories are allover the place.
“We have created new plots. Those who understand literature
get it already. Those of you who don’t get it should ask those who do, so they
can explain it to you.
“For us, we would keep appealing to those who have common
sense.”
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