Obisesan Folakemi, an emerging producer and production manager in Nollywood, shared her early film production experience with Apples & Oranges, emphasizing her challenges before she pursued formal training at a film school.
In a brief exchange with The Nollywood Reporter (TNR) about her upcoming project, Folakemi recounted how she entered the production of Apples & Oranges armed only with online courses but still produced a worthy film.
“I think before I went to film school, I produced Apples & Oranges around September/ October 2022. Before then, I did Udemy online courses on film production and budgeting. So, this film was like a practical film. I’m glad it went well,” she shares.
On the most challenging part of the project, she highlighted the process of negotiating payments and identifying the right gadgets because she was a newbie in film production at the time. “I’d never been on a film set before, talk more about production.”
Folakemi admits that while the online course provided a helpful guideline, it was different from replicating what she learned into practical/reality. Other challenges she mentioned include getting and meeting actors. She also notes that she didn’t factor extra days on set, citing scenes that took longer than expected.
“I didn’t factor miscellaneous into my budget. Those were also the challenging parts but after shooting, I got into film school the following year in January 2023,” she adds.
According to Folakemi, Apples & Oranges is a story about two friends and how a girl came in between their friendship. It is a film about betrayal and mistrust among friends. “It is a good story, I can vouch for that.”
Beyond the themes Apples & Oranges explores, she’s most excited about the audience picking sides with the actions of characters. “I think people will have to pick sides from the story. It’s either they support Bella or Tade.”
The film stars Uzoamaka Aniunoh, now Uzoamaka Power, Baaj Adebule, Michael Ejoor, Daniel Abua, Tolu Odewumi, and Jude Orhorha. The upcoming film marks the debut project for Skudan Motion Pictures and represents Folakemi’s earliest foray into film production, with its release coming three years after being shot in 2022.
Apples & Oranges is set to debut on Africa Magic Showcase and Urban on June 26, 2026.
