Following the acquisition of Ekun Iyawo on Homi TV, a global streaming platform that showcases African movies, Moses Ipadeola discusses the significance of the distribution deal for the award-winning festival-circuit short film and ultimately, his independent filmmaking career.
Ipadeola’s British Council-backed short film is a romance drama rooted in Yoruba ‘Bridal Tears’ tradition, explored under the director’s experimental subgenre called Trado-fiction. The short film stars Ugoh Amanda and Soledayo Adegbite.
Speaking with The Nollywood Reporter (TNR), Ipadeola notes that it was important to tell the story of Ekun Iyawo because he wanted the audience to experience a slice of Yoruba culture on a global scale. This is why he finds the Homi TV acquisition deal mostly rewarding.
“It means my film gets to be shared with a global audience beyond my immediate social environment,” he says. For him, it also means fulfillment because the goal of every film regardless of its form is to get distribution and acquisition or licensing deals. “I’m grateful to God for that fulfillment.”
The independent filmmaker reflects on the journey of his film from the ideation stage, through pre-production, production, and the festival run that lasted nearly two years. “At the end of the day, we got offers but we had to be selective on how we jump on these offers. So, it is a thing of joy for me and it means a lot to Ekun Iyawo, Africans, and pan-Africanism as well,” he adds.
Beyond his film, Ipadeola believes the Homi TV acquisition deal is significant to the growing Nigerian Indie film space. The filmmaker considers it as an answered prayer for himself and his colleagues, and presents an opportunity for them to be rewarded for their hard work.
“It is never easy to make anything at all in Nigeria, especially niche films. I’m excited that this gives alternatives to my fellow indie filmmakers as well,” Ipadeola reiterates the often-ignored effort that goes into making an independent film.
As a follow up distribution to Ekun Iyawo’s award-winning festival run across Africa, Europe and North America, Ipadeola is confident that
Homi TV, being a global platform for African films, will further expand his work across different regions of the continent.
“It is an opportunity to share Ekun Iyawo with an even wider audience—an African and global audience.. I’m excited that many people will get to see my film and a part of Yourba culture that is underexplored.”
Art often gives room for diverse interpretations, for his film, Ipadeola is open to this. However, he believes that amid the subjective interpretations, the scenes and central theme of the film remain the same because of their global resonance.
The director notes that it is one of the ways filmmakers get to project African films on a global scale. “Telling these stories with cultural integrity in mind without inferiority complex but with the consciousness of global resonance.”
According to him, some of the global resonating themes tackled in Ekun Iyawo include female protagonism, exploring the need to bridge the gap between male protagonist and female protagonist representation in global cinema.
Another globally resonant theme he mentions is feminism. “There is a theme of love, a universal language. I’m certain the global audience will recognise them regardless of the culture and costume worn by the actors,” he notes.
Ipadeola further highlights the difficulties of global distribution for short films. Despite significant progress, he believes distribution still matters because many distributors are reluctant to invest in a short film. “This is because the most consumed form at the box offices and on streamers is feature-length.”
Based on observations and digital behavioural patterns, the filmmaker is confident there’s going to be a big market for short films, especially African short films, where filmmakers can now get to distribute their films across different platforms.
Concluding his thoughts, Ipadeola advises emerging short filmmakers to believe in themselves but produce a hard-to-ignore short film. Then, they can strategically apply to festivals for distribution and visibility. “Find your unique voice and make something undeniably good. I will say that God helped me with this on Ekun Iyawo.”
As a global streaming platform, Homi TV offers a catalogue of award-winning African films, documentaries, series and lifestyle shows. It streams across over 40 African countries in major African ethnic languages. Ipadeola’s Ekun Iyawo is currently available for rent on the platform for $2.99.
