Award-winning filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has disclosed details of a tense phone call from actress and producer Funke Akindele, following controversy over his comments on film promotion practices in Nollywood.
Afolayan spoke on Sunday during an interview on ARISE News, where he addressed reports that his remarks at a film business forum were aimed at criticising filmmakers who rely on dance-based and social media-driven promotions.
According to him, Akindele called him directly after seeing media interpretations of his comments.
“She called and said, ‘I know you don’t like me, but don’t mention my name in your interviews.’ She was yelling and then dropped the phone,” Afolayan said.
He described the call as unexpected, stressing that he has known Akindele personally for years.
“It was strange. She’s like a sister to me. We’ve known each other since our university days, so I didn’t understand where that was coming from,” he said.
Afolayan insisted that his comments were misunderstood and taken out of context. He said he never criticised Akindele or any filmmaker for their marketing choices.
“I never said anything was wrong with it. I only said it is not something I can do. It’s draining for me, but I have nothing against it,” he explained.
He said the remarks were made during a discussion with cinema operators on sustainability and profitability in the film industry.
“The conversation was about cinema business. They asked when I would return to cinemas, and I said I couldn’t if there was no guarantee of making reasonable returns,” he said.
While addressing the backlash, Afolayan apologised if Akindele felt offended but criticised what he described as online attacks that followed.
“If she felt hurt, I’m sorry. But using social media attacks on people is something I would never support,” he said.
Despite the disagreement, Afolayan praised Akindele’s career growth and influence, urging young filmmakers to learn from her strategy.
“I told them clearly: if you want a model that works now, follow Funke Akindele’s model,” he said, citing her steady rise from Jenifa to building a strong film brand.
Afolayan also revealed that Aníkúlápó Season Two has topped Netflix’s most-watched titles in Nigeria within 24 hours of release. He dismissed claims that Netflix had exited Nigeria, explaining that the platform still acquires local content.
“I have nothing against her at all,” he added. “She’s my sister. We grew up together.”
