How I choose the movies I produce – Charles Okpaleke
Nigerian producer and businessman Charles Okpaleke made a major breakthrough last year with the modern classic Living in Bondage: Breaking Free. And after launching that huge culture reset, Okpaleke has more classic Nollywood movies up his sleeve; and next up is Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story.
The 1994 three-part hit movie, reportedly based on a true life story, follows the tale of Ahanna, a young man who gets lured into a life of crime after the death of his father. It was Nollywood’s first attempt at exploring the Action film genre.
At a press conference for the upcoming movie yesterday, Okpaleke spoke briefly about production costs. In his words, “We try not to allow budget determine anything; not because we have too much money, but because of just how driven we are with the vision.”
Okpaleke then revealed that when it comes to choosing what movies to produce, he just goes with his instincts. “I like a story that allows me to integrate the essence of playing at work; which is lifestyle networking.”
“That’s why movies like Glamour Girls, Usofia Goes to Miami, I’m excited about them. Because these movies give me an opportunity to portray the things that playing at work sells which are lifestyle and glamour.”
There has been some pushback lately concerning the obscene amount of wealth displayed in Nollywood blockbusters. Movies like Wedding Party 2 and The Bling Lagosians got some recoil for depending solely on the said lifestyle and glamour to carry the story.
These tend to come off as out-of-touch, as Nigeria has recently fallen much further down the poverty line.
However, with what we have already seen from Charles Okpaleke, there will be substance; an utterly captivating story to go with the glam. Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story is not going to be a sequel like Living in Bondage: Breaking Free. Rather, it would be a remake of the original story. Again, talk about a culture reset.
