Tunde Kelani, a well-known Nigerian filmmaker, shared that Rashidi Ladoja, who is now the 44th Olubadan of Ibadan, gave him N85,000 to help make his first feature film.
Kelani talked about this during a recent interview on The Dupe Ajayi Show, where he looked back on the start of his filmmaking career and the help he received from Ladoja.
He said he wanted to make his first film about ten years after coming back from the London Film School, but he did not have enough money to start the project.
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“Ten years after London Film School, I realised that I hadn’t made a film. I decided that yes, it is time to make one. I put up a team. We had the Cinecraft, and we could donate our skills, but we still needed money,” he said
“The money we needed according to that budget was 85,ooo naira. So Alhaji Lasisi Oriekun said, and I have a brother oh, if we tell him maybe he can lend us the money.”
According to the filmmaker, the money enabled his team to produce Iwa, an adaptation of Adebayo Faleti’s Idamu Paadi Minkailu, which became his first film adaptation.
“His brother was Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja. He agreed and gave us the money. Collectively, from my experience, it was successful,” he said.
“We didn’t recoup the money, but whatever we made, I took it to Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja and said, ‘Excuse me, sir, please take this. This is what we have now.’”
Kelani also revealed that Ladoja later financed Opomulero, his company, which aimed at preserving Yoruba culture.
“Later on, I decided to start a company, Mainframe Production Opomulero, to document, promote and preserve Yoruba culture and history,” he said.
“I went back to Kabiyesi Olu Ibadan and told him my plan. I needed a lot of money. At first, it was about 50,000 pounds, and he funded it and even more than that.”
