On Friday, November 6, Citation, the seventh movie of filmmaker par
excellence, Kunle Afolayan, will be released on the video streaming
platform, Netflix, to a global audience.
The coming of age movie, written by Tunde Babalola, is a university
drama centered on a female postgraduate student who has to find a way of
dealing with the incidence of sexual harassment from a popular male
lecturer. It was shot in Nigeria, Senegal, and Cape Verde and features
tested thespians like Haitian-born Hollywood actor, Jimmy Jean Louis,
Sadiq Daba, and Gabriel Afolayan with a cameo by Dr. Mrs. Ibukun
Awosika, the chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
Last Saturday, Citation was premiered to a select audience at the Terra
Kulture, Victoria Island. The event had in attendance the cast of
Citation; Dr. Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Temi Otedola, Ini Edo, Gabriel
Afolayan, Seun Kuti, Toyin Ogundeji alongside the partners behind the
movie; Ford Foundation, Access “W’ Initiative, Natnudos, Canon, Flyboku,
GAC Motors, Arik Air, Ajike Foundation; and other guests like Sola
Sobowale, the Director-General of NFVCB, Alhaji Adedayo Thomas; the
President and Executive Producer of All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA),
Mike Dada; filmmaker and cinematographer, Clarence Peters; actress,
Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha; the former Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and
Culture, Lagos State, Steve Ayorinde; Former DG of NFVCB; Emeka Mba; and
the MD of Terra Kulture; Mrs Bolanle Austen Peters.
Starting off with the red-carpet moment, canapés, cocktails, and
conversations, the screening began with the opening speech from Afolayan
who welcomed everyone and appreciated the effort of the cast, crew, and
partners. As the movie screened to the eclectic audience, there was no
mistaking that Afolayan’s reputation for turning a newbie into a maven
would be further cemented with Citation as billionaire heiress, Temi,
the winsome fashion and arts-loving daughter of Femi Otedola, stars, and
sparkles.
Temi, the last child of the billionaire businessman, is a fashion and
travel blogger and owns JTO Fashion, a multimedia platform from which
she expresses her adventures through the arenas of fashion, beauty, art,
and travel. Like her two older sisters, Tolani and DJ Cuppy, who have
blooming careers in entertainment, Temi also has the backing of her dad.
DJ Cuppy has toured the world and performed at big concerts as a Dee Jay
and budding musician; while Tolani, the dark-hued singer-songwriter took
the Nigerian music industry by storm in 2019 with her hit single, Ba Mi
Lo, featuring Reekado Banks.
She got a standing ovation for her compelling acting, just as Afolayan
was also commended for a job well done. According to him, ‘The
Citation,’ apart from its thematic premise, will attempt to market Cape
Verde to Nigerians and the rest of the world while also establishing
film and cultural affinity between the two countries.
In a statement made available to the media months back, Cape Verde’s
Culture and Creative Industries Minister, Abrãao Vicente, who led the
government team that included the Director-General of Arts and Creative
Industries, Adilson Lima Gomes, and the Coordinator of Cultural Goods
and Music, Luhena Correia, in negotiating the deal, was quoted as saying
that she believes that the collaboration will enhance a good
relationship between Cape Verde and Nollywood.
