Kunle Afolayan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kunle Afolayan
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Afolayan at the 2014 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards
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| Born | 30 September 1975 Ebute Metta, Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
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| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Alma mater | New York Film Academy |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 1999-Present |
| Known for | Saworoide, Agogo Ewo, Phone Swap, 1 October |
| Spouse(s) |
Tolu Afolayan
(m. 2007; div. 2019) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Adeyemi Josiah Afolayan (Ade Love - father) |
| Relatives | Moji Afolayan (sister) Gabriel Afolayan (brother) Aremu Afolayan (brother) Anu Afolayan (brother) |
Kunle Afolayan (born September 30, 1975) is a famous Nigerian actor, producer, and director. He is known for making Nollywood movies better. He did this by using bigger budgets, filming with better cameras, releasing movies in cinemas, and telling more interesting stories.
Afolayan started his film journey as an actor in 1999 in the movie Saworoide. He directed his first movie, Irapada, in 2006. This movie was a Nigerian supernatural thriller and won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Film in an African Language. Some of his other popular movies as a director include The Figurine, Phone Swap, October 1, and Citation.
His movie October 1 won 16 major African movie awards in 2015. It was also the second highest-earning Nigerian film when it came out. Two years later, his movie The CEO also became a top earner. In 2021, Kunle Afolayan signed a deal with Netflix to make three movies. Swallow was released in October 2021, and Aníkúlápó came out in September 2022. Afolayan described Aníkúlápó as a "Game of Thrones recreated in Nigeria." Just 11 days after its release, it was the most-watched non-English Netflix original film.
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Early Life and Career Beginnings
Kunle Afolayan comes from the Igbomina-Yoruba ethnic group in Kwara State, Nigeria. His father, Ade Love, was also a well-known theatre and film director. Kunle studied economics and first worked in a bank. While working at the bank, he did some acting. Later, he decided to focus on filmmaking full-time. He then took a course at the New York Film Academy to learn more about movies.
Since 2005, he has been very active in the Nigerian film industry. He has made many successful films. One of them is The Figurine: Araromire, which was made in both the Yoruba and English languages. Another popular film is Phone Swap, which starred actors like Wale Ojo and Joke Silva. The Figurine won five major awards at the African Film Academy and was very popular in Nigerian cinemas.
In 2011, Afolayan represented the Nigerian film industry at the Subversive Film Festival. In May 2013, his movie Phone Swap was shown in France at the first NollywoodWeek Paris event. It won the Public Choice Award there, which means it was chosen as a favorite by the audience.
Kunle Afolayan's Personal Life
Kunle Afolayan married Tolu Afolayan in 2007. They had four children together. Their marriage ended in 2019. He describes himself as a Freethinker, which means he forms his own opinions and beliefs rather than following traditional ideas.
Golden Effects Pictures Film Company
Kunle Afolayan is the CEO of Golden Effects Pictures. This is a Nigerian film and production company that started in 2005. The company has produced many feature films. Some of these include Irapada, The Figurine, Phone Swap, and 1 October. Other films from his company are Roti, Omugwo, The Tribunal, The CEO, and Mokalik.
Netflix Partnership and New Films
In 2021, Kunle Afolayan made a special deal with Netflix. This deal was to create three new feature films. The first film was Swallow, which was based on a book by Sefi Atta. Kunle Afolayan and the book's writer worked together on the script. They even added a big twist to the original story.
The second film from this deal was Anikulapo, released in 2022. This movie received the most nominations at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, with 16 nominations. The third film is Ijogbon. This is an adventure film about four teenagers from a small village in the southwest part of Nigeria. It tells a story about growing up and facing challenges.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actor | Director | Producer | Writer | ||||
| 1999 | Saworoide | Yes | |||||
| 2002 | Agogo Eewo | Yes | |||||
| 2005 | Ti Ala Ba Ku | Yes | |||||
| 2006 | Irapada | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Èjiwòrò | Yes | ||||||
| 2007 | Onitemi | Yes | |||||
| 2009 | The Figurine | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Farayola | Yes | ||||||
| 2012 | Phone Swap | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2014 | Dazzling Mirage | Yes | |||||
| 1 October | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2016 | The CEO | Yes | Yes | ||||
| 2017 | The Bridge | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Omugwo | Yes | Yes | |||||
| 2018 | Crazy People | Yes | |||||
| 2019 | Mokalik | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Diamonds in the Sky | Yes | ||||||
| 2020 | Citation | Yes | |||||
| 2021 | Ayinla | Yes | |||||
| Swallow | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| A Naija Christmas | Yes | ||||||
| 2022 | Anikulapo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2023 | Ijogbon | yes | |||||
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Best of Nollywood Awards | Director of the Year | Diamond in the Sky | Nominated | |
| 2021 | Net Honours | Most Searched Actor | Nominated | ||
| 2023 | Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards | Best Indigenous Language – Yoruba | Anikulapo | Won | |
| Best Movie West Africa | Nominated | ||||
| Best Overall Movie | Won | ||||
| Best Director | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Kunle Afolayan para niños
- List of Yoruba people
- List of Nigerian film producers
