June 12, (THEWILL)- Obi Emelonye, Nigerian director, says he was defrauded back in 2000 and the experience taught him a lesson in filmmaking.
Emelonye disclosed this in a chat with BBC Igbo as he opened up on his initial foray into Nollywood.
The 54-year-old filmmaker, who is an ex-footballer, stated that he had returned from abroad in 2000 to take on a movie project but fell prey to fraudulent associates.
Emelonye stated: “Starting something new doesn’t often go as planned but, with grit and consistency, you will find a way around it. Getting into filmmaking is difficult. I returned to Nigeria in 2000 but my associates duped me.
“I’ve learned vital lessons. It made me go back to the Diaspora where I prepared myself before returning a second time. As a filmmaker, my life changed. When I started making films, I wasn’t earning a living on it. I’m a lawyer.
“After going about my job in the day, I return at night to movies. I was doing the two, living on one while the other was what I wanted to do in the near future. That was how I juggled the two until I felt the movie could feed me.
“What’s important is that you know when to commit your all to something. But when you’re just starting out, you have to have something you can always fall back to when times are hard.”
THEWILL writes that the award-winning Director had directed films like “Last Flight to Abuja” (2012), “The Mirror Boy” (2011) and “Onye Ozi” (2013).
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