The rags-to-riches story of Nigerian-born international filmmaker,
Ikechukwu Onyeka will surely cart home awards if scripted as a
blockbuster flick.
From a very tough and rough beginning, which led to his dropping out of school in SSS1 and opting to join the league of the daily increasing Lagos motorcycle (Okada) riders, Onyeka, who also grew up in one of the city’s slums had seen it all.
Today, he’s an acclaimed filmmaker with over 90 great works to his creative credit and still counting.
In this riveting encounter with EE, the producer/director, who recently sauntered in from Colorado, US, where he’s currently studying Filmmaking with emphasis on Cinematography, told us the moving story of his life and how he eventually conquered.
Read below for the excerpts.
You have been away for some time now; tell us about your sojourn outside the country?
I went to the United States, Colorado Film School on a four-year course to study filmmaking, majoring in cinematography. I have been away for over four months before coming back.
Are you done with the course?
No, I still have about eight months ahead, because based on my experience the school decided to shorten my duration to just two years. I also made distinction in our first semester exams.
You are a very busy filmmaker here and have been out of the country for some time now to study filmmaking; why the decision to go for this course?
Well, I think one of the basic reasons was the fact that as a filmmaker you are pursuing certain fulfillments in your career, and the only fulfillment I have not found is that I have not shot any movie that I would say I like. For every movie I shoot, I usually feel that it could have been better. And sometimes it could be my fault, sometimes it’s based on what I had at my disposal, and sometimes it’s always the Nollywwod factor of not having enough cash and time to explore. I thought I needed a break, a push and something better than what I had always been doing. These are some of the reasons that prompted me to go for this course. Again, I’m looking at the future; I might have to retire or lecture as a film school instructor, hence I actually needed a degree in filmmaking.
Instead of four years you are doing this course for just about a year and half; why this special concession for you?
The school saw what I have done in the past and saw that they were very good and so decided to transfer most of them as credit to me. So that took away about two years plus for me.
How does that make you feel?
It makes me feel real good. It makes me feel that there is hope for Nollywood and that the future is here for us.
Aside your family, what else brought you back to Nigeria?
I have this project that I am supposed to do with Oakfil Production and it is a story that I’m very passionate about. It’s a story I wouldn’t like to be lost in the crowd. It’s something I am looking at using to re-launch myself back to where I’m supposed to be. It’s a movie that I want to give my best to and It’s actually the first project that I’m shooting since I came back.
We learnt you are the first Nigerian to be admitted into this school, how does that make you feel?
For me, it doesn’t sound special anyway but it makes me have a lot of attention in the school. And then Nollywood is already big and popular outside of this shore and that makes the school to be more interested in me. They are making sure I don’t leave the school; they want to make sure I graduate there, hence they are doing all they can to make sure I graduate from there.
How do you intend to give back to Nollywood when you are done with this programme?
My drive is to bring this knowledge back home.
I am currently working on a situation where we could take some Nigerian directors there for a month course. We are working on that but I don’t want to say much on it till that aspect is concluded. My drive is to make sure other Nollywood directors get this knowledge because if we have a greater percentage of people who understand filmmaking, that means greater percentage of our films would be good. From there we might possibly regain our lost glory because the reason Nollywood has a lot of problems is because there are too many bad movies, as a result of this even when you know Mr. A makes a good movie people don’t get to see it because they are all classified as bad Nollywood movies. Now if we have greater percentage of the people making good movies, that means we will regain our followers because we’ve lost so many followers over the years.
So you are part of those championing this new direction for Nollywood?
Yes, by the grace of God.
Who is Ikechukwu Onyeka?
Ikechukwu is just a man across the street- that is the way I still see myself. I have not changed from that guy who rode okada like about ten to fifteen years ago here in Lagos.
How many years did you ride Okada?
About a year.
What led you into the business of Okada riding?
Unemployment was the first reason, and secondly the fact that I hate being dependent. I hate asking for money, I hate being there without doing anything for myself. I enjoy earning a living by my struggle, otherwise as at the time I went into riding okada I hadn’t any reason to do that kind of job.
Were you married then?
No.
How did the transformation from Okada rider to a filmmaker happen?
It’s a transformation that only God can explain, which is why I have never taken life too seriously. And I think I am a man who lives by the grace of God. I still cannot explain how I got here. When I say I can’t explain that is the only sentence that I could use for the transformation.
How did you come into Nollywood?
I came into Nollywood in 1999
As an actor or what?
(Laughter) As an observer! I had contact with Charles Ugboma while riding Okada and we had a chat. When he heard the way I speak, he said okay, I could act. He then invited me then to the defunct Ekoas hotel. I went there and at the end nothing happened. But I kept going to Ekoas and that was how I met Kingsley Okereke, and we became friends. We started doing props…and here we are today.
My company is Icon production, incorporated and domiciled in New York and I also have Icon pictures limited. I am also a marketer.
Where is Ikechuwu Onyeka from and where did you grow up?
I am from Umuoji in Anambra State.
I have been in Lagos all my lives. I was not born in Lagos but I came to Lagos at a very tender age. My parents are retired in the east now. They shouldn’t be in Lagos at the age they are now.
Before coming into Nollywood, apart from your Okada business, what else were you doing?
Nothing, I think sometime when I say this people won’t understand; I have no reason to be a success story. I grew up in a slum (Amukoko). Nobody gave me a chance; nobody thought I was going to make it. But inside of me I had always known that I have something, but I was just waiting for an opportunity to show it, and I knew it was going to come. I could feel it right inside of me. So that actually helped me not to soil my hands in crimes and some other things my mates were then doing in the slum. I always felt success inside of me but I never knew how it was going to come. That is why most times I tell people I have never worked for most things I have made…every success I have I ever achieved have come most of the times on a platter of gold.
We are seven in my family.
Funny enough, my family knew I was going to be somebody, so it wasn’t surprising to them, even when I dropped out of school, in SSS1. I woke up one morning and I told everybody that I would no longer be going to school, it was shocking to everybody. But I tell you, even now I have not lost anything dropping out of school. I stand shoulder to shoulder with even Master degree holders. I have not lost anything in terms of academics and I have never gone to any school since the day I dropped out in the early 80s, till now that I went to the United States.
Is it right to say that Nollywood was your turning point?
I might not hold it to Nollywood. But I think it was the drive for success. In all my life’s struggles, I have always hated being lost in the crowd; I have always wanted to stand out in whatever I do. But what I don’t like is making noise about what I do, I like doing things in the background. If I knew I was going to be successful as a filmmaker maybe I wouldn’t have used my real name, maybe I would have avoided pictures. I enjoy my privacy. I enjoy it most when someone picks up a film and enjoys it without knowing that I am the one involved with it.
Like how many movies have you shot so far?
To be modest maybe like 30, then if I want to blow it I would say maybe like 90.
Were they all commercially successful?
At least 85 percent of my movies are all successful.
Which of them catapulted you to limelight?
What happened to me which is why I see myself as being privileged is that my first movie which was in 2005 entitled The Future King was successful. After that I shot another movie called Unforeseen. Unforeseen was a movie where Ini Edo played a tripartite character. After that I did Eagles Bride which got about seven nominations from AMAA. From the beginning of my career as a director, I was already pushing towards being popular, so by the time I did Eagles Bride, I had become one of the biggest names in the industry; hence I started shooting too many movies and I started dictating how much I’m being paid and money was coming.
So how successful are you now as a filmmaker?
Well success is relative. What is success financially to me may not be success to another filmmaker.
Are you fulfilled as a filmmaker financially?
No, I am not.
Fulfillment financially for me is that time you decide to shoot a movie and you know this movie is worth so, so amount and you have that amount. Not when you shoot your movie based on your budget. You should be able to raise your budget based on the movie you are shooting. But currently, what I do is to shoot my movie based on my budget. So I am looking at a time when I don’t care what the budget is… I just get my story and give it the budget that it deserves.
Where do you intend taking your brand to in the next five years?
I am trying to move with the brand Nollywood. One of the greatest undoing of our filmmakers here is trying to launch into Hollywood. What I am looking at is that in the next five years, we should be able to make films here that will compete favourably at the Oscars. Without mincing words, it is possible…very possible. What is the nature of films that make the Oscars? It is content. And I tell you, Hollywood does not have better content than us; what Hollywood has is presentation. So if we are able to take our content and present it in Hollywood version, which does not have to do with the location. Slum Dog Millionaire was shot in India in Mumbai, one of the highest density locations in the world, one of the worst slums in the world, but it made it to the Oscars.
Do you think Nollywood currently has what it takes to shoot an Oscar award winning movie?
I will hesitate a bit to answer that question. The reason being that if you are talking in terms of intellect , in terms of understanding filmmaking as an art, I think we have it. But when you now talk about technology that is where I would rather have cold feet. But if you give me the amount of money you gave Peter Jackson, I am going to make a film better than Lord of the Rings. Yes, because for the Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson had over 300 effects men. It was not Peter Jackson’s issue because the money was there for him to execute what he wanted.
As a filmmaker, what stands you out?
What stands me out which I am sure about is that I am always myself. I don’t try to shoot like this other man. If you check most of my movies you will see a signature… I shoot reactive movies. I react to the situations, which is actually the Nollywood drive-reactive. If I come here now and you want me t o shoot here as a palace then we will begin to think on how to actualize it. I think that is what has kept me going, I try to be flexible. I try not to emulate people, except for the few who are getting it right.
Do you watch your own movies?
Funny enough I don’t even watch films. That is the bad side. Not even my own films except in the studio, because I usually feel bad after watching my movies. I would think I should have done it better.
In directing I have virtually worked with a lot of people in the industry and I took something from every one of them. I have worked with Lancelot, Andy Amenechi, Charles Inojie, and so many others. Some of them are good artistically, some are good with shot compositions, some are good with movement and others are good with storytelling. I pick what I need from each of them and put it together and that is what has made me what I am today.
In your class as an international student, how popular is Nollywood among your course mates?
It’s not as popular as some of us think it should be, but the surprising thing is that I don’t know how some of them searched my name out and discovered that I have been making films. The good thing about the internet movie data base is that you don’t put yourself there, they find you out. When they saw my resume and what I have done they were like ‘what is he doing here?’
Do you think government has done enough for the industry?
Government has not done anything. when I hear people talk about government not having done anything I feel very sad. It is only here in Nigeria that a filmmaker does not have government representation. Everywhere in the world, I take America as a case study, any candidate that Hollywood supports wins the presidency.
The reason is that the government is in consonance with Hollywood, the revenue that Hollywood makes, if you take it away from American revenue the government will collapse. That is what this Nigeria government ought to do with Nollywood because Nollywood has the potential of generating over 200 billion dollars annually. But it is not forthcoming and the reason is that 90% of the people who make films are business men who do not have the wherewithal to make our movies what it ought to be. As I speak with you now, when you talk about shooting a low budget movie in India you are talking about over 70 million dollars.
That is a low budget Bollywood movie. So let’s stop deceiving ourselves. Sorry to say it that we have bunch of irresponsible people as our leaders and is so sad that the government is not responsive. You see government sending people to Hollywood because they want to launch into it, but here we are neglecting it. Nollywood is like a palm oil to Nigeria. As at 1957 to 1963, Nigeria was the highest exporter of palm oil in the whole world. As at that time Malaysia was never even mentioned as a palm oil producing country. Today Malaysia is the highest exporter of palm oil. And they came to learn from us. That is what Nollywood is doing. Look at the Ghana market. Ghanaian stars are bigger than our stars. I don’t care what you think about it but I’m telling what I know.
From a very tough and rough beginning, which led to his dropping out of school in SSS1 and opting to join the league of the daily increasing Lagos motorcycle (Okada) riders, Onyeka, who also grew up in one of the city’s slums had seen it all.
Today, he’s an acclaimed filmmaker with over 90 great works to his creative credit and still counting.
In this riveting encounter with EE, the producer/director, who recently sauntered in from Colorado, US, where he’s currently studying Filmmaking with emphasis on Cinematography, told us the moving story of his life and how he eventually conquered.
Read below for the excerpts.
You have been away for some time now; tell us about your sojourn outside the country?
I went to the United States, Colorado Film School on a four-year course to study filmmaking, majoring in cinematography. I have been away for over four months before coming back.
Are you done with the course?
No, I still have about eight months ahead, because based on my experience the school decided to shorten my duration to just two years. I also made distinction in our first semester exams.
You are a very busy filmmaker here and have been out of the country for some time now to study filmmaking; why the decision to go for this course?
Well, I think one of the basic reasons was the fact that as a filmmaker you are pursuing certain fulfillments in your career, and the only fulfillment I have not found is that I have not shot any movie that I would say I like. For every movie I shoot, I usually feel that it could have been better. And sometimes it could be my fault, sometimes it’s based on what I had at my disposal, and sometimes it’s always the Nollywwod factor of not having enough cash and time to explore. I thought I needed a break, a push and something better than what I had always been doing. These are some of the reasons that prompted me to go for this course. Again, I’m looking at the future; I might have to retire or lecture as a film school instructor, hence I actually needed a degree in filmmaking.
Instead of four years you are doing this course for just about a year and half; why this special concession for you?
The school saw what I have done in the past and saw that they were very good and so decided to transfer most of them as credit to me. So that took away about two years plus for me.
How does that make you feel?
It makes me feel real good. It makes me feel that there is hope for Nollywood and that the future is here for us.
Aside your family, what else brought you back to Nigeria?
I have this project that I am supposed to do with Oakfil Production and it is a story that I’m very passionate about. It’s a story I wouldn’t like to be lost in the crowd. It’s something I am looking at using to re-launch myself back to where I’m supposed to be. It’s a movie that I want to give my best to and It’s actually the first project that I’m shooting since I came back.
We learnt you are the first Nigerian to be admitted into this school, how does that make you feel?
For me, it doesn’t sound special anyway but it makes me have a lot of attention in the school. And then Nollywood is already big and popular outside of this shore and that makes the school to be more interested in me. They are making sure I don’t leave the school; they want to make sure I graduate there, hence they are doing all they can to make sure I graduate from there.
How do you intend to give back to Nollywood when you are done with this programme?
My drive is to bring this knowledge back home.
I am currently working on a situation where we could take some Nigerian directors there for a month course. We are working on that but I don’t want to say much on it till that aspect is concluded. My drive is to make sure other Nollywood directors get this knowledge because if we have a greater percentage of people who understand filmmaking, that means greater percentage of our films would be good. From there we might possibly regain our lost glory because the reason Nollywood has a lot of problems is because there are too many bad movies, as a result of this even when you know Mr. A makes a good movie people don’t get to see it because they are all classified as bad Nollywood movies. Now if we have greater percentage of the people making good movies, that means we will regain our followers because we’ve lost so many followers over the years.
So you are part of those championing this new direction for Nollywood?
Yes, by the grace of God.
Who is Ikechukwu Onyeka?
Ikechukwu is just a man across the street- that is the way I still see myself. I have not changed from that guy who rode okada like about ten to fifteen years ago here in Lagos.
How many years did you ride Okada?
About a year.
What led you into the business of Okada riding?
Unemployment was the first reason, and secondly the fact that I hate being dependent. I hate asking for money, I hate being there without doing anything for myself. I enjoy earning a living by my struggle, otherwise as at the time I went into riding okada I hadn’t any reason to do that kind of job.
Were you married then?
No.
How did the transformation from Okada rider to a filmmaker happen?
It’s a transformation that only God can explain, which is why I have never taken life too seriously. And I think I am a man who lives by the grace of God. I still cannot explain how I got here. When I say I can’t explain that is the only sentence that I could use for the transformation.
How did you come into Nollywood?
I came into Nollywood in 1999
As an actor or what?
(Laughter) As an observer! I had contact with Charles Ugboma while riding Okada and we had a chat. When he heard the way I speak, he said okay, I could act. He then invited me then to the defunct Ekoas hotel. I went there and at the end nothing happened. But I kept going to Ekoas and that was how I met Kingsley Okereke, and we became friends. We started doing props…and here we are today.
My company is Icon production, incorporated and domiciled in New York and I also have Icon pictures limited. I am also a marketer.
Where is Ikechuwu Onyeka from and where did you grow up?
I am from Umuoji in Anambra State.
I have been in Lagos all my lives. I was not born in Lagos but I came to Lagos at a very tender age. My parents are retired in the east now. They shouldn’t be in Lagos at the age they are now.
Before coming into Nollywood, apart from your Okada business, what else were you doing?
Nothing, I think sometime when I say this people won’t understand; I have no reason to be a success story. I grew up in a slum (Amukoko). Nobody gave me a chance; nobody thought I was going to make it. But inside of me I had always known that I have something, but I was just waiting for an opportunity to show it, and I knew it was going to come. I could feel it right inside of me. So that actually helped me not to soil my hands in crimes and some other things my mates were then doing in the slum. I always felt success inside of me but I never knew how it was going to come. That is why most times I tell people I have never worked for most things I have made…every success I have I ever achieved have come most of the times on a platter of gold.
We are seven in my family.
Funny enough, my family knew I was going to be somebody, so it wasn’t surprising to them, even when I dropped out of school, in SSS1. I woke up one morning and I told everybody that I would no longer be going to school, it was shocking to everybody. But I tell you, even now I have not lost anything dropping out of school. I stand shoulder to shoulder with even Master degree holders. I have not lost anything in terms of academics and I have never gone to any school since the day I dropped out in the early 80s, till now that I went to the United States.
Is it right to say that Nollywood was your turning point?
I might not hold it to Nollywood. But I think it was the drive for success. In all my life’s struggles, I have always hated being lost in the crowd; I have always wanted to stand out in whatever I do. But what I don’t like is making noise about what I do, I like doing things in the background. If I knew I was going to be successful as a filmmaker maybe I wouldn’t have used my real name, maybe I would have avoided pictures. I enjoy my privacy. I enjoy it most when someone picks up a film and enjoys it without knowing that I am the one involved with it.
Like how many movies have you shot so far?
To be modest maybe like 30, then if I want to blow it I would say maybe like 90.
Were they all commercially successful?
At least 85 percent of my movies are all successful.
Which of them catapulted you to limelight?
What happened to me which is why I see myself as being privileged is that my first movie which was in 2005 entitled The Future King was successful. After that I shot another movie called Unforeseen. Unforeseen was a movie where Ini Edo played a tripartite character. After that I did Eagles Bride which got about seven nominations from AMAA. From the beginning of my career as a director, I was already pushing towards being popular, so by the time I did Eagles Bride, I had become one of the biggest names in the industry; hence I started shooting too many movies and I started dictating how much I’m being paid and money was coming.
So how successful are you now as a filmmaker?
Well success is relative. What is success financially to me may not be success to another filmmaker.
Are you fulfilled as a filmmaker financially?
No, I am not.
Fulfillment financially for me is that time you decide to shoot a movie and you know this movie is worth so, so amount and you have that amount. Not when you shoot your movie based on your budget. You should be able to raise your budget based on the movie you are shooting. But currently, what I do is to shoot my movie based on my budget. So I am looking at a time when I don’t care what the budget is… I just get my story and give it the budget that it deserves.
Where do you intend taking your brand to in the next five years?
I am trying to move with the brand Nollywood. One of the greatest undoing of our filmmakers here is trying to launch into Hollywood. What I am looking at is that in the next five years, we should be able to make films here that will compete favourably at the Oscars. Without mincing words, it is possible…very possible. What is the nature of films that make the Oscars? It is content. And I tell you, Hollywood does not have better content than us; what Hollywood has is presentation. So if we are able to take our content and present it in Hollywood version, which does not have to do with the location. Slum Dog Millionaire was shot in India in Mumbai, one of the highest density locations in the world, one of the worst slums in the world, but it made it to the Oscars.
Do you think Nollywood currently has what it takes to shoot an Oscar award winning movie?
I will hesitate a bit to answer that question. The reason being that if you are talking in terms of intellect , in terms of understanding filmmaking as an art, I think we have it. But when you now talk about technology that is where I would rather have cold feet. But if you give me the amount of money you gave Peter Jackson, I am going to make a film better than Lord of the Rings. Yes, because for the Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson had over 300 effects men. It was not Peter Jackson’s issue because the money was there for him to execute what he wanted.
As a filmmaker, what stands you out?
What stands me out which I am sure about is that I am always myself. I don’t try to shoot like this other man. If you check most of my movies you will see a signature… I shoot reactive movies. I react to the situations, which is actually the Nollywood drive-reactive. If I come here now and you want me t o shoot here as a palace then we will begin to think on how to actualize it. I think that is what has kept me going, I try to be flexible. I try not to emulate people, except for the few who are getting it right.
Do you watch your own movies?
Funny enough I don’t even watch films. That is the bad side. Not even my own films except in the studio, because I usually feel bad after watching my movies. I would think I should have done it better.
In directing I have virtually worked with a lot of people in the industry and I took something from every one of them. I have worked with Lancelot, Andy Amenechi, Charles Inojie, and so many others. Some of them are good artistically, some are good with shot compositions, some are good with movement and others are good with storytelling. I pick what I need from each of them and put it together and that is what has made me what I am today.
In your class as an international student, how popular is Nollywood among your course mates?
It’s not as popular as some of us think it should be, but the surprising thing is that I don’t know how some of them searched my name out and discovered that I have been making films. The good thing about the internet movie data base is that you don’t put yourself there, they find you out. When they saw my resume and what I have done they were like ‘what is he doing here?’
Do you think government has done enough for the industry?
Government has not done anything. when I hear people talk about government not having done anything I feel very sad. It is only here in Nigeria that a filmmaker does not have government representation. Everywhere in the world, I take America as a case study, any candidate that Hollywood supports wins the presidency.
The reason is that the government is in consonance with Hollywood, the revenue that Hollywood makes, if you take it away from American revenue the government will collapse. That is what this Nigeria government ought to do with Nollywood because Nollywood has the potential of generating over 200 billion dollars annually. But it is not forthcoming and the reason is that 90% of the people who make films are business men who do not have the wherewithal to make our movies what it ought to be. As I speak with you now, when you talk about shooting a low budget movie in India you are talking about over 70 million dollars.
That is a low budget Bollywood movie. So let’s stop deceiving ourselves. Sorry to say it that we have bunch of irresponsible people as our leaders and is so sad that the government is not responsive. You see government sending people to Hollywood because they want to launch into it, but here we are neglecting it. Nollywood is like a palm oil to Nigeria. As at 1957 to 1963, Nigeria was the highest exporter of palm oil in the whole world. As at that time Malaysia was never even mentioned as a palm oil producing country. Today Malaysia is the highest exporter of palm oil. And they came to learn from us. That is what Nollywood is doing. Look at the Ghana market. Ghanaian stars are bigger than our stars. I don’t care what you think about it but I’m telling what I know.
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