Yewande Famakin is an Editor, writer and producer. She recently won the Best Indigenous Movie in Yoruba in the just concluded 2020 African Movie Viewers Choice Awards, (AMVCA).
She is known for giving her best in scriptwriting and she has produced a series of movies. “Alubarika” is one of them. This movie has brought out the glory of being a great film producer.
On Monday, March 16th, 2020, she was at City People office at Gbagada to speak with City People Assistant Editor, SUNDAY ADIGUN and City People, Correspondent, MARIAM ADE OKUNADE on her journey as a scriptwriter and as a producer.
Let’s start by congratulating you, how do you feel winning that award?
I feel so overwhelmed, AMVCA is one of the most prestigious platform in the whole of Africa. Winning AMVCA is a huge one for my brand.
The movie that got you the award is “Alubarika” can you tell us about the movie?
The movie “Alubarika” was scripted and produced by me. I took the movie to the cinemas and it was shown across the nation as at last year October.
Actors like Gabriel Afolayan (who played the lead role), Femi Adebayo, Yewande Adekoya, Bukunmi Adesina, Tobiloba Abraham amongst others played a major role in that movie.
How did writing, producing start for you?
Writing started from from my tender age, I started writing at aged 13. I am the only female child among my 5 siblings. So growing up was tough, my dad was a very strict person, He doesn’t allow his children to play around, so being the only female child was a tough one. I am always alone in the house, whenever I am alone, I have that high imaginative mind of writing something. I just noticed that each time I am alone, all I do is to write. Then, I developed the skill and I told my dad about it. One day, I wrote my first story, I showed it to my dad and I explained that the story was all about to him because he wasn’t learned, so I had to explain the situation behind the story to him, his comment was in Yoruba (A le se si iwe, kaa lo ma ta), meaning we can print it out and start selling (laughs).
As for production, I started producing because I want my write-ups to have more audience, I felt it would be better if I start making my writing into movie production and it will get to more audience rather than me just writing and publishing books. In this era, how many people still go to the bookshop to get books not to talk of reading them. But I believed if I can make movies, and I put my movies on platforms that people would be able to watch, that is where my write ups will get to more audience. So in search of more audience, joined filmmaking in 2016 with the movie titled “Ilu-Ominira”. Ilu-Ominira was my debut and that was how the whole movie production started. So after “Ilu-Ominira” I did not relent in my effort, I produced another movie titled “Ti Tabili Ba Yi”, “Dalemo”, “Owo Yoke”.
After “Owo Yoke”, I wanted to do something that would be better than what I have done before, so I did the movie “Alubarika”, the movie that won AMVCA Best Indigenous Movie in Yoruba.
When your name was mentioned as the winner of that category, what came to your mind?
Well, what went through my mind was at first I didn’t expect it, so when I saw the category I was happy because seeing my movie being nominated is a plus for me. Sincerely I never believed that I could win or that I will win. The nomination alone like I said earlier was a big hit for my brand because I don’t act, I don’t appear in my movies, I am not a camera person, I am a very camera shy person, I can only pose for pictures (laughs). I like to be behind the scene, I like to write my movies and go all out and sort for funds to produce them.
So for me to be nominated alone, I said to myself oh! Finally, the recognition is there now, I can write anyone or any organisation for assistance for my movie productions. I can easily include it that I am AMVCA 2020 nominee. Already I was contented with the nomination alone, I never felt I could win.
What is the inspiration behind the movie Alubaricaka?
The inspiration behind the story of “Alubarika” has to do with the last conversation I had with my dad of blessed memory, I lost my dad 13 years ago. As the only female child, I was very close to my dad, so on this particular day, my dad was driving me down to school to LASU, at Igando Bus Stop, he saw a lot of people and he felt, signs!! I like to quote him in my indigenous language.
My dad said to me ( o ga o, kira kita o di ola, pe ti eda ba ri “Alubarika ojo kan”, o to eda je ti ayeraye) meaning (when GOD divine grace comes, it is enough for human being to succeed till eternity). And being the kind of person that I am, I am very attentive, I pay attention to what anyone says to me. I listen very well to what people are saying because as a writer, I feel I can get inspired to recreate what that person had said.
So when my dad made that statement, I was dazed, I exclaimed “Alubarika Ojo Kan”, he replied yes! I now asked him what he meant by “Alubarika – Ojo Kan”? His response to me that day was that (Yewande bo ya to ba pade de lati school) meaning, when I returned back from school. Then, I usually go to school and come back home every month end. But that particular conversation was the last conversation I had with my dad. He died the second weekend I left for school.
I did not want to forget about that conversation, so I wrote it down, the journey I had with him from Ikotun (because I grew up in Ikotun) to LASU Ojo road, where he dropped me off. I made sure I wrote every conversation I had with him that day down in a book. Each time I remembered my dad, I go back to that book to read everything he said to me.
But I noticed that word “Alubarika Ojo Kan” kept coming to my brain for good 13 years and I was looking for what to write about Alubarika Ojo Kan. I searched for it for 13 years, I was on it when “Ilu-Ominira” came. I wrote Ilu Ominira, I made it into movie which went well and many people loved the movie.
So anytime I miss my dad, I go back to read that stuff I wrote and I keep imagining what could “Alubarika Ojo Kan” mean. Until when I got answers to it, I took out my time, I wrote the story and I did the casting. Thank God for my cast and crew, I am forever indebted to them, more reason why I had to dedicate the awards to them on stage, not that I cannot dedicate the award to my dad because he was the source of the inspiration but I have received many awards that I’d dedicated to him. Meanwhile, a lot of things happened while I was shooting “Alubarika”, but my cast and crew went out of their way, did all sorts to encourage me, because they know I am an abstract person and they do not want to discourage me. By this, I just have to dedicate the award to them.
Who is Yewande Famakin?
I was born in Mushin, Lagos, but I grew up in Ikotun. I attended Seemic High School in Ikotun. I went to Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education for my NCE because my dad had always wanted me to be a teacher which I loved and respect so much. Besides, I had to do it for him (laughs!).
After which I proceeded to Lagos State University (LASU) for my degree but I couldn’t continue because I lost my dad along the line, I had to pick up a degree programme although it was a distance learning program at the then UNAAD where I graduated with Economics Education.
What should we expect from Yewande Famakin?
Well, I will be working on “Alubarika” because I only took it to the cinemas and I took the bold steps of submitting it for the AMVCA. it’s not on Youtube or any social media platforms, so I will like to work on how many people can see the movie “Alubarika”. And I also want them to see the reason “Alubarika” won The Best Indigenous Movie in Yoruba.
Seondly, I want to expand my brand. Before AMVCA, nobody knows me, I have always looked for sponsors on my own and with support of few good people God has blessed me with, now that I have gotten the recognition, I want to expand my brand, get more sponsores to come on board and help the brand Yewande Famakin Grow.
With AMVCA platform, I can now write any organisation and they will take me serious. Formerly, when I write to anybody or organisations, their response is they don’t know me, that they cannot invest in a brand they don’t know about even when I mentioned my movies to them, they still turn down my proposals.
So getting sponsors had been one of my tough challenge. I remembered my experience when I was looking for sponsors and sorting for funds for “Alubarika”, I was turned down, at a point I almost gave up on the production. But here I am today, all glory to the most high, grace finally found me.
I am also using this opportunity to thank the organisers of AMVCA for giving people like us such platform.
Are you looking forward to going into acting?
Not at all, I will focus more on my writing skills, I will focus more on making good movies, I want to be in that particular place I am good at and keep writing wonderful stories.
It’s not necessary I act, I know I am beautiful but I don’t have to be in your faces. All I want from my fans is they should just register the name Yewande Famakin and watch out for more of my movies.
Are you married?
Yes, I am married to Mr. Famakin Samson, I was formerly Yewande Badmus but now Mrs. Yewande Famakin Badmus. I met my husband 11 years ago and he has really been my support system.
In fact at a point, he once encouraged me to start acting when he saw the challenges I go through looking for sponsors for my movies but I let him understand that writing is a gift. We actually met when I was writing a story for a particular movie.
He has always been my pillar, my support system, and my friend. He keeps encouraging me in what I do and here I am today.
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