| O Le Ku | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Tunde Kelani |
| Story by | Akinwunmi Ishola |
| Based on | O Le Ku (novel) |
| Produced by | Tunde Kelani |
| Starring | Yemi Shodimu |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 204 minutes |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Language | Yoruba |
O Le Ku is a 1997 Nigerian romantic drama film produced and directed by Tunde Kelani. It is an adaptation of Prof. Akinwunmi Ishola's novel of the same name. It was released in 1997 by Mainframe Film and Television Productions. [1] It was made in two parts. [2]
O Le Ku tells the story of Ajani, an undergraduate of the University of Ibadan who is in his final year. He is under pressure from his mother to find a partner and he unwittingly finds himself in a love quadrangle. He dates three women simultaneously; Asake, a secondary school teacher is his long-term girlfriend. He meets Lola a fresher who is tall, slim and pretty. The situation gets complicated when he meets a childhood acquaintance who eventually takes centre stage of the love drama. [2] [3] Asake's father badgers her to sever her relationship with Ajani but she however falls pregnant and Lola finds out and Ajani has to choose a wife under duress from his mother. [2]
Significant parts of the film were filmed on location at the University of Ibadan. [4]
O Le Ku was said to have sparked the short aso oke Iro and Buba fashion trend also called Oleku. [1] [5]
It was listed as one of the ten iconic Nollywood stories from the 90s. [6]
Akin Adesokan in his 2011 book described the film as "the best example of Yoruba language film in Nollywood regarding how the actors and actresses articulate their point of views in “undiluted” Yoruba language." [7]
It has been adopted to teach foreign Yoruba Language learners in institutions in the United States and Europe due to the standard of Yoruba Language spoken in the movie. [8]
Kunle Afolayan is a Nigerian actor, producer and director. He is widely credited for elevating the quality of Nollywood movies through larger budgets, shooting on 35mm, releasing in cinemas, and improving cliché Nollywood storylines. After starting his film career as an actor in the 1999 political drama Saworoide, Afolayan made his directorial debut in 2006 with Irapada, a Nigerian supernatural thriller, which won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Film in an African Language. His follow-on directing credits include The Figurine, Phone Swap, October 1, and Citation. October 1 was the winner of 16 major African movie awards in 2015 and the second highest grossing Nigerian film in Nigerian cinemas at the time of its release, a feat Afolayan was to repeat two years later with The CEO. In 2021, the director signed a three-picture deal with Netflix. Swallow, the screen adaption of Sefi Atta's book of the same name was the first to be released in October 2021, followed by Aníkúlápó, an epic Nigerian fantasy released in September 2022. Afolayan has described the work as a "Game of Thrones recreated in Nigeria but with a better representation of our culture”. Eleven days after its release, it was the #1 most-watched non-English Netflix original film.
Oleku may refer to:
Tunde Kelani, popularly known as TK, is a Nigerian filmmaker. In a career spanning more than four decades, TK specialises in producing movies that promote Nigeria's rich cultural heritage and have a root in documentation, archiving, education, entertainment and promotion of the culture.
Auteuring Nollywood: Critical Perspectives on The Figurine is a book released on 31 July 2014, detailing the scholarly analysis of events in the 2009 film The Figurine directed by Kunle Afolayan. The book is the first book in the history of Nigerian Cinema to be devoted to the work of a single Nigerian film director and it contains scholarly essays, which explores "the thematic focus and cinematic style employed in The Figurine". It also contains interviews with the cast and crew of the film and insights into the African and Nigerian film industry. Since its release, the book has been getting rave reviews from critics, educators and film scholars.
Maami is a 2011 Nigerian drama film produced and directed by Tunde Kelani. It is based on a novel of the same name, written by Femi Osofisan, and adapted to screen by Tunde Babalola. It stars Funke Akindele as Maami, along with Wole Ojo and Olumide Bakare. Though the film was a commercial failure, it was generally met with positive critical reviews.
Abeni is a two-part 2006 Nigerian-Beninese romance film produced and directed by Tunde Kelani. It depicts the social divide that occurs as a result of colonialism despite the geographical proximity between Benin and Nigeria.
Yemi Shodimu is a Yoruba dramatist, television presenter, film director and filmmaker.
Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in The New York Times. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there is no clear or agreed-upon definition for the term, which has made it a subject of several controversies.
Ti Oluwa Ni Ile is a Nollywood Yoruba drama film sequel directed by Tunde Kelani. Released in 1993 through Mainframe Films and Television Productions, the film was Tunde Kelani's debut film as a film director. It was made in 3 parts and listed as one of the 10 best selling Yoruba movies.
Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin is a Nigerian television and film producer, director and screenwriter. He is the founder/CEO of Dudu Productions, the television production company which produced the first commercial music video in Nigeria. He has since produced a number of Nigerian music acts, including Sir Shina Peters, Sonny Okosun, Majek Fashek, Onyeka Onwenu and K1 De Ultimate. He produced and directed box office hits like Iyawo Alhaji and Ami Orun, including Ireke Onibudo, which predates Nigeria's Nollywood.
Jadesola Osiberu is a Nigerian writer, director and producer and founder of Greoh Studios. She is known for Isoken (2017), Sugar Rush (2019), Brotherhood (2022) and Gangs of Lagos, the first Nigerian original film set to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. In September 2022, Osiberu's Greoh Studios signed a three-year deal with Amazon to develop and produce original scripted TV series and feature films.
Tunde Oladimeji is a Nigerian documentary filmmaker, actor, director and television presenter, known for pioneering documentary film in indigenous language in Nigeria. He is the director of Aajiirebi, a breakfast show airing on Africa magic Yoruba.
Rattlesnake is a 1995 action film written and directed by Amaka Igwe and produced by Austin Awulonu. It was Amaka Igwe's first foray into making a feature length film and was made in 3 parts. It features Francis Duru, Okechukwu Igwe, Nkem Owoh, Anne Njemanze and Ernest Obi.
Ayinla is a musical eponymous film based on the life of Ayinla Yusuf popularly known as Ayinla Omowura, an Apala musician who was stabbed to death by his manager named Bayewu in a bar fight on 6 May 1980 at Abeokuta. The film premiered on 13 June 2021 in Lagos and was released to theatres on 18 June 2021. Directed by Tunde Kelani, the film was set in the 1970s and early 1980s and shot in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Lateef Adedimeji assumed the role of Ayinla, starring alongside Omowumi Dada, Bimbo Manuel, Ade Laoye, Kunle Afolayan, Bimbo Ademoye and Mr Macaroni. Ayinla is Kelani's first major film since his 2015 release of Dazzling Mirage. The budget for this feature film is officially given as ₦50 Million.
Kòseégbé is a 1995 Yoruba drama film directed by Tunde Kelani based on a stage play of the same name by Akinwunmi Isola. The cast consisted of actors from the Obafemi Awolowo University theatre. It was released through Mainframe Films and Television Productions.
Thunderbolt: Magun is a 2001 Nigerian drama film directed and produced by Tunde Kelani. It was based on a book title Magun written by Adebayo Faleti and adapted for screenplay by Femi Kayode.
Agogo Eewo is a 2002 Yoruba-language film and sequel to the 1999 film, Saworoide. It was written by Akunwunmi Isola And produced and directed by Tunde Kelani. It stars Dejumo Lewis, Deola Faleye, Lere Paimo and Larinde Akinleye.
King of Thieves (Agẹṣinkólé) is a 2022 Nigerian thriller film produced by Femi Adebayo and directed by Tope Adebayo and Adebayo Tijani. It stars Odunlade Adekola, Femi Adebayo, Toyin Abraham, Broda Shaggi, Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo aka Mr Macaroni, Lateef Adedimeji, and Ibrahim Chatta. The Epic Yoruba-language movie was produced by Femi Adebayo's Euphoria360 media and co-produced by the Niyi Akinmolayan's Anthill studios. The movie's premiere was held on April 4, 2022, and the star-studded event was held at the IMAX Cinemas, Lekki, Lagos which featured lot of trends and talk-point. The movie hit the cinema nationwide from April 8, 2022,
at IMDb