Filmmaker Dare Olaitan on Crafting Timely Stories, Industry Trends, and His Latest Family Drama AJOSEPO.

Dare Olaitan

Dare Olaitan’s career as a filmmaker spans 8 years starting from “Ojukokoro” in 2016 and he has had a writing career that has spanned 20 years with a budding behemoth relationship with Kayode Kassum spanning 5 years, his care for a core message and the money social commentary comes off. “All my films are tied to the time they were made” He posits his care for the country whilst never mincing his message in his films.

In lieu of his latest collaboration with Kayode Kassum on the family-oriented film AJOSEPO, we broke bread with the visionary film writer and director Dare Olaitan to get a view of his process, his inspirations, and the difficulties in navigating the Nigerian film industry and always having a pulse on what the Nigerian needs to know and hear when they engage with his pictures.

Ajosepo

Do you have any inspirations in terms of filmmakers in the locale or internationally? And how does that inform the genres you do? 

I was initially super heavy into Scorsese growing up, most of the movies I had seen growing up were more thrillers and horror and I gleaned a lot from that. My interests usually align with how I feel around that time period and the more I get into film. So Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino in my 20s, Robert Eggers and Roman Polanski in my 30s. A lot of my films are inspired by other filmmakers, if you have watched Rosemary’s Baby and Hereditary, that’s “Ile Owo”. I have also been inspired by horror films from childhood as a lot of Nollywood films earlier on were horror thrillers. I have been a writer for about 20 years and a director for 7 years, I will only make films that interest me as well as intersect with industry trends, and right now the prevailing trend is to make a Yoruba Fantasy Historical Epic. 

You mentioned how your interests have to intersect with the industry trends, does that weigh on your creative process?

This situation is not particular to me, this is commonplace for all creatives, as it applies to musicians, it also applies to filmmakers, we are constantly having to navigate our interests and how they align with what the industry dictates. This typically helps fund the film and makes sure it reaches a larger audience. A lot of things have to be considered when making a film to continue to have enough to make more films, you do not want to isolate your audience with just films you want to make without considering what the industry says in the current climate. 

Ile Owo

Just a little detour, in “Ile Owo” during the burial scene, you had a shot that appeared to rise from the coffin upwards, how was that shot? 

We had a camera in the coffin shooting with a computer attached and we had to keep taking the scene till we got exactly what we wanted, it was an arduous process but we got what we wanted eventually. 

How about the Green Slime shot at the end of the film? 

We had to use stock footage to execute that, we wanted to show that the father had been punished for deferring on the sacrifice and a lot of the imagery that was done was not what I wanted visually, so the stock image had to suffice for that scene. 

A lot of filmmakers have actors and actresses they have cinematic chemistry with and include in most of their films (e.g Scorcese and De Niro) do you have any currently? 

I have not made many films but initially, I worked with Charles (Charles Etubiebi Oke) but I am not tied to a particular actor or actress, I am comfortable shooting with anyone. 

You have a well-documented relationship with Kayode Kassum, how did that come along? 

Kayode is a great friend and business partner. We have known each other for about 5 years now and made a lot of films together. A lot of the films we make are largely self-funded by us, so it is great to have someone you can hedge your bets on when it comes to filmmaking. 

You have a new film in the cinemas currently called AJOSEPO, what was the inspiration behind it and what do you want the viewers to see when they watch it. 

Yes, we do, when Kayode and I finished EGUN; which was another horror thriller film, we wanted to make a film that was a deviation from that genre, a feel that was more marketable to the people, AJOSEPO is a family wedding film that’s very relatable to a lot of people. We wanted to show how trauma could pass from generation to generation in the family. I always want to say something important in all my movies and run commentary on the Nigerian social structure at the time I made said movies.

Ojukokoro was made as a response to greed when the fuel prices were hiked on my return to Nigeria, Knockout Blessing was a response to the political strife present at that point in time, Ile Owo also speaks to greed and the social class structure present in our societies currently. In all my movies there is always something important, a message I want to pass across and I hope it is also seen in this film.

As Dare Olaitan continues to shape the landscape of Nigerian cinema, his dedication to blending personal vision with social commentary remains unwavering. His ability to adapt to industry trends while staying true to his unique storytelling approach sets him apart as a filmmaker with a finger on the pulse of the nation's cultural and political climate. With projects like AJOSEPO highlighting his versatility, Dare Olaitan’s work promises to keep resonating with audiences, offering both entertainment and thought-provoking reflections on society.