Film Director and Producer
Country: Nigeria
Sector: Entertainment
Kunle Afolayan is a household name in the Nigerian entertainment industry (Nollywood), being an actor himself, he moved from acting in movies to making movies and he has made a lot of successes. being the son of a director he has managed to make a mark for himself in the industry and internationally.
Early Life and Education
Kunle Afolayan was born on 30 September 1975, he is of Igbomina-Yoruba descent, from Kwara State. He is the son of the theatre and film director Ade Love. He majored in economics and started out working in a bank while doing some casual acting, before deciding to move into full-time filmmaking and taking a course at the New York Film Academy.
PROFESSIONAL LIFE
While working at a bank, he began his career as a part-time actor. He began performing professionally in Nollywood in 2005 after quitting his banking job. He established his production company, Golden Effects Pictures, the same year.
He has been working in the Nigerian film industry since 2005. He has a number of films to his credit, including The Figurine: Araromire (in Yoruba and English) and Phone Swap (with Wale Ojo, Joke Silva, Nse Ikpe Etim, and Chika Okpala). The Figurine won five major prizes from the African Film Academy and was a box office triumph in Nigeria.
In 2011, Afolayan and his colleague Zeb Ejiro attended the Subversive Film Festival, where they represented the Nigerian film industry. Phone Swap premiered in France in May 2013, winning the Public Choice Award at the first edition of NollywoodWeek Paris. In 2014, he starred in the film October 1, which grossed over $60 million in theatres. At the time, the film was the second highest-grossing film in Nigerian cinema.
Incorporated in July 2005, Golden Effects Pictures is a film production business. Film production, editing, film equipment rentals, and film consulting are among the company’s specialities. The company operates as a fully integrated film production company with two divisions: film content development and post-production and equipment rental.
The film content development section is in charge of film and television productions, documentary filmmaking, and television commercials, among other things. So far, this corporation’s division has produced seven hit films: Irapada (Redemption), The Figurine – Araromire, Phone Swap, October 1, The C.E.O, Omugwo, ROTI, Mokalik, and The Tribunal, among others.
Also in 2020, Netflix released Citation, a film starring Temi Otedola and other international performers. The film was a hit, and it topped the box office for months. He also produced other high-grossing movies, like Swallow, A Naija Christmas, and Ayinla with Tunde Kilani.
Afolayan is the CEO of Golden Effects Pictures, a Nigerian film and production company incorporated in 2005. Ambassador Audu Kadiri, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) office in Geneva said, “the acclaimed producer came to the limelight as a film producer in Nigeria when he founded the Golden Effect Pictures Limited, a film production company that produces and releases high-quality films.” The company’s feature films include Irapada, The Figurine, Phone Swap, October 1, Roti, Omugwo, The Tribunal, The CEO and Mokalik.
Honours
in 2010 Kunle Afolayan won Africa Movie Academy Award nominee for Best Director, he also won the Golden Jury award for Best Film at the Abuja International Film Festival and the Festival Prize for Outstanding Film Directing at the Abuja International Film Festival in 2012.
in 2013 he was nomiated as Nollywood Movie Award nominee for Best Director, Nigeria Entertainment Award nominee for Actor of the Year 2015.
Kunle won the Africa Movie Academy Award nominee for Best Director, Best Movie Director at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards in 2015
the movie October 1 won the Best Costume Design at the 2015 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA).
and Best Nigerian Film – October 1 at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) in 2015 October 1 Best Movie of 2014 at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2015.
in 2016 he was named An Icon in the African Entertainment Industry Award at the Afro-Heritage Broadcasting and Entertainment Awards (AHBEA)
City People Movie Award-nominated him for Best Movie Producer of the Year (English) in 2017
he was also Nominated for the City People’s Movie Award for Movie Director of the Year (English) .
He won The Best Film Award at the Durban International Film Festival (2019), he was also Nominated for Director of the Year at the Best of Nollywood Awards (Diamond in the Sky), 2019.
Nominated for the Most Searched Actor at the Net Honours, 2021.
Networth
Kunle Afolayan is still estimated to have a net worth of over $800,000 as no high-ranking report in 2022 has stated otherwise.
