An interview with the filmmakers of the movie: All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, Babatunde Apalowo and Damilola Orimogunje.
Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, is the second-largest film industry in the world in terms of the number of films produced each year, after Bollywood in India. Nigerian films are known for their dramatic storylines, humour, and music, and they are famous throughout Africa and in the African diaspora.
Nollywood has grown large and is now producing exquisite films that fit the African culture. The evolution has taken a good turn into exploring certain aspects that might seem odd to many but it’s really something that needs to be explored in filmmaking. Creativity in Nollywood has become a great tool in making sure these films are made into a blockbuster and it instils this anticipation spirit in her audiences.
Babatunde Apalowo and Damilola Orimogunje are two talented directors and writers who are on a mission of making a solid statement with the films they birth. All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White is a phenomenal film that showcases a lot. Modaculture had a chat with the directors and writers to discuss the making of the exceptional film.
All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, Written and Directed by Babatunde Apalawo.
For his debut as a Director, Babatunde Apalowo explored a new but bold idea in Nollywood which needed to be explored for a long time. It was nominated for two awards at the last AMVCAs. The film follows two young men who meet at a photography competition and an unlikely stormy bond builds up strongly between them in a society that doesn’t accept their feelings for each other and it makes them uncomfortable to express. According to Babatunde Apalowo in an interview, he always wanted to tell stories that have to do with human connection and that’s why he created this film (two humans getting the love they desire).
The film tells a huge story which might inspire many out there after watching it. Babatunde made sure to get the best actors for the role, even though it was one of the biggest challenges.
“We sent out calls and I was so interested in getting actors that could portray these roles, actors that wear their characters perfectly and would give a good performance as though it was real.”
Tope Tedela and Riyo David deserved some accolades for their epic performances, says Babatunde, his voice chirpy and bright, accented with the cosmopolitan nature of someone who knows a lot about filmmaking. Babatunde is on a mission to create unique films for African culture and this film, his first outing as a filmmaker, has been showcased at different film festivals and bagged some awards.
“The very first thing is to entertain an audience and that’s my goal. I don’t think about it when finding a balance. You can make a film in 10 different ways and if you want to get entertained in a way when you are watching a film which sets its vibe on a different view, then you can leave and go to where you will be entertained. I make decisions on what films must portray.”
— Filmmaker Babatunde Apalawo for his debut film: All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White.
Babatunde enjoyed every moment while filming. “As a filmmaker, your number one audience is yourself and the most important thing is making this movie for Nigerians and all. This brings me back to an interview I had back then and the interviewer was curious about whether the foreigners would love the movie. My film is for Nigerians and possibly Africans at large. That is my demographic code in movie making. I was really inspired by the author who wrote Things Fall Apart. But yet, the book is being read across other countries and is one of the best. He made the book for Nigerians but it has been read by many. So, I believe with time it will all work out,” says Babatunde Apalowo.
“They should make that film! There are thousands of problems but just make your film. Waiting for the perfect time to make that movie is not good. If I had made this movie earlier, I would be happy but it is still great and perfect. I made it now. Nollywood is still at a level of growth and there are no structures and all. We are still at our infancy stage but with time, we will learn a lot.”
— Filmmaker Babatunde Apalowo’s advice to Nollywood and upcoming film makers.
All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White, Produced by Damilola Orimogunje
Damilola Orimogunje was the director and writer for his debut feature film, Maria (Ebun Pataki), a film that is strongly related to an important issue in our culture and society. Damilola is a talented filmmaker and his debut movie was nominated at the last AMVCA Awards with five nominations. He shared his experience working on All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White.
“The story/film has been in development for years and I’ve been duly involved with Babatunde. When I got the first draft of the script, I loved the characters, the simplicity of the world, and the strong themes. It’s my vibe and it made absolute sense to jump on. The challenges faced were casual and that the film was shot in locations around Lagos, in the rural and urban side of the city. Filming exterior shots in Lagos is chaotic but we were able to surmount the challenges that it presented through permits, good security and street intelligence,” says Damilola in a cosy voice, from the comfort of his home.
Casting in filmmaking is one hell of a ride and as a filmmaker, you must get the best for a role and also make memories while filming.
According to Damilola, “Casting was tedious because several first-choice actors declined the role essentially for the controversial subject. We were looking for actors who weren’t scared to be vulnerable and reflect the performances in the most realistic way. I’m glad we cast the actors in the film now, it’s perfect and the only thing memorable during filming, which was funny and a scary one, was when we were chased by a half-naked mentally ill person on set. We suspended the shoot for almost an hour and ended up paying for his immediate treatment.”
“The vision was to make a film that can compete anywhere in the world so I guess we are on track with the vision. Beyond, we wanted to capture Lagos differently in style and present a beautiful relatable story that has soul.”
— Filmmaker Damilola Orimogunje for All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White.
“Babatunde is a frequent collaborator so we understand each other. We also share similar creative ideologies and references so working with him was seamless. It’s a pleasure working on the project and with the entire team,” said Damilola.
What kind of budget and resources were available for the production, and were there any market strategies taken for this film?
“The film wasn’t a big budget. The goal for me has always been to make films on a decent budget/scale and upscale the project with the quality of story and artistic execution. Plus I believe, the world at large is a marketplace. Often, I adopt the festival strategy for my film’s release and build up with international and local press. The advent and rapid growth of digital distribution has also demystified the core idea of reaching a more vast or niche audience depending on what platforms.”
“The audience loved the film in Berlin. It was the Nigerian project that was on everyone’s tongues and that was satisfying. We also won an award and that validated all the work we put in for the last two years.”
— Filmmaker Damilola Orimogunje for All the Colours of the World Are Between Black and White
“I’m currently working on a limited series and my second feature film as a writer/director,” he said while discussing upcoming projects.
These two filmmakers are making great waves in the Nigerian film industry. Notwithstanding, Babatunde Apalawo was a top writer for movies like The Millions, Jolly Roger, and Catch.er, The Damned, A Fire in the Rain, Troubled Water, Double Strings, Yankee Hustle, and Surprise Wedding and he was the picture editor for the movie: for Maria, Ebun Pataki.
Nollywood can’t wait to see what these two filmmakers will create in the future. It is a great thing that they are reshaping the Nollywood industry and African entertainment.
