N1000m Film Village Coming

A PROMINENT Yoruba theatre arts practitioner, Alhaji Kareem Adepoju (a.k.a Baba Wande) plans to establish a state-of-the-art film village in Osun State
As part of activities marking his 42 years on stage Adepoju will on Tuesday launch a N100 million appeal fund for the project. Already one of his fan has donated over 20 acres of land for the take off of the village.

The dramatist who lamented the damages done to film makers by home video clubs and pirates said that the Federal Government had not done enough to help his profession.

Adepoju, 62, spoke at the secretariat of Osun State Correspondent chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) yesterday. He appealed to media to educate Nigerians about the menace of video clubs and piracy.

On his pet project, he said: "It is no news that Osun State is the cradle of arts and culture and as such it would be pertinent if a standard film village is established in the state where cream of artists from both within and outside the country could visit to execute their various works."
"The film village, which is expected to be a tourist haven besides the primary aim, which is the production of films and art works, will have various recreational facilities and when it becomes operational will generate employment for our teaming youths."
He paid tributes to post theatre artists particularly late Pa Oyin Adejobi, who trained him in 1958 and the late Hubert Ogunde.

Adepoju also recounted his experience in the Mbari-Mbayo group, saying that professionalism in theatre was now at its lowest ebb.

The dramatist disclosed that he had produced about 10 films with the latest titled Ajantala billed for formal presentation on Tuesday. "I have featured in several films, too numerous to count but on my own I've produced 10. It is not really easy producing films as it takes over N4 million to release a good one," he said.