Popular Nigerian actor, Kunle Remi, has stated that not every movie termed cinematic is cinema-worthy because some of them are low-budget.
Remi made this known during an interview with Hip TV, stating that some Nigerians and filmmakers often confuse TV-quality films with cinema without fully understanding what it takes to create a cinematic experience.
Using Nollywood actor cum movie director, Kunle Afolayan, as a reference, Remi said the thespian does films with good cinematic value and might not be a good TV director if he is put in that space.
Kunle said he can tell when a film is rushed and poorly executed, adding that it often sounds funny when movie producers inform him about shooting cinema movies in five days.
The movie star emphasized that he is not discouraging emerging filmmakers from learning the craft, adding they should not take offense at constructive criticism of their work.
He said, “Not everybody understands what cinema is. I don’t think a lot of people understand it in the first place, that is why you have a low-budget film put in the cinemas when it’s not even cinema-worthy. And you see people come for you. There is a difference between a cinematic film and a film for TV.
“The moment Nigerians and filmmakers understand that we won’t be having this conversation. Kunle Afolayan for example, does cinema if you look at the quality of his project, the style and effort put into it are cinema. If he does TV films, he might not do so great because he is probably focused or trained to do cinema films.
“TV films are maybe cable films or online TVs and you can tell this was done in 5 days. I’m an actor and I can tell. Sometimes I’m doing a film and they tell me, it’s for the cinemas and I laugh. I know I’m not supposed to but, it’s funny.
“I can’t discourage anyone cos it might be a starting point for some people do not be angry if people come for you or movie lovers share opinions of your film or critics talk about it cos you can’t then compare it to a Hollywood production.”