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was asked of me. Now the second question, yes this is a feature film that will go to festivals,
we are already in touch with a lady who is starting up a Pan-African Film Festival in Senegal.
She has worked in Cannes for 6 years and Toronto for 5 years. Heaven’s Hell has already
been picked though she hasn’t seen it. The feature film will go to cinemas, we already have
distribution deals in South Africa, UK, US and some European countries. We are translating
in other languages as well.
HF: Are you done with the post production?
KU: Oh no, it is still going on. Editing is going on in New York, and after that we will do color
correction, sound mastering and grading in Los Angeles. We want to make sure we do it
right.
HF: What are your plans for the premier?
KU: We will premiere the movie in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Congo, Kenya, the UK
and the US. In the US, we have New York and Texas in lockdown and we are also working
on Atlanta and Washington DC. That is the spread we have for the cinemas. I know the
premiere is going to be big. We have big plans for it, and want to make a lasting impression.
I want just to wow people with the movie.
HF: What message do you have for the financiers of the movie?
KU: I was just a visionary who met with some visionaries’. BGL Asset Management
Entertainment Fund, they have been interested in entertainment for over a year before they
met me. It is so sad that our industry is not properly structured, so it’s not really encouraging
for a financial investor. I showed them a preliminary structure where they can monitor
their funds, we formed a great partnership, a great synergy. They did a good job because
entertainment is one area the government has not invested in. The total number of cast for
‘Heaven’s Hell’ was 222 and they lived everyday on €70. So we provided jobs for people.
HF: As an upwardly mobile director charged to do a whole lot more, do you see Nollywood
embracing more feature films than home videos?
KU: All I can say is ‘if something is worth doing, if you are not striving to be the best at
it don’t even do it all’. I believe so much in growth because, there was never an industry
before Nollywood, and it started one day. Now the problem came in because there are
no standards in the movies they churned out. But when they see the good thing they will
still take it. Right now if you asked them how we can get better, they will vie for better
DSLR cameras and light, they forget that there is something called a story, something called
characterization etc. You don’t shoot a movie in a week and release it the next week, no. I
worked on this movie for over two years. It is not even a joke. Six months before shooting
the movie, I and the actors were still going over the characterization. We developed a bible
for each character and made them understand the person deeply. They were overwhelmed
by the job, but the thing is even when things go wrong, what do you do? You look for a way
out rather than panic.I was patient in dealing with everybody, I managed everybody’s ego
on set. Because at the end of the day, it’s for the good of the film. Five years ago, who would
have believed that some people will take this industry as serious as I am taking it You can
imagine how it will be ten years from now. It is not growing at the rate we want it to, but it
will definitely change.
HF: As a director, where do you see yourself in five years?
KU: Worst case scenario I would be collecting an Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. So
Hollywood should watch out, because they won’t see me coming.
HF: Would you say attending the New York Film School paved a way for your success?
KU: Not really because my mother still reminds me of how I used to point out continuity
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