COVER: Africa Rising Film Festival Honours Akin Omotoso
Akin Omotoso’s name has become synonymous with storytelling. The kind that captures African stories with precision, evokes African pride and has really placed us ‘on the map’.
And it is through this undeniable talent that the 48-year-old has enjoyed twenty-six fruitful industry years that have garnered numerous achievements with it. But even with so much indisputable success, getting any award always feels new to him. It is this very feeling that engulfed him when he was announced as this year’s Pan-African Cinema Legend by the Africa Rising International Film Festival (ARIFF).
ARIFF, a social impact film festival that was launched in 2018, was established with the sole aim of presenting a platform where storytellers from all walks of life are given a platform to showcase their work. To feel included.
So naturally receiving an award from such a platform would leave anyone speechless, with Akin quoting the viral meme, “I never espededit,” before bursting into a boisterous laugh over a candid call.
“It’s a humbling feeling really. Knowing that they (ARIFF) would see me as ideal and aligning to their campaign, and what they are about. And because I am constantly on this quest of making sure that I tell stories the right way, on this continual quest that always seeks to improve oneself to tell a better story each time, I hardly find the time to stop and reflect.
“And although I do make it a point to acknowledge the process, I have always stayed focused on the work. So when the award was presented to me – it, in turn, presented an opportunity to reflect, in a positive way. And I am really grateful,” he says.
Images from the ARIFF honorary dinner
Akin, who hails from Nigeria and relocated to Mzansi with his parents in 1992, has from as early as 1995 dipped his fingers in the storytelling world. At the University of Cape Town is where he made it his sole mission to tell African stories.
A patriot to his continent that was beaming with so many tales but just in need of an authentic voice to carry the stories further.
The itch to write comes from a rich line of writers which includes his own father – Bankole Omotoso, who was also a lecturer at the University of the Western Cape.
“Nothing is promised in life and more so in this industry that is sometimes so volatile. When I entered the industry, I never imagined how difficult things would be. But because it was a decision I took, I knew I had to make it work. That meant staying on the floor and doing the work.
“Drama school presented a real opportunity to work and solidify what will be my space within the game. So from that level, I knew that I wanted to do both acting and directing. Meaning if I was not acting, I will be directing; balancing the two spaces and that became my ideal, perfect career. So with every step that I took, I had that in mind. The bigger dream,” he said.
But it wasn’t easy, he admits. “But who said it would be?!” he rhetorically asks.
“Sustainability, in my journey, has always been anchored by two key interventions. The first was a lesson from an older filmmaker who said ‘always remember the film industry is like a marathon’ – meaning that I will have to train and prepare for the long game. And the second was also another filmmaker who asked ‘why are you doing what you are doing?’. Those two pillars are always my guiding light to understanding this long game and getting better with each step,” he said.
The film giant, humble in his strides and achievements, has worked on numerous successful productions such as Vaya, Catching Feelings, Tell Me Something Sweet and Netflix’s The Brave Ones, including his latest Disney film Rise – among many others.
His career also saw him grace local TV productions such as the once popular soapie Generations, where he portrayed the role of Khaya Motene.
The journey to producing Rise was a steady one, he shares.
“I’m a huge basketball fan and this project has been a long time coming. I became obsessed with the NBA and in that obsession I became even more obsessed with who were the African players that played there.