Kunle Afolayan Says Sorry to Funke Akindele as Cinema Promotion Debate Divides Nollywood

Femi Ashekun/

Filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, has apologised to actress and producer, Funke Akindele, following a heated fallout triggered by his recent comments on film promotion, which many in Nollywood interpreted as a swipe at cinema-driven blockbusters and social media-heavy marketing strategies.

Speaking on ARISE News, Afolayan revealed that Akindele personally confronted him after his remarks gained traction online.

According to him, the actress was upset that her name had been repeatedly dragged into discussions around his interviews.

“Funke Akindele called me yesterday and was yelling at me to keep her name out of my interviews,” Afolayan said. “She said, ‘I know you don’t like me, it was weird’, and I was like, where is this coming from?”

The controversy stemmed from Afolayan’s earlier comments distinguishing cinema-centred filmmaking from streaming-focused or hype-driven releases, a debate that has increasingly divided Nollywood’s creative community.

While Afolayan has historically framed himself as a filmmaker committed to cinematic craft and long-term cultural value, his recent body of work has leaned more towards streaming platforms. Even so, his remarks were widely interpreted as dismissive of blockbuster films that depend heavily on aggressive online promotion to drive cinema box office numbers.

Akindele, whose recent cinema releases have broken box office records, was among those whose work social media users linked to Afolayan’s comments, despite him not naming her directly.

Seeking to defuse the tension, Afolayan stressed that he harbours no ill will towards Akindele and described their relationship as long-standing and personal.

“I have absolutely nothing against Funke Akindele. She’s my sister, we grew up together,” he said. “In Unilag, I would go to her hostel. Her sister is also my friend, so I am not sure where this is coming from. If for any reason she feels offended, I’m sorry.”

Afolayan also brought Toyin Abraham into the conversation, highlighting her reaction as an example of how his comments were meant to be received.

According to him, Abraham chose to respond with humour rather than hostility.

“I even spoke to Toyin Abraham and she said, ‘Egbon, can you see I’ve turned it to a skit? I got what you were saying,’” he said.

In the skit referenced by Afolayan, Abraham jokingly framed film promotion as a business necessity, quipping that people should come to watch her films so she could “make more than ten million”, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the commercial realities of cinema releases.

The contrast between Abraham’s response and Akindele’s reaction has since become a key talking point within the industry, underscoring the broader debate over art versus commerce, cinema culture versus algorithm-driven popularity, and whether box office success should be the primary measure of a film’s value.

While the debate continues, Afolayan maintained that his comments were never personal and were intended to spark honest reflection about the future of Nigerian cinema.