Nollywood Film Director, Niyi Akinmolayan is back on set to shoot his latest film, ‘Room 315’.
The project which he describes as a give-back initiative, follows the success of his critically acclaimed, ‘The Arbitration’.
Speaking about his journey through the movie industry, he said he first started a filmmaking blog out of what he considered to be a simple desire to give back information to the internet.
For him, that was a means to reach out to young filmmakers who may not have had the opportunity to attend any film school.
Akinmolayan said he only wanted to give out basic information about film making, and in his words: “I felt that it was time to start telling people some of the things we do in Nollywood” and as time went on, the blog drew significant traffic.
“If we have to move forward, we have to share,” the filmmaker stated.
Explaining further, he said that as the blog grew bigger, he decided to engage everyone, by putting up a sum of money as a prize for whoever is able to come up with a unique script for a film.
This was how the idea for the film, Room 315 was birthed.
He explained that the aim behind the idea was fulfilled because “so many people jumped at it especially as there was money involved”.
He received over 300 entries, which was later narrowed down to “Room 315”.
The script, according to him, initially drew in a minor controversy as a Lagos-based radio personality said the title as well as the mental health theme, plagiarized her issues-based V-log, titled ‘Room 313’.
Akinmolayan, however, remained indifferent on the matter and went ahead with shooting the film.
He said that the huge support he has gotten so far on the project has helped to douse the financial strain he would have otherwise felt.