Renowned filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has addressed the controversy surrounding his recent comments about Netflix’s funding of Nigerian original movies.

Speaking in an interview on Channels TV, Afolayan clarified that his statement had been misinterpreted.

He explained that he was not suggesting Netflix is exiting Nigeria but was emphasizing the importance of developing local distribution platforms instead of relying solely on Netflix.

The filmmaker noted that his remarks were taken out of context, stating that he was advocating for Nigerian filmmakers to explore alternative channels for distributing their content.

Afolayan also disclosed that Netflix had reassured him and other filmmakers of their continued support for Nigerian content, though with some adjustments to their operational structure.

“If Netflix parks and leaves, of course, it is going to affect all of us. I was addressing some of the government officials who were there at Zuma because Victor Okhai who is the moderator was a voice in the Nigeria film industry. I was not at the event he was talking about. I was not privy to whatever conversation must have happened there,” he said.

“I think there is a bit of a change in the structure and mode of operation. And this is open to people who supply them with films.

“The last time they were here, we had a meeting, they were still reassuring us, saying, look, we are still here. We are going to do stuff but we might not be able to do the kind of volume that we used to do.

“What I was emphasizing is that even if Netflix say they are not doing enough, or taking as many films as they should, why shouldn’t we as a country come up with other distribution platforms? Just like other people put up their films on YouTube.

“I never said Netflix is leaving Nigeria. What I said was we just shot two seasons of ‘Anikulapo’ and I heard some people who were not quick enough to make their films say they can’t shoot again because they are cutting down on numbers.

“We have a relationship that we have built over the years. I give them good content and we will continue to give them as long as they are here,” he said.

Netflix had earlier said “we are not exiting Nigeria. We will continue to invest in Nigerian stories to delight our audience.” (The Nation)