Using Film to Tackle Internet Fraud, Tola Odunsi

Filmmaker and entrepreneur Tola Odunsi talks to Pelumi Kazeem about his career and other issues.

Tola's journey as a filmmaker started in 2006 when he began directing music videos under the name Bobby Boulders. He has directed around 50 videos, including Naeto C’s ‘Kini Big Deal’ and General Pype’s ‘Champion’. His first feature film, ‘From Lagos with Love’, came out in 2018. Since then, he has created several TV shows. These include ‘The Men’s Club’, which ran for five seasons on Amazon Prime, ‘Flawsome’, a Showmax Original, and ‘Assistant Madams’.

His current film, ‘19’, is named after “419”. It was inspired a few years ago when he was advising young Nigerians about their career choices. He was surprised to find out that some had been involved in Internet fraud, known as “yahoo”, mostly due to peer pressure and societal expectations. This discovery pushed him to use film to tackle the issue and encourage social change.

The biggest challenge was fitting a story that covers 22 years of the main character’s life into a two-hour film. Since he also wrote the script, he had to cut down the story while keeping the main message intact.

Audiences want strong stories more than anything. They seek emotional connections and real character struggles. When a story hits home for them, they usually overlook small production mistakes.

As Tola has developed as a filmmaker, he pays more attention to the message and moral of a story. His focus has shifted from just entertaining viewers to sharing stories that have a real impact.

He believes the stakes are much higher now. Streaming platforms provide wider reach, but they also put pressure on filmmakers to create high-quality content that can stand out globally.

To truly connect with a global audience, Nigerian filmmakers must stick to authentic storytelling, form international partnerships, and keep improving the technical quality of their work.

Yes, he has faced challenges. He has even had to defend the title of one of his popular shows, but he prefers not to share specific details about that.

The main lesson he learned is to avoid overcapitalising on a project. Every filmmaker wants the best talent, crew, locations, and production design, but budgets are limited. Depending on the distribution model, managing finances carefully is essential. After overspending on past projects, he learned this the hard way.

Tola is most focused on creating impactful stories that carry a message.

Right now, he doesn’t have anyone specific in mind.

He hopes his work will be remembered for stirring deep emotions, like empathy, joy, or suspense, and for giving audiences important lessons long after the film ends.