CANEX: Akindele eyes Kenya, Egypt, Algeria for filmmaking partnerships, defends marketing strategy
By Damilola Akinwale –
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has announced plans to collaborate with filmmakers and emerging creatives across Africa, particularly in Kenya, Egypt and Algeria, to expand the global reach of Nigerian storytelling.
Akindele disclosed this on Friday during a fireside chat with media personality Chude Jideonwo at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND) in Lagos, where she also unveiled plans to expand her company’s digital operations in 2027 through new films, reality shows and other creative content.
“I want to keep doing it right. This requires collaboration with the next generation of filmmakers. We’re partnering with a lot of young filmmakers. We need young directors. Our YouTube channel will be buzzing from 2027. You’re going to love different films, content, reality shows,” she said.
Western Post reports that she also defended her aggressive marketing strategy amid criticism, stressing that effective publicity was essential to commercial success and that filmmakers must actively engage audiences rather than rely solely on their reputations.
“Marketing, for me, is everything. PR is everything. Marketing, for me, is intentionality. I have to be intentional about it. What are the plans? What would the audience want to see? You know, the fans out there, what would they like to watch? They are hungry for content,” she said.
Explaining her promotional approach, Akindele said she used social media campaigns, traditional advertising, comedy skits, behind-the-scenes videos and other promotional content to reach different audience groups. She also accepted Jideonwo’s suggested N5bn revenue target for her upcoming movie, describing it as sufficient for her at this stage.
Addressing criticism of her promotional style, she defended her dancing, describing it as a hobby, and accused critics of portraying her as unserious while overlooking other marketing strategies adopted for her productions. She maintained that drawing inspiration from other creatives was not copying and insisted that her approach was not driven by rivalry.
Akindele further revealed that the demands of promoting previous productions had taken a toll on her physically and mentally, recalling an unsuccessful influencer collaboration and an occasion when exhaustion caused her to repeatedly forget her lines, forcing her to suspend filming.
