My Life In Nollywood: Heavens Obule 

Every week, The Culture Custodian grants you an all-access backstage pass into the lives of Nollywood rock stars. You get to learn about their fascinating backgrounds, the behind-the-scenes stories, and more.

This week’s edition features fast-rising independent filmmaker, Heavens Obule, who identifies as an actor, producer, and casting director. Between 2013 and 2017, he studied Economics at Babcock University, where he started acting. His aversion to a 9 to 5 job pushed him into professional full-time acting in 2018. He has worked as an actor and model, featuring in films, series, and commercials, including Feels Like Heaven, MTV Shuga, and Skinny Girl In Transit. Yet his interest in culture-grounded Nigerian stories made him establish his production company, Take One Productions, in 2020.

Heavens Obule finds motivation in film projects like Titanic, Behind Her Eyes, Riona, and Get Out. He admires the tenacity of his childhood idol, Tyler Perry, which encourages him to stay consistent in his filmmaking path. He has produced a dozen short films, including Onajite, Irreplaceable, Voices, Affidavit, Pranked, Ori (Destiny), For My Mama, and Ihunanya’m. His film credits also include Something Like Gold (2nd Unit Producer), Spa With Osas (producer) and The Buffet (Production Manager). 

Narrated in Igbo language and directed by Heavens’ frequent collaborator Abiodun Odu, Ihunanya’m borders on love and betrayal. The short film was featured at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF 2024) and is a recipient of the inaugural edition of The Film Joint Awards.

An alumnus of EbonyLife Creative Academy and awardee of a 7-day Film Production Masterclass with Chris Odeh, Heavens Obule is committed to exploring authentic Nigerian narratives that resonate with domestic and international audiences. He is keen on transforming great stories into impactful productions and considers himself a catalyst for the much-desired change. 

This conversation with Heavens Obule has been revised for clarity. 

You developed an interest in acting in your third year at the university in 2016 before setting out professionally in 2018. What caused the spark? 

Acting was something I was doing right from secondary school till university days. I was studying Economics at Babcock University and doing my ICAN, but it just felt like I was going to leave school and start working in a bank. My father was a stickler for that, but I wanted something different from a 9-5. So I decided to do acting, which allows me to earn income and makes me happy. After I was done with university, I pursued full-time acting in 2018. 

You consider yourself an indie filmmaker. What makes you different from a mainstream Nollywood filmmaker?

It’s money. I’m still restricted by finances to go big and tell the stories that I have in mind. Finance still makes a huge difference between filmmakers like me and the mainstream guys.  

In 2020, you launched your production company Take One Productions Concept. What is your vision for the company?

Take One was launched in 2020 during the Covid-19 period. That year, I was not pursuing my acting career since everyone was at home. I thought of the way forward for me because I wanted to be more than an actor in the industry. So, I founded Take One by basically using my phone to just create content. When I started, the goal was to build a team for myself and other aspiring actors. I wanted to get my friends who are aspiring actors and others out there who are also struggling to make it in the industry. The vision now is to be a production company that produces authentic Nigerian stories in the best possible way. We are also proving to the world that we are young and can create magic together. 

Speaking of “authentic Nigerian stories”, what exactly do you mean?

I mean stories that depict how truly we are here in Nigeria. For instance, when I want to depict a bus conductor, I am not going to cast someone who cannot give me what I want. So, when people abroad or those who don’t even know about our culture watch the films I produce, they see Nigeria through them.

You have been enthusiastic about the promotion of short films particularly through the event, Night of Shorts, which started in 2022. Why short films?

I started out making short films and have produced over a dozen of them. I just thought it best to encourage and promote the cinema culture by allowing different filmmakers to display their short films and get raw feedback. One of the things lacking in the industry is that we don’t tell ourselves the truth in reviewing our films. Night of Shorts provides an opportunity for filmmakers to come together, deliver their content, and get immediate feedback from the audience. It is just basically about me trying to see how young filmmakers can bring their films for people to watch. 

Your short film, Ihunanya’m (Witten by Fisayo Ojabodu & directed by Abiodun Odu) was screened at TINFF 2024 and won three prizes at The Film Joint Awards. Could you take us through the creative process for this production?

I am a pro-indigenous and pro-authentic filmmaker.  When my partner Abiodun Odu told me about telling an Old Nollywood, countryside kind of love story, that prompted us to start thinking of how to take people back in time. One thing I have realized about our audience is that they remember these Old Nollywood stories even without great cinematography. Those stories still have a special place in our hearts. That informed the creative mind behind making Ihunanya’m. I cast my friends for the roles. We traveled far to get a location, a film village in Lagos, that would give us that nostalgia we wanted. 

You attended a three-month EbonyLife Creative Academy (ELCA) program. As an alumnus, how has that influenced your career? 

I feel like ELCA helped me. Apart from the fact that I went into shaping my acting skills and became a certified actor, I went with the mindset of getting the contacts of people that I wanted to work with. After ELCA, all my productions have involved people from there. I came out of the program with human power and resources. 

You made a feature-length film, Clout, with 150,000 naira in 2021. Could you walk us through the production process?

I don’t consider it my first feature film though. It was an experimental film. We wanted to submit it for the International Horror Film Festival that happened in Lagos. We were glad that we won the Best Experimental Film category. It was my friend who brought up the idea of experimenting with the psychological horror genre. We went blindly into making the film without even knowing the rudiments of filmmaking. The reason I spent that money was basically because I used some of my friends.

What other creative events and initiatives have been impactful to your career?

I attended a masterclass with Chris Odeh last year. It helped me to get a certificate in producing and become a better producer. That was also a highlight of my career. 

You wear many hats as a filmmaker. How do you manage and define your roles as a producer, executive producer, and casting director?

This was one of my fears when I wanted to go into producing. I loved acting and hoped no one would forget that I was one and define me as strictly a producer. But the good thing about it is that I’m finding fulfillment inside. It’s so beautiful when an idea in your head comes out excellently, even more than you imagined. I identify myself as an actor, producer, and casting director, and enjoy getting recognized in those regards respectively. 

Nollywood filmmakers often cite budget constraints as a major production problem. Beyond that, what other career challenges have you experienced and how have you managed them?

Working with the right set of people. Filmmaking is very difficult because you have to find the right, skilled people. It’s about being able to spot people that are good and hungry. One thing about me is that I grow together with my peers, and we get better. 

What do you consider in a script before deciding to work on the project as a producer?

The script has to speak to me. I have to find elements in the film that excite me, one of which is the depiction of language and culture. The money has to be good too. 

Which filmmakers do you consider your biggest influences?

James Omokwe, Chris Odeh, Kayode Kasum, Jadesola Osiberu and Kemi Adetiba. They have all impacted me one way or the other to be a better filmmaker. I also love Mo Abudu for her marketing and for globally promoting Nollywood. In my formative years, I admired Tyler Perry a lot. He is one of my most influential filmmakers and I have studied his growth. His growth motivates me to never give up. 

Which three Nollywood films do you consider your all-time favorites?

The Wedding Party 1, Phone Swap, and Ayinla. 

What future projects do you look forward to?

I’m working on my first feature-length film, which I’m excited about. I’m also working on creating a series and other content on my YouTube channel.