Tokunbo Ahmed

As a Film Maker, Director and Cinematographer and also to be doing well in these roles is great stuff- not to take away that you are a woman; how did you start all these?

Well I’ve always had a thing for film making so I moved to Lagos went on a lot of movie sets and developed more thirst for it. Then i decided to go to New York film academy to get more knowledge about making movies. After school, i came back and co produced and directed Scorned and now Ms Independent.

How challenging has it been for you?

 Every career path has it’s ups and downs. It hasn’t been easy being a new filmmaker in Nollywood but I keep pushing.

 When given a job to direct, how do you react to the script to make up your job?

 When I get a script, I take my time to go through it and understand each character totally. The back story of each character, the feel of the movie and how I can bring it to life and capture the audience.

Many Film directors at times have a clash of interest with the script writer, as the script writer may believe that his/her idea of the script will be better for directing the movie while the film director might not see it that way- what is your say on it?

 The script writer isn’t the director. It is the director’s job to come up with ways to give life to a movie.

How do you get yourself updated to the trends of modern film directing, Film Making and Cinematography?

 Well.. I'm young, I have a lot of exposure, I studied at New York film academy and I also do a lot of research, reading and I watch a lot of TV.

 Apart from the grade of cameras used for work, why is there still a great gap between our film quality and that of the Americans?

 Budget, time and location.

 Who do you look up to in the industry?

 Steven Spielberg, Mo Abudu, Kunle Afolayan.

 Who has helped you to stay strong in the industry?

 Christiana Martin. She and I both created the film sage productions; she’s a producer, actor and editor. We went to New York film academy together. Even though she's also new in the industry, she's been a driving force even when I feel like the industry is really tough. She encourages me to keep pushing. She’s a force to be reckoned with.

 How expensive is it to have you for Film directing, etc?

 I am not expensive…. Yet.. Lol

 What else do you do apart from the camera work?

 Well, I am more focused on camera work right now.

 What is your greatest achievement so far in your career?

 I co produced and Directed Scorned and Ms Independent with Christiana. Scorned didn’t make it to the cinemas but as of now scorned has been selected as one of the finalists in over 5 film festival including Toronto international, Nollywood  film festival.

 What level would you love to attain in your career?

I would love to be a force to be reckoned with both locally and internationally as a Filmmaker.

 Do you have any project you are working on?

 I just wrapped up Co Producing & Directing Ms Independent- a romantic comedy; it’s currently in post production.

 When not working, how do you relax?

 I watch a lot of TV, listen to good music and try to socialize.