Dare Babalola
Veteran Nigerian filmmaker Tunde Kelani has condemned the unauthorised creation of short clips from films, labelling the practice piracy and a blatant abuse of intellectual property rights.
TK, as he is fondly called, expressed his discontent in a strongly-worded Facebook post on Thursday, taking issue with the increasing trend of bloggers and social media users lifting scenes from his films and sharing them online sans permission.
“This is WRONG! Cutting our films — Saworoide, Agogo Eewo, Ti Oluwa Nile, Thunderbolt: Magun — into unauthorised reels and posting them online is not promotion. It is piracy and the destruction of our cultural work,” he wrote.
The filmmaker stressed that his movies are meant to be experienced as complete artistic expressions, not chopped up into bite-sized bits for social media fodder or financial gain.
“A film is a complete story, not fragments for quick views to make quick money illegally. This is stealing openly,” Kelani stated.
He called on digital content creators to respect copyright laws and support filmmakers through legitimate distribution channels.
“Please stop this practice and wickedness! Support creators by watching and sharing films through the proper channels. Let us protect, not diminish, our heritage. Stop this criminality,” he added.
The filmmaker’s remarks come amid increasing concerns within Nigeria’s creative industry over the widespread reposting of film scenes across platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok, often without authorisation from rights holders.
Kelani, one of Nigeria’s most celebrated directors, has built a reputation for culturally significant films and literary adaptations, with notable works such as Koseegbe, Oleku, Thunderbolt: Magun, The Narrow Path, White Handkerchief, Maami, and Dazzling Mirage.
