Why I dumped secular for Christian films —Omotosho
By Some have observed that despite efforts by some experts in the industry, the faith-based movie sector seems to be finding it hard to thrive. What is responsible for the trend?
I do not share such view. The faith-based movie sector is doing fine and achieving its aim. Everyone in the field is ensuring its growth and achieving its purpose. For instance, we at the Parable Films have been around for awhile, precisely for a decade and we have been imparting lives through the grace of God with our works. Also, there are lots of experts in the ministry such as Evangelist Mike Bamiloye of the Mount Zion Ministry, among others, that preach the gospel through gospel. Though we operate differently, but our focus is the same. Considering all the efforts of these professionals we cannot say we are struggling to compete with others in the movie sector. What I think we need is to create room for development.
But secular movies remain widely accepted than faith-based ones, especially among Christians. Do you agree?
No, Christian movies are accepted by many. The major issue is that this aspect of the movie sector is very sensitive, because it has to do with religion. It is strictly gospel. It is about saying the truth about Christianity. Our aim is to preach the gospel of our Lord Jesus. So, it is not true that our works are not accepted. Instead, it has turned many lives around. We are not competing with anybody, because we have focus, we received a call. Whatever we do is inspired by the spirit of God. As long as we are doing what God has ordained, us, we don’t have any problem whatsoever. Even though we are faced with some challenges, we remain steadfast in the trend and God’s directive.
How did you receive the call?
Before you talk about calling, there should be a degree of the grace of God upon once life. You must possess a gift that will enhance one’s divine assignment. God won’t call you into His work without giving you the gift. I received the callingwhen I was in secular movie and I realised that the gift of God upon my life was not meant for such filed, so, I dumped it for Christian films production and the experience has been awesome since I switch.
How many films do you have to your credit so far?
We bless God for how far He has brought us. We have produced 14 movies. Our first production was Adanunla (Great Loss), followed by The day of the Lord, The Agenda has two series; Oyeni; The Shooter, it also has Yoruba version: Ajaga; Balogun Persia; our latest film is Baale Ajajunmale. Apart from these works, which have brought testimonies, we have decided to follow the trend of the emerging technology. We have taken the ministry to the digital world; we make use of all the online platforms. This has helped us to touch many lives and connect with many people.
Would you say the switch was because you were not finding it easy with secular movies?
No, even in the secular field, I was working with passion. I have a lot of interest in movie production, and I am committed to using my gift for God. I have acted alongside stars like Ogogo, Iya Rainbow, among others. I also ventured into television shows; I feature in some progammes at BCOS, NTA, Galaxy and other television stations. One of the things that made me to switch was my religion does not permit me to indulge in some things I encountered then. I quickly re-discovered myself; withdrew and followed the right path.
What has been your greatest challenge since you became a faith-based movie producer?
The main challenge we had when we started was that we could hardly get sponsors unlike secular. However, money must not be the main priority; our primary assignment as a ministers of God is to preach the gospel and win souls through films and God who has called us, will take care of the rest. We also had the challenge of acquiring necessary facilities for film production when we started, but God eventually took control. He has been faithful to us.
Despite the messages and morals preached through faith-based films, the Church is still facing all shades of ungodly act. What is the problem?
I don’t want to believe that it is the work of the devil. These are the signs of the events of the last day as stated in the Scripture. It is an evidence that Jesus was not lying about his prophesies; they are all coming to pass. The happenings in the Church today is the fulfillment of prophesies. People can have access to true gospel by preaching or any other medium, but it is by choice to heed and make use of the word, as well as live a righteous life. I pray God heal and help the Church, because many have deviated from the right path and this is why we are faced with a lot of challenges.
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