Famed art director Tunji Afolayan, through his legal representatives, Osifowora & Co., has asked the Managing Director of KAP Productions Limited, Kunle Afolayan, to reverse what he termed a “breach of contractual terms.”
Tunji Afolayan
In a letter signed by the firm’s senior lawyer, Olatubosun Osifowora, Afolayan, who is not related to the filmmaker, accused the latter of deliberately trying to undermine his creative input and relevance in the film ‘Ijogbon’.
Ijogbon, released on October 13 on Netflix, is Kunle Afolayan’s latest project. It tells the story of four teenage friends whose lives take a turn when they stumble upon a mysterious treasure inside a porch containing diamonds, which plunges them into a chaotic situation.
Upon its release, ‘Ijogbon’ reached number one on the most viewed Netflix movies in Nigeria, ranking in the top 10 on the lists of nine other countries: Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago , Venezuela. and Kenya.
According to the letter addressed to KAP Productions and Netflix, Segun Akintunde, line producer of KAP Productions Limited, hired Mr. Afolayan to work as the art director of the movie ‘ljogbon’.
His deliveries and remuneration as art director were well detailed in the contract. The letter noted that the contract was signed on January 11 between Mr. Afolayan and the KAP production executive/representative in the presence of Kunle Afolayan.
Kunle Afolayan
However, like a scene from the recently released ‘She Must Be Obeyed’, he alleged that the management of KAP Productions Limited kept the executed copies of the contract documents. Mr. Afolayan’s copy was never given to him.
The real Ijogbon
Much to Mr. Afolayan’s dismay, upon completion of the project and its subsequent release on Netflix, his name and title as art director were omitted.
The letter further stated that the filmmaker was credited as the art director of the film ‘Ijogbon’, while he was credited as the ‘set designer’.
“Our client is dismayed by this serious omission and considers it a breach of the contractual terms of the contract with KAP Productions Limited. Furthermore, this is seen and taken as a deliberate attempt to undermine our client’s creative work and his relevance to the film titled ‘Ijogbon’.
“In view of the above, our client demands that his name and the position he was hired and worked for be restored and properly credited in the movie ‘Ijogbon’ as the art director,” Osifowora wrote.
He further demanded, on behalf of Mr. Tunji Afolayan, that the retraction be made within seven days of receipt of the correspondence before the next course of action is adopted.
mom is the word
The lawyer’s letter was issued on October 17. This means that the ultimatum issued last Tuesday has expired.
Neither the filmmaker nor his company, KAP Productions, have yet reacted to the letter.
When Newslodge approached him, his manager, who simply goes by the name Mr Segun, declined to comment on the matter, noting that his lawyers are looking into the matter.
“We have no comments on this matter. Our lawyers are handling the matter and we don’t want to talk to them,” she said.
