Bolanle Austen-Peters has opened up on why she is drawn to making movies with deep historical context.
In an interview on Rubbin’ Minds the director of Netflix’s House of Ga’a said that she wants people to see the best of Nigeria in her films.
“I do what I do because I enjoy it; telling Nigerian stories through the different avenues that I have, ensuring that we put Nigeria on the front burner. People get to see the best out of Nigeria. This is the connect for Nigerians in the diaspora. We bring home to them wherever they are,” she said.
Austen-Peters’ introduction to storytelling began in the theatre, having directed many stage plays including Saro, the Musical. She said now that she works with motion picture, she draws on her theatre muscles to produce the best.
“The strength that I bring in is also the strength that I have had from stage. The years of honing my skill on stage have taught me that you can’t cheat. People see everything,” she said.
She added that she makes films with the intention that it gets to a global audience.
“We see movies abroad and they spend billions of dollars to give you the content they give you for you to chew. In Nigeria, we have to get to the point where we cannot compromise. We cannot compromise talents. We cannot think that we’re operating for a local audience. The world is smaller. Everything you do here is seen across many oceans in nanoseconds. I’m not operating with the mindset that this is local. I’m operating with a mindset that whatever I do must have that global standard of excellence in it,” she said.
