Filmmaker Kunle Afod has addressed reports claiming that he was banned by movie distributors from acting in Nollywood films, clarifying that the issue being referenced happened over a decade ago.
The 51-year-old spoke in a video posted on Instagram following the resurgence of an old interview in which he narrated challenges he once faced with movie marketers over the transition from physical movie formats to online streaming.
“For about a week now, a report has been circulating online alleging that Kunle Afod has been banned from participating in the game,” he said in the video.
“People have been calling me to ask what happened.”
The confusion began after an interview surfaced where the film director said distributors misunderstood his move to digital platforms in the early 2010s as an attempt to sabotage their business.
“In the old days, when people still recorded movies on cassettes, I had seen that CDs would be the next thing, and I sold that idea to the marketers. Later, when DVDs came, they embraced them. But when we moved to putting films online, many of them didn’t understand,” he recalled.
He explained that he and a few others began uploading their content online when distributors resisted the change.
“Instead of asking me about it, the movie distributors saw me as someone who wanted to ruin their product. This is why the movie distributors banned me because of the issue,” he said.
Afod added that he was later invited for a meeting with the distributors and the misunderstanding was cleared.
“When they saw that I had no ill will towards them, I told them to announce that they had lifted the ban on me but they did not do so, and I distanced myself from them,” he explained.
However, the Ori Eiye director emphasised that the incident took place over 14 years ago and that his comments were about the past, not a current situation.
“You have come to call the incident that took place fourteen years ago, which I mentioned during the interview, the reason why they no longer called Kunle Afod to office,” he said.
“Fourteen years ago, it was like it was just happening. Anyone who watches movies well knows that I’ve been playing well up until this point.”
He also addressed the dangers of spreading misinformation on social media, reminding the public that fake news could have legal consequences.
“They will post pictures of people together, they may say someone has left their husband or someone has just had a baby, things that are not true, because they want people to follow them on social media,” he said.
Afod’s reaction follows a trend in the entertainment industry where celebrities have had to refute false claims. He referenced actress Adunni Ade, who also recently denied viral reports about her relationship status.
Kunle Afod began his career in 1986 and has since become a respected figure in the Yoruba movie industry.
Aside from his film work, he is known for supporting veteran actors. He is married to Desola Afod.