Actor Stan Nze has weighed in on the ongoing debate about the use of dance and social media trends to promote films, saying actors should be free to market their projects in ways that work for them.
Speaking during an interview on the Nollywood on Radio podcast, Stan said it was wrong to dictate how actors promote their work, noting that much of the criticism appears directed at actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele.
“First of all, I am going to state that you are not going to tell people how they promote their movies or push their work. There is a controversy about dancing to promote films, and I know that a lot of that is geared towards Funke Akindele,” he said.
“I worked with her from 2024 into 2025 for ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’, and I must say she is a hard worker. She puts in the work, and for her, it is not about dance. She puts in every tool she has to promote her work. If I know how to dance, do oratory, fashion, I will put it there.”
Stan said Funke’s success should not be reduced to viral dance videos alone, adding that her promotional strategy includes collaborations and branding efforts that help attract audiences to cinemas.
“She brings some of the greatest stylists in Africa. You see her do collaborations with some of the biggest content creators, and I think that is what people are missing. They focus on what they think is working, whereas what is actually working for her is the embodiment of everything,” he said.
“Over the years, that is what I have also decided to inculcate. It is only a fool who does the same thing over and over again and expects a different result. From the number of promotions she does, we can see the numbers she is able to get in the cinemas, and it would be foolish of me to say I am not going to do this. I believe if it is working, why not do it?”
His comments come amid differing opinions within Nollywood about promotional methods. Actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde recently described dancing for film promotion as unprofessional, while filmmaker Kunle Afolayan and media entrepreneur Mo Abudu have also raised concerns during industry discussions.
The conversation reflects a broader shift in Nollywood marketing, where filmmakers increasingly rely on social media engagement, influencer collaborations and direct audience interaction to drive cinema attendance and visibility for new releases.
