I shot Yoruba without Borders movie with smartphone – Tunde Kelani

Tunde Kelani

Legendary cinematographer, Tunde Kelani, has screened his documentary, Yoruba without Borders, at the iREP movie festival.

‘Yoruba Without Border’, Kelani’s new production with frequent collaborator, Bola Bello, was shot with two smartphones.

The 71-year-old filmmaker said that the film was shot over a week and two days while post-production work took six weeks.

“The phone today is more than just a tool for communication. Once you are familiar with the gadgetry, you can use it for your film and nowadays almost all the softwares found on the camera is available on a smartphone,” he said

The documentary explores the artificial borders that separate people of the Yoruba race across West African countries and how the colonial period abruptly divided them.

Tunde Kelani who is famed for his experimentation told members of the audience that he decided to try his hands on shooting with a smartphone after watching a movie by an American director made the same way.

Popular crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, better known as Bobrisky, expressed regrets at whitening his skin in Beverly Naya’s documentary film, Skin.

The documentary screened at the opening of the 2019 iREPRESENT International Documentary Film Festival held at Freedom Park, Lagos on Wednesday.

The movie festival runs till Sunday, March 24.