I can’t dance to promote my movie – Afolayan; ‘don’t allow jealousy burn you,’ Funke Akindele retorts

Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, appeared to take a veiled swipe at fellow filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, following recent comments on the sustainability of current movie marketing strategies in the industry.

Akindele is currently Nollywood’s highest-grossing filmmaker with her movie ‘Behind The Scenes, released in 2025, grossing N2,407,000,000. She is well known for her energetic promotional style, often involving dance videos and comedy skits used to market her films across social media platforms.

Kunle Afolayan

Akindele’s comments come amid remarks by filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, who recently questioned the pressure on filmmakers to constantly create promotional content, particularly dance-driven marketing, to sell their films.

Speaking earlier, Afolayan described such promotional demands as exhausting, recalling his experience in the industry.

In 2006, I did all the runs, and it was exhausting. I want to make a film if you can guarantee I don’t have to dance to sell that film.

“We need to come up with other strategies. How do we sell without exhausting ourselves?

“I don’t know how the likes of Funke Akindele and others are doing it — creating skits every day, changing costumes all the time. I can’t do it,” he said.

He also raised concerns about the financial returns of cinema successes, arguing that high visibility does not always translate into commensurate earnings for filmmakers.

“I don’t want two billion streams at the cinemas and end up receiving ten million naira,” Afolayan said.

Funke Akindele’s reaction

In a series of posts shared on her Instagram Story on Saturday, the actress dismissed suggestions that her approach to movie promotion was hindering the progress of others in the industry, stressing that success in Nollywood should be inclusive.

I’m not the one hindering your progress. Ka rin ka po, yiye nin ye ni,” she wrote.

She further stated that the entertainment industry was large enough for everyone to thrive, urging colleagues to explore alternative approaches rather than criticising existing ones.

“If you can’t beat them or join them, create your own path. No allow jealousy burn you. The sky is so big for everybody to fly,” Akindele added.

The actress also encouraged filmmakers who find the current trend exhausting to adopt other promotional strategies or engage professional marketing firms.

Go ahead and create alternative promotion or marketing strategies for promoting your business, or hire a company to handle it. You can do it. The opportunities are endless, and everyone has their own path. I’m focused on mine, and I have faith in God’s plan for me,” she said.

Culled from punch