For budding movie producer and actress, Deborah Oyebolu, stepping into the league of movie producers has been a dream nurtured for a long time. With a new movie that is set to hit the cinemas anytime from now, Oyebolu, a native of Ondo State, says she has a story that will shape the minds of people. She speaks with SEGUN KASALI in this interview and sheds more light on her career and life.
You have a new flick that many people have been talking about. How did you come about the idea of the movie, Ceeci?
Ceeci indeed is a product of close experience. For me, Ceeci represents the danger inherent in parental hasty conclusions about the future of a child. Our well-educated parents are always prone to hasty conclusions – if a child failed once in class, pieces of advice start pouring in from every family corner that maybe he should go and enrol for artisanal work, because according to us “ori e kogbeweniyen.” We are so unforgiving that we indirectly pressure young minds to seek all manner of ways to excel including cheating during tests and examinations. Today, as a society if we think more deeply, we will realise that the cookies are already crumbling around us. I came from a family of teachers – both my father and mother are teachers in Ondo State. My father recently retired but my mum is still in active service.
Tell us more about the project Cecci?
In a teacher’s house, how dare you fail? To our teacher-parents, if a child is not brilliant academically, that child is a disgrace, and oftentimes these children are quickly written off. I am very sure children reading me right now who have had to battle teacher-parents’ hasty condemnation for coming second in a class of 30, will understand the story of Ceeci.
So your experience having both parents as teachers brought about this new movie?
If you grew up like me under those stern but loving looks of our teacher-parents, Ceeci is a must-watch for you. If you ever wonder why your teacher’s son or daughter is mostly moody in class or especially as exam comes around the corner, you need to come and watch Ceeci to capture those untold drama that only happens in a teacher’s house. If you are a young teacher already starting or raising family, please, you need to see this movie so that maybe we can start a new day and make a teacher’s home a place of happiness for teacher’s children.
You are releasing what may turn out to be a blockbuster movie. How much did this cost you?
For this blockbuster movie, a lot went into its realisation. This is a major movie with fitting cast that brings out the true character of the story. We never had to cut corners except of course the fact that the huge financial resources required to tell our story were beyond my means.
So what did you do to raise money?
What do you call the act when you secretly make several transfers out of your husband’s account for a big movie like this, is that stealing? I guess it is, maybe I stole his money to tell a story on behalf of all teachers’ children out there. I stole my husband’s money to achieve it. After reviewing the extensive script we had written, I had a meeting with the director of the movie and some crew members; it was at that meeting that I realised it would cost a lot of money putting everything together as planned. What I had budgeted couldn’t do half and my husband is not really the kind of man that will allow anyone use his money to finance movie projects, no matter how compelling it is. So, slowly I began the smart Friday-night transfers until I got enough. He saw the movie, he loved it, but he never knew he was the major financier until I confessed. He was my pillar.
What were the challenges you faced while planning the project?
My greatest challenge was money, which got solved miraculously as I had said earlier. Next was the cast, star actors and actresses. On the first day at the movie location, an actress with extensive roles in the movie called the director that she couldn’t make it to the location again. She even said she will do a refund. That got me really worried about how to move on from the setback. I started thinking of who to call that could fit into her role but thank God for my director; he fixed it. He called her back and found a way to speak to her and sent someone to pick her at home. We had a lot of challenges that threatened the project. Let me not forget to talk about the area boys, they are a different class of fun. Ceeci was shot in a ghetto-like setting so we already knew the boys are always going to be around but we certainly got more than we ever bargained for. Learning to smoke ganja, doing bottle fights unaided really took more guts than I ever thought. Area boys matter, celebrity-actors and actresses matter, unending drama by different characters added fun to the shoot.
How do you feel about themovie hitting the cinema?
I feel great. I feel fulfilled, not totally though, but at least we are starting from somewhere and I really can’t wait for peopleto see the magic. The premiere is holding in a few days and I just can’t wait to see what it looks like to be a child of a teacher-parents. It excites me a whole lot and I am happy to tell this story.
Who are your partners on the project?
Well, after my husband laughed off the several transfers, he committed me to an agreement that the film earnings will go to support the Feed The Elderly Foundation, an NGO we both operated for the benefit of vulnerable and homeless aged people. Of course, I was too happy to accept the commitment, for it represents who we are as a couple and if Ceeci can help provide more funds to do what we know how to do best, I am fully in. So aside the movie director, Sesan Alabi, Bororo, Bukola Salami and many others that worked day and night to see the movie out, FTEF is the beneficial partner of Ceeci.
What inspired you to join the Nigeria movie industry?
The need to further what the great actors and actresses are doing led me to where I am today. I have always admired the movie industry. The resilience of people like Richard Mofe-Damijo, Jim Iyke, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Funke Akindele, YemiSolade, Odunlade Adekola makes it a lot more enticing and inviting. I love these great people and I give it to them. Ever since I joined, I have had no regrets whatsoever and I look forward to greater days ahead. Like I said earlier, my child hood experience inspired the story line, and nothing really changes while working on the project,except the fact that more than I thought of many us that have been itching to tell the story of growing up in a teacher’s home asa child.
What should your fans expect from you after Ceeci?
They should expect a lot of amazing movies. Ceeci is not my first movie, but it’s my first cinema movie with A-rated Nollywood cast-using the very latest film equipment to bring a story to life.
With what you have seen so far as a movie producer, what would you like to change about the movie industry?
Making the movie industry a place people will love to associate with is something that I would love to see in the industry. I hope to make other business owners see reason to invest in movies and other creative works of art.
As a producer and actor how has movie industry impacted the Nigerian economy and what do you think can be done?
Nollywood is large and is currently only second to Bollywood. Our contributions to enriching our custom and traditions are invaluable. I make bold to say that we contribute meaningfully to our nation’s development in more ways than people are willing to give us credit for.
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