Why Niyi Akinmolayan’s Mikolo is Nigeria’s Most Important Film of the Year

Recently, I was at the cinema and a child, about 6 years old, wanted to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beast but his mom said “No, you can’t watch that, it has violence.”

I thought the woman was overreacting. What’s the big deal in letting a 6-year-old watch a couple of metal giants punch themselves and spill engine oil?

But, was she right to stop the child from watching? Would they even be allowed into the cinema hall?

As a kid, I watched Yoruba fantasy movies about popular characters like Abija, Ogunjimi, Sokoti, Agbako, and others.

These movies were not appropriate for kids, but our parents let us watch them, anyway.

While parents were not concerned, it was a problem that there were no films for children. And it is still a problem today.

It’s a problem that Niyi Akinmolayan is trying to solve with his new film, Mikolo.

According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, from the 2nd quarter of 2017 to the 1st quarter of 2021, Nigeria produced 4, 730 movies and none were for children.

Two years after 2021, there were still no Nigerian films for children. A search on the NFVCB website shows that the censors’ board rates most Nigerian films 15 and above.

Nigerian kids can only watch Hollywood movies at the cinemas, and many of these movies are PG-13.

I have seen kids get disappointed when they stop them and their parents from watching some animated films in the cinema.

Many Nigerian parents don’t bother about movie ratings but if you bring a 5-year-old kid to watch a film classified as ‘12’, you shouldn’t get tickets.

And while there are many shows for kids on DSTV and GOTV, few characters look like Nigerians and none of these shows tell Nigerian stories or showcase our culture.

So when Niyi Akinmolayan released a teaser for Mikolo, I was very excited.

Mikolo is a children’s fantasy film about two kids and a strange creature, Mikolo, going on several adventures. It is a live-action film shot in the beautiful mountains of Ondo state.

It explores the themes of family, friendship, societal values, and love for animals. The film uses CGI to bring animated characters to life, creating a magical world where the impossible is possible.

Mikolo’s cast is led by child actors, Pamilerin Ayodeji and Fiyinfoluwa Asenuga . The other actors in the film are Yvonne Jegede, Daniel Etim Effiong, Riyo David, Femi Adebayo, Yemi Elesho, and Binta Ayo Mogaji.

It will be at the cinema on August 18.

Nollywood has something for the kids, and that’s why it is the most important film of the year.

With this film, we can look forward to a new beginning where Nigerian stories are not for adults alone or stuck in PG16.

I don’t care what the reviews will say about Mikolo. For me, Niyi Akinmolayan has made a Nigerian film for kids, and that’s all that matters.

I hope many Nigerians will come out with their kids and support the movie at the cinemas.

Although the film is not out, I look forward to more stories about Mikolo.

I would love to see TV series, video games, educational apps, toys, and other merchandise built around Mikolo.

I am sure Niyi Akinmolayan knows about transmedia storytelling and how Star Wars merchandise has made more money than the Star Wars films. I hope he gets support to make this happen for Mikolo.

The Nigerian film industry has missed many chances to rake in billions with transmedia storytelling. But we can get it right with Mikolo and other family films that will come up after Mikolo succeeds at the box office.

The kids are on holiday, so come August 18, it would be nice to take them to the cinema to watch Mikolo. Let’s support Nigeria’s most important film of the year.

Thank you, Niyi Akinmolayan and the team at Anthill Studios.

Originally published at https://ladipotitiloye.substack.com.