The bond between the Lagos State Government and ace filmmaker, Tunde Kelani’s Mainframe Film and Television Productions gets stronger. The award winning filmmaker’s filmed play; Yeepa has received the nod of Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) to screen the satire free to all the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas in a mobile cinema show across the state.
In a letter addressed to all the Executive Secretaries of all the Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas, by the Permanent Secretary, Local Government Affairs and signed by a Director in the Ministry, G.O Onafeko, the mobile cinema show would commence on Monday, January 19 and runs till Tuesday, February, 2014. The Executive Secretaries were urged to give maximum support to Mainframe; the theme of Yeepa, according to the Permanent Secretary is of importance and sustenance of peace in Lagos State. While the film show will be at no cost to the Local Governments and LCDAs, concerned officials are expected to provide space, either indoor or outdoor that can conveniently seat a minimum of 500 people, provide chairs to seat the same capacity, adequate security and other necessary logistics. It could be recalled that in 2009, the Lagos State Government and Kelani’s Mainframe collaborated to screen Arugba across the 57 LGs and LCDAs.
Yeepa, one of the attempts by Kelani to retrieve Yoruba classics features a hybrid of traditional theatre artistes, trained actors and a handful of Nollywood stars with Niji Akanni as the Artistic Director. The ‘filmed drama’ depicts Isola (Bayo Bankole) a rascally and unreliable man who is mistaken for the formidable Public Complaints Commissioner, Solarin, by the corrupt officials of the Local Government Council.
His presence causes anxiety and panic among the officials, and they make desperate efforts to out-do each other so as to pacify the visitor. The flurry of activities to cover their misdeeds exposes the high level of corruption and rot prevalent in the local council. Isola is therefore generously bribed and accorded the reception that befits the status of a man of importance. The discovery of the mistaken identity coincides with the arrival of the real Public Complaints Commissioner.
Speaking on the initiative, Kelani said: “For me, my passion is to take cinemas to the physical audience and just as the same thing as growing the cinema’s audience. From this experience, Nigerians will once again witness the rebirth of the cinema industry.
The involvement of Lagos State, he said, confirms the state as the entertainment capital of Nigeria and in line with the policy of the State’s investment in entertainment. Lagos’ investment in the entertainment industry is huge and it is only expedient that the government keys into such a lofty project.’’
Asked what the audience should expect, he said: “Yeepa! It’s a comedy, a social satire. People will come and laugh but we are also looking at the theme of corruption and good governance in a good manner.”
