New Nollywood is in a tizzy over theft and plagiarism of the creative work Room 315. Wana Udobang, multimedia journalist, poet and filmmaker is butting heads with filmaker, Niyi Akinmolayan over the upcoming release of the short film Room 315.
Wana’s argument is that the film is premised on her work Room 313, which is a series with people experiencing trauma in a psychotherapist’s office, same as Room 315.
As usual, this has thrown up sparks in New Nollywood
See below:
Wana:
The case of creative coincidence; Room 313 and Room 315 https://t.co/1wdTWvPDpP
— kecy francis-anosike (@ShutUpKecy) October 17, 2016
The writer…
https://twitter.com/ABOSIOGBA/status/788074875500040192
Niyi Akinmolayan:
I want to share a beautiful story. A story about how beautiful things happen. The story of #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
After starting the blog and getting really good feedback from readers, I realized the blog had potential to be bigger than me #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I decided … why don't I get everyone involved in this rather than sound like a know-it-all #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Of course the coolest way was to start a competition and put some money on it. But it wasn't gonna be easy #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I actually didn't think anyone would take me seriously. Then I had the shock of my life #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
In less than 2 weeks I had received over 50 scripts from everywhere around the world.I didn't even know ppl took the blog seriously #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I had to tell everyone to stop. By then, I had over 120scripts. Who was gonna read all this #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Luckily I had a good friend in @godchylde who promised to read the whole 120scripts. Some friends offered to join #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
After two weeks, they made a top 20 selection.At that point I knew we had gold in our hands and I was gonna make something with it #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Kenny Joseph @godchylde suggested, hey Niyi why don't we offer a free workshop to the top twenty and teach them to b better #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I thought it was a great idea so I buzzed my sweetheart @Uduakisong to dash us afriville for the training #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
The biggest shocker however was the winner of the 100k. We had a top three so I asked people to vote. #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Almost 400 people from all over the word voted and they picked a winner in @ABOSIOGBA #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
When I read @ABOSIOGBA #room315, I assumed it must be one big writer who just chanced all the little ones till I called him
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I invited @ABOSIOGBA to Lagos. He had never been to Lagos before. Bush boy. I got him a hotel room cos I thought he was a big boy #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
When I saw @ABOSIOGBA with his creepy glasses and small body frame, I honestly didn't know what to say. #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Of course I asked him his age and what he does for a living. He told me he was 21 and a secondary school teacher. Ha!!! #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
After giving him 100k and sending him back to the village I decided to put him on a graphic project we were working on at anthill #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
#room315 is child's play compared to what @ABOSIOGBA did with the graphic novel. You will all read it next year. The boy is a genius
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Some of my coolest ideas, I had them about @ABOSIOGBA age when I was a broke kid living in Ikola…we are not on google maps #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Eventually I called my bestie @emmauduma @Tiencepay @Uduakisong and told them to join me in making this movie #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
But I wasn't just gonna shoot the film, I was going to reimagine the blog. I was going to make it a crowdsourced movie. #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I had to give back. Every process of making #room315 had to be an opportunity to train young film makers. I asked everyone to join me
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Tina Mba jumped on the train before she even read the script. I love that woman. More people started asking what they could do #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
We decided to audition for the roles and train all those who Submitted. @lalaakindoju came to inspire the young actors #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
The project became larger than me.I'm a very busy person and I don't play with family time.The pressure to deliver got my BP high. #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Friends came around to support. I felt very special. We were making history. Bimbo Manuel and @GregoryOjefua jumped on board #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
On Saturday, the 2nd phase of this jouney will be completed.We will b filming the most collaborative film project I have ever seen #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
The entire filming will be streamed life. I will be exposing myself to the world just to teach young people filmmaking #room315
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
I hear there are controversies around #room315 but one question.Are you ready to move forward.If your answer is yes.Then let's make history.
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
#room315 THE END!!! Join us live on Oct 22
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Critics:
Trust me. No one has told me their work was stolen. At least not to my face or inbox. No controversy here…only awesomeness. https://t.co/53zDeuzLI9
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Then get a lawyer and we can have this discussion. Bye. I have a film to make. https://t.co/EhS55ybi3z
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
Niyi’s responses:
If you are truly a creative who cares about originality, You wouldn't tweet this thoughtless nonsense. https://t.co/lJxIbfuplh
— T U M (@theurbanemix) October 17, 2016
I love Facebook. U can fight with someone and end up drinking beer together. This Twitter b like toilet door graffiti in high school…lol
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
People can actually create controversy out of a cat pooping on twitter. def not my arena. Nobody wants to talk about food and science sheesh
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
You people want to start a fight with me and a woman I respect a lot. Ko Le werk
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
You people want to ruin the true purpose of what we are both doing. Creating mental health awareness. Ko Le werk
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
We need more metal health awareness. We need more monologues. We need more films. We need more rooms.
— Niyi Akinmolayan 🇳🇬🇨🇦 (@niyiakinmolayan) October 17, 2016
The supporters
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959297913348096
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787960231443763200
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959943496335360
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959219886624768
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959316091396096
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959130979962880
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959312379420672
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787959952509992960
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787960230801989632
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787960558020661249
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787960864892649472
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787961504524038144
https://twitter.com/Uduakisong/status/787962829898911744
#Room315 is a project meant to bring new names into the industry. The only person making money on it is the writer. @niyiakinmolayan isn't
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
The more scripts you write, the more you realise that the only original thing is your execution of a concept, not the concept itself
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
Last word. I get that Nigeria is a low trust society, and we are always ready to believe the worst of each other, but it's not always true
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
Last last word. I can guarantee that on my next film, I'm going to be accused of stealing it cos there is ar similar script floating around
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
I thought about dropping it, but it is a story that i want to tell so I'm not dropping it. Both the Falling one and this are choices i made.
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
the funny thing was that despite all my experience my first thought when i heard about the other project was did anyone leak my script
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
the funny thing was that despite all my experience my first thought when i heard about the other project was did anyone leak my script
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
so i understand the need to feel like our ideas are wonderful and special, but trust me, they are not.
— Naz Onuzo (@nazonuzo) October 17, 2016
This won’t end well.
