Ambitious; that is the best word to describe 22 year old filmmaker Ebikuaju Daniel Tope whose work, ‘In the Deep’, is already ruffling feathers in Nollywood.
Ebikuaju Daniel Tope,who has three works in his kitty so far, growing up partly in Lagos, where he was born, and Ondo his home State, has been impactful in his growing career. According to him, both localities have special experiences that can fuel a creative mind.
“I usually tell people that one’s experiences influence the choice of movies one makes. The experience could come from literary works or even physical encounters. For me the experiences in Lagos and Ondo have been helpful. A fertile mind will always see ingredients to prepare his works from those”.
His story in the film industry, he says is borne out of interest and decision not to go astray. “I am happy I chose to make films. It has taken me away from those negative influences. When I left school, I told myself that I needed to do something that is not fraudulent. I wanted to make money with my talent, so I opted for films. It was not easy at the initial stage but you know that talent does not hide. One thing I like about Nollywood is that if you tarry, someone will identify your talent and give you the platform to showcase it.
In my case, it was Obi Madubogwu, and today in a short while, I have movies people are impressed with. Some of my mates found favour in yahoo-yahoo, but I chose to make films instead. And everyone is proud of me for that”.
Aside ‘In the Deep’ with cast members like Yvonne Jegede, Buchi Okoye, Benedict Johnson and Obi Madubogwu, his other works are ‘Final Judgment’ and ‘Flashpoint’.
He has a piece of advice for fellow young men in Nigeria. “I will urge them to channel their creative energies to filmmaking rather than internet fraud”.
