Kunle Afolayan to shoot Anikulapo Season 2 in Ghana

Filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has announced that some scenes of season two of his Netflix series, ‘Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre’ will be filmed in Ghana.

Teasing the upcoming season, Mr Afolayan shared on his Instagram page Tuesday pictures from the film location recce.

Location recce is a vital pre-production activity which involves finding the perfect spots, venues, and facilities that will bring the filmmaker’s vision to life.

The upcoming season is in collaboration with Juliet Asante, the CEO of Ghana’s National Film Authority (GNFA).

He wrote: “ANIKULAPO SERIES: New season. Location recce in Ghana in collaboration with National Film Authority and Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante.”

As of press time, the Kwara-born filmmaker hasn’t revealed when shooting will begin or who will star in the new season.

‘Shoot in Ghana’

At the Nigeria International Film and TV Summit (NIFS) held in Cannes, France, this May, the 48-year-old revealed that part of season two will be filmed in Ghana, supporting the ‘Shoot in Ghana’ campaign.

‘Shoot in Ghana’ is an initiative launched by the Ghana National Film Authority, GNFA—that invites filmmakers to shoot and capture the stunning sceneries and excellent facilities the country offers.

The initiative will also create employment opportunities beyond the film industry for Ghanaians.

Recalling his experience filming ‘Rise of the Spectre,’ at the NIFS summit, the New York Film Academy alumni said the lack of proper accommodations—forced the cast to use a communal house.

Mr Afolayan highlighted the dramatic improvement in infrastructure, stating, ‘We only had two hotels, not even five-star, more like minus one-star. Now, within two years, we have forty-room hotels, thirty-two deluxe rooms, and eight apartments built.”

Reviving Ghana and Nigeria’s film relationship

Ms Asante, the dealmaker, said filming part of the Netflix series season two in Ghana was a golden opportunity to revitalise and strengthen the film industry ties between Ghana and Nigeria.

She said the countries gain significantly from collaborating deeply and exploring each other’s markets and strengths.

Ms Asante urged filmmakers globally to consider Ghana as a captivating filming destination.

“Ghana is calling on the world to come and shoot in Ghana and capture the breathtaking sceneries and facilities Ghana has in their movies; this will lead to the employment of Ghanaians in these movies and also get the country Ghana and its people out for the world to see. Most importantly, by Ghanaians working on these productions, there is more acquisition of skills ‘skill transfer’, and many businesses benefit from these activities in the country.

“Leading to more tourism, income and soft power for Ghana. It is with excitement that the National Film Authority of Ghana is partnering with the iconic African Filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, to shoot scenes of the Netflix hit series ‘Anikolapo’ in Ghana”, she shared on her Instagram.

Furthermore, NFA on 18 June inked a collaboration deal with filmmaker and actress Funke Akindele to produce her next undisclosed film in Ghana.

The Instagram post read: “Funke Akindele heads to Ghana. The renowned Nigerian actress and filmmaker Funke Akindele is set to shoot her next film in Ghana, thanks to the National Film Authority’s ‘Shoot in Ghana’ initiative. The exciting collaboration highlights the growing appeal of Ghana as an ideal destination for film production in Ghana.”

Background

‘ANIKULAPO’ was released in 2022. Its sequel, Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre, released in March, was filmed at the Kunle Afolayan Production (KAP) Film Village in Igbojaye, Oyo State.

The film tells the story of Saro, who arrives in Oyo as a stranger and a traditional textile weaver and gets entangled with Queen Arolake in an unlikely romantic affair.

However, the series picks up the story after Saro’s resurrection. He continues in his dubious ways. Meanwhile, Arolake becomes a wealthy woman but also makes new powerful enemies.

‘Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre’ cast were Kunle Remi, Bimbo Ademoye, Sola Sobowale, Adebayo Salami, Layi Wasabi, Moji Afolayan, Aisha Lawal,, Jide Kosoko, and Adeniyi Johnson, Owobo Ogunde, Ogogo Taiwo Hassan, Eyiyemi Afolayan among others.