Veteran filmmaker Tunde Kelani has slammed the growing trend of social media users and bloggers cutting scenes from films and posting them online without permission, calling it outright theft and a destructive assault on Nigeria’s cultural heritage.
In a passionate Facebook post on Wednesday, Kelani, popularly known as TK, expressed his frustration over clips from iconic films like Saworoide, Agogo Eewo, Ti Oluwa Nile, and Thunderbolt: Magun circulating online without authorisation.
“This is WRONG! Cutting our films into unauthorised reels and posting them online is not promotion. It is piracy and the destruction of our cultural work,” he wrote.
Kelani emphasised that films are complete creative works, not fragmented snippets for social media clicks. “A film is a complete story, not fragments for quick views to make quick money illegally. This is stealing openly,” he warned.
The filmmaker called on content creators to respect copyright laws and support legitimate distribution channels, urging: “Please stop this practice and wickedness! Support creators by watching and sharing films through the proper channels. Let us protect, not diminish, our heritage. Stop this criminality.”
Kelani’s warning comes amid growing concern across Nigeria’s creative industry about the reposting of film scenes across platforms like Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok without consent from rights holders.
One of Nollywood’s most celebrated directors, Kelani has a legacy of culturally significant films and literary adaptations, including Koseegbe, Oleku, Thunderbolt: Magun, The Narrow Path, White Handkerchief, Maami, and Dazzling Mirage.
With social media piracy on the rise, Kelani’s fiery call serves as a stark reminder that Nigeria’s cinematic treasures cannot be exploited without consequence.
