FILM REVIEW: Tunde Kelani, director. Akinwumi Isola and the Rest of Us. 2017. 18 minutes. English and Yoruba, with English Subtitles. Mainframe Film and Television Production.

Abstract

In Akinwumi Isola and the Rest of Us, director Tunde Kelani has produced a reflective documentary that captures his artistic and fascinating relationship with the cinematographer and playwright Akinwumi Isola. Though partly a tribute to the late Professor Akinwunmi Isola, the documentary chronicles Kelani’s collaborative film projects with the Yoruba playwright Isola, whose plays were once adapted for the stage by the Isola Ogunsola Theatre Group. The result of this collaboration is a kind of neo-traditional cinema which seeks to emphasize the filmmaker’s respect for and allegiance to the Yoruba culture. Some examples of these works include Efunsetan Aniwura (1982), Kosegbe (1995), Saworoide (1999), Oleku (1997), and Agogo Eewo (2002). Tunde Kelani has interspersed this short documentary with graphics, stills, and excerpts from the aforementioned films, including archival footage of theatrical performances.