- Lily Afe has called out some movie lovers and producers in the Nollywood industry.
- The actress faulted movie lovers for favouritism for a particular actor, leading to producers segregating actors and lack of support for less-known ones.
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Lilian Afegbai aka Lily Afe has taken to Instagram to vent her frustrations over the growing divide in the industry, where creatives are labelled.
In Nollywood, one thing is becoming increasingly clear: not all filmmakers and actors are treated equally. They are tagged as YouTube filmmakers, Netflix stars, or Amazon actors.
Lily Afegbai’s fiery post shed light on an issue that has long simmered beneath the surface but rarely gets addressed with such candour.
Her grievance stems from a disturbing trend where the industry; and the viewers themselves segregate filmmakers and actors based on where their work is showcased.
According to her, this classification unfairly creates a hierarchy, diminishing the talents of those who work primarily on platforms like YouTube while elevating others associated with global giants like Netflix or Amazon. Her words:
“Normally, an actor is an actor. It’s about, are you a good actor? Can you act? But it’s you viewers that have turned the whole thing upside down.”
She went on to call out audiences for judging movies based on the presence of “certain people” on posters, highlighting how this mentality stifles the growth of emerging actors and filmmakers.
“Other people have to have room to grow. More actors have to come,” she stressed.
Lily Afe didn’t hold back as she shared a series of encounters with a particular YouTube producer. From being dismissed as “not a YouTube face” to condescending comments and lowball offers, her story illustrates how pervasive the problem is.
In one instance, a producer offered her ₦100,000 for 15 scenes, an amount she found not only unacceptable but also disrespectful.
Lily Afe made a bold move by holding viewers accountable for perpetuating this divide. “How many films is your fave going to be in at the same time? It’s not possible,” she pointed out, urging audiences to give lesser-known actors a chance.
Watch the actress speak below: