MAKEMATION’s director AMA Psalmist, full name Michael Akinrogunde, is buzzing about the impact that his work is receiving.
Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, the Creator and Executive Producer of MAKEMATION, tells the story of onboarding this young director, who has already made inroads into Nollywood at just 29 years old.
“I reached out to a director whom I had followed for a while to come work on my film,” she began. “His scepticism threw me off, then he hit me with a massive budget, stating that he would not work on my film for anything less than his stated amount.
“I did not know AMA Psalmist before then. And so, when I got introduced to him, his eccentricity spoke to me. However, as a rookie, I needed guidance on picking the right director for my film. I couldn’t afford to get just anybody on board.
“And so, Uncle RMD [Richard Mofe-Damijo] stepped in. After a few discussions, I settled on AMA Psalmist as my film’s director with Uncle RMD’s co-sign.”
That decision turned out to be a masterstroke! We couldn’t imagine a better director for this film!
Set in the backdrop of Lagos as it presents in everyday life, MAKEMATION shows people what they can be. It gives people what they can aspire to. Moviegoers who have seen what AMA Psalmist and Toyosi put together are in awe and speak a lot to its rewatch value.
AMA Psalmist: The Film Got Me Excited From the Beginning
AMA Psalmist tells the story of how the ‘beautiful’ story called out to him after speaking with Toyosi.
“The first call that I got from the Executive Producer and Visioner of the film, she narrated this grand film that was centred around STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics], women in tech, and it got me excited from the jump.
“I remember the first version of the script,” he continued. “It was so beautiful that I could visualise the scenes.”
And his visualisation was spot on. From the community in Bariga, Lagos, to the campus of the Pan-Atlantic University’s School of Media and Communication, he perfectly captured the world that Toyosi created.
AMA Psalmist also spoke about the challenges of filming in Bariga, Lagos.
“Filming in the local environments [was] because we wanted authenticity,” he began. “There were some scenes we could not get properly unless we did this, so we had to shoot in the ghetto. “We were there for two weeks. We filmed late into the night and dealt with everything that came with swampy areas.
“By the eighth day, everybody looked stressed.”
The pictures to come out showed the work that AMA Psalmist put in, which has drawn so much accolades. As one critic said, the film “roots technology in tangible struggle”; the struggle of the people in the ‘trenches’.
“MAKEMATION will inspire not just women going into stem,” he adds. “There was particular attention paid to every demographic. In some way, shape or form, you will see yourself in the character and it will inspire you to go for what you want.”
