Popular Nigerian actress and filmmaker, Faithia Williams, has raised concerns over an alleged attempt to sabotage her debut cinema release, Efunroye, despite extensive promotional efforts.
The veteran actress made the claim in an online outburst on Friday. In a now-viral video posted on her Instagram page, Faithia lamented that cinemas were assigning her movie late-night slots instead of daytime showings, making it difficult for many of her fans and supporters to watch the film.
In the strongly worded video, Faithia expressed frustration over the development, claiming that beyond ticket sales, the movie was not being given the visibility it deserved despite the amount of work, planning, and money invested in the project by her and her crew.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the late-night scheduling, she said giving Efunroye midnight slots was unfair because it discouraged many fans from watching the film at convenient times.
She stated, “…some cinemas are not even giving me slots at all and when I beg them, they tell me what they want to tell me.”
Faithia added that the poor scheduling had affected opportunities for the actors to meet fans and physically promote the movie. She cited the case of one of her actors who visited a cinema to promote the film but was denied the opportunity.
“My actor went to the cinema today, they told her that Efunroye is not on the list of movies approved for actors’ meet-and-greet sessions. Efunroye is not up to one month in the cinema and you want to kick me out like that?” she lamented.
The actress further stated that if Efunroye is eventually removed from cinemas, she may grant an interview and publicly mention the person she believes is responsible. She also accompanied the video with a post urging fans to insist on watching Efunroye if offered other movie options at cinemas and to ensure the film’s name appears on their tickets.
