NollyWood Actor Kunle Afolayan strikes deal with Air France

Celebrated film maker, Kunle Afolayan, has struck a deal with Air France, thus deepening his connection with the corporate world. The deal, which involves serving as the airline's ambassador, will see the company supporting him on his next movie titled The CEO. Besides, the airline will show Afolayan's films, including award-winning The Figurine and Phone Swap, during its flights. Unveiling the partnership in Lagos last Wednesday, both parties expressed excitement at the development.


Since The CEO will feature actors from Anglophone and Francophone countries, including Nigeria, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Kenya and South Africa, part of the deal will be for Air France to fly the cast and crew round these countries where the film will be shot.
General Manager, Air France/KLM, Jean-Raoul Tauzin, said the airline was proud to have Afolayan join the Air France family as a brand ambassador.
He said, "If you are familiar with the Air France environment, we have been in Nigeria since 1946, serving the country, and its citizens. We are very pleased that we have someone very famous and international to represent our brand.
"As you may know, Air France has been sponsoring the Cannes International Film Festival since 1980 and we are very proud to be a partner of the Festival de Cannes to develop the industry of entertainment and art in France. Therefore, we are very convinced that with the help of Kunle Afolayan, we will be able to develop as much as we can, a partnership between Air France and Nollywood."
Afolayan recalled that his Golden Effects company, which deals in audio-visual productions, has, in the last 10 years, produced films that are rich in culture, while also bringing many people together.
He however described his deal with Air France as something very new and unique.
"I remember in 2009 when we wanted to shoot The Figurine. We approached quite a number of airlines because there were parts to be shot in Germany and we tried to see how to make that happen. But we had to change the script because we couldn't make it happen," he said.
At the unveiling ceremony were Commercial Director, Air France/KLM, Arthur Dieffenthaler; and film producers and promoters such as Kelani, Mahmood Alli-Balogun and Chioma Ude.