Nigerian filmmaker Kunle Afolayan has announced that some scenes of season two of his Netflix series, ‘Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre’ will be filmed in Ghana.
Afolayan shared on his Instagram page on Tuesday pictures from the film location recce.
The upcoming season is in collaboration with Juliet Asante, the CEO of Ghana’s National Film Authority (GNFA).
He wrote: “ANIKULAPO SERIES: New season. Location recce in Ghana in collaboration with National Film Authority and Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante.”
The Kwara-born filmmaker hasn’t revealed when shooting will begin or who will star in the new season.
Recall that at the Nigeria International Film and TV Summit (NIFS) held in Cannes, France, this May, the 48-year-old revealed that part of season two will be filmed in Ghana, supporting the ‘Shoot in Ghana’ campaign.
‘Shoot in Ghana’ is an initiative launched by the Ghana National Film Authority, GNFA that invites filmmakers to shoot and capture the stunning sceneries and excellent facilities the country offers.
The initiative will also create employment opportunities beyond the film industry for Ghanaians.
Recalling his experience filming ‘Rise of the Spectre,’ at the NIFS summit, the New York Film Academy alumni said the lack of proper accommodations—forced the cast to use a communal house.
Mr Afolayan highlighted the dramatic improvement in infrastructure, stating, ‘We only had two hotels, not even five-star, more like minus one-star. Now, within two years, we have forty-room hotels, thirty-two deluxe rooms, and eight apartments built.”
In her remarks, Ms Asante, the dealmaker, said filming part of the Netflix series season two in Ghana was a golden opportunity to revitalise and strengthen the film industry ties between Ghana and Nigeria.
She said the countries gain significantly from collaborating deeply and exploring each other’s markets and strengths.
Ms Asante urged filmmakers globally to consider Ghana as a captivating filming destination.
“Ghana is calling on the world to come and shoot in Ghana and capture the breathtaking sceneries and facilities Ghana has in their movies; this will lead to the employment of Ghanaians in these movies and also get the country Ghana and its people out for the world to see. Most importantly, by Ghanaians working on these productions, there is more acquisition of skills ‘skill transfer’, and many businesses benefit from these activities in the country.
“Leading to more tourism, income and soft power for Ghana. It is with excitement that the National Film Authority of Ghana is partnering with the iconic African Filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan, to shoot scenes of the Netflix hit series ‘Anikolapo’ in Ghana”, she shared on her Instagram.
‘ANIKULAPO’ was released in 2022. Its sequel, Anikulapo: Rise of the Spectre, released in March, was filmed at the Kunle Afolayan Production (KAP) Film Village in Igbojaye, Oyo State.
