Veteran filmmaker, Wale Fanu dies, Onwochei pays glowing tribute

By TOLU AKINWALE

Uncle Wale as we fondly call him was one of the foremost Nigerian filmmakers.

 

A long standing associate of our dear Tunde Kilani and Lola Fani Kayode.

 

He was founder and CEO of Cinekraft , the go-to studio at the time.

Beyond post production, Cinekraft was top of the range in grip,tracks,jib,car mount,heavy duty generators and all manner of production equipments.

Cinekraft maintained some of the best trained crew with tested experience in celluloid film projects.

 

Uncle Wale’s Cinekraft partnered with LFK to make the hugely impactful “Mirror in the Sun” a few years later I was privileged to star in his film  project OWOBLOW directed by Tade Ogidan.sometime in 1993.

Uncle Wale Fanu,Tunde Kilani,Lola Fani Kayode and Tade Ogidan had their production offices on the famous Jakande Close in Surulere.

 

Uncle Wale Fanu was a sickle cell carrier.Doctors informed that he may not survive after age 30. But he lived up to 72.

To friends and close associates he is used to  making morbid sef-deprecating joke that he was on  the brink every day of his life after he was 30..

 

He is a champion of  discipline and culture of excellence expected of motion picture practitioners.

 

IF you have practiced long enough in the creative industry particularly a back camera operative ,you must have encountered the  business conscious yet friendly  ,supportive and jovial Uncle Wale.

 

He was very active in Men’s fellowship of his church in Surulere (often invited me to speak to their young graduates for skill development in the creative sector)

 

May God console and comfort his family for this irreplaceable loss.

Francis Onwochei