Ferdinand Ekechukwu
Even after almost half a decade making films cutting across industries and a large scope of stories including documentaries, commercials, originals, music videos and other creative works, Ifeoluwa Fatogun has very recently had a career feather added to her hat after winning her very first Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award.
The eleventh edition of the AMVCA, which was held on May 10, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, saw uber talents in the African film industry—like Ifeoluwa—get recognised and awarded for their works and contributions towards further growing the continent’s film industry and creative ecosystem at large.
It is in this light that film director Ebi Atawodi of Zobo Studios and producer Ifeoluwa Fatogun were celebrated for having made the Best Documentary film in the motherland since the last edition of the awards ceremony at the most prestigious award for excellence in film and television in Africa.
This comes with plausible pride for both filmmakers as in a system where creativity is not very often appreciated, seeing creatives like the aforementioned putting maximum effort into telling the stories that matter is a phenomenon that shouldn’t only be recognized, but also applauded, putting into consideration the very many fundamental, foundational structural challenges they must have to overcome in order to create world-class pieces.
The awarded film, “Dundun”, is a documentary that follows the story of a traditional Yoruba craftsman, Hassan Ayanyemi and how he makes a traditional music instrument from scratch. The instrument is a drum called “Dúndùn” and it is peculiar for how it mimics the human voice with every beat.
It requires a great level of skill to both make and use the drum efficiently, but this film goes beyond that, into the history of this musical tool, how its use transcends the borders of Nigeria into diaspora regions of the Yoruba race like Brazil, Cuba and some other parts for West Africa, and its importance in culture.
When asked about how she feels concerning the win, Ifeoluwa Fatogun said: “From the beginning, I knew this project required creative alignment, integrity, and purpose. So I assembled my own version of the Avengers; an incredible crew who brought their A-game from day one. The win came with a deep pride and validation.”
This marks the start of even more long-lasting impactful films for the creative storytelling powerhouse that Ifeoluwa is, as she contributes her quota towards the growth of African filmmaking; one project after another.
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