INTERVIEW: Why I Have Not Changed My Crew and Cast For Over 10 Years- Femi Adebile

Notable Gospel Film Actor, Evang. Femi Adebile has revealed in a session of interview with Gospel Film News why he has not changed his set of crew and cast for over ten years. In this exclusive interview, Adebile reiterated that he may not change them for the next 20-40 years. The Filmmaker also disclosed how he was able to shoot 3 movies in the first quarter of 2021, the challenges of shooting during Covid-19, amongst others. Excerpt:

HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO SHOOT LIKE 3 MOVIES IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2021?

Wow, how we were able to shoot like 3 movies in the first quarter. I normally say that we are not permitted to grow beyond our mindset, the vision I have is so big, it is bigger than me, it is bigger than my age, the vision I have for the ministry of drama is wide, so part of what I have for ministry of drama long ago is what is happening now, i have always have the vision that there will be a time that I will be living on location whereby movies shall be coming out of Fejos baba’s kind of kingdom operation outfit where we will be having more producer, more script writer, more directors writing script. As it is now, am still the only one writing, it’s very burdensome it can be very stressful, but it is part of what we have told God and what we want the Lord to do for us and He has started it gradually, so what is happening now in shooting of the 3 movies is God trying to answer to our mindset. You know for a long time we have talked about it and that  has gone to the future to wait for us bringing us to that revelations, Because unto him that is able to do exceedingly above what we could ask or think so it is God, it has been God, it has been hard work, it has been grace, it has been determination, it has been the mercy of God, it is God that is making it to happen like that, So it is God and after God, na still God. Though it is not that easy but God gave us the strength and the enablement and that is why we are doing it and we pray that God will still enable us to do more in Jesus name.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF PRODUCING DURING COVID 19?

Actually, this whole anointing started from the Covid-19 era. So to me the Covid was a blessing. Yeah, this whole started from the Covid because it was during the Covid I actually discovered that there are virtues, there are destinies there is a fire in me, there is a gift, blessing in me that time, running after the circular job, running after what to do, did not allow one to sit down and dig into the treasure that God has put in me, so the Covid started the whole thing so challenges of  producing was much but was full of blessings of God the Lord blessed us doing the Covid and the Lord really send the movies round the world. As we all know that it was during the Covid 19 period that a lot of people have to watch movies on YouTube and that increased our subscriber base and YouTube audience and at the same time, the more your movies blessed God the more God blesses you. It depends on how far you have gone to do the kingdom assignment that the kingdom will reward you and that is how it has always been and I believed that shooting during the Covid was much but there was still grace for that, cause there is always grace for a particular time. Thank you very much.

WE NOTICED THAT OVER THE YEARS, YOUR CREW HAS NOT CHANGED, ANY REASON FOR THAT?

Yes, this is a question I always like to answer and this is a question that so many people normally ask me and I always have this joy to answer because it’s a privilege to speak to a generation, generation of Christians, generation of leaders, generation of drama ministers. In fact, the crew I’m using now, I’ve been using them for more than 10years. If you check the actors that I use in my movies you will discover that I normally re-circle them, if you are conversant with our movies you will see that more of Sis Deborah Adeola in my movie, more of Dr Adeoye Omoniyi, you will more of some drama ministers, you will see more of Dr Korede Are, Evangelist Isaac Femi-Akintunde in my movies. Now, this is the reason: When people help in your lifting, people that have been there when you were nothing, people that will shoot your movie when you can only give them Five (5) thousand naira, people that will come and edit your movie when you have nothing to offer, when God has began to bless you and lift your hands you don’t drop them now and say they cannot do it anymore and say you have now gotten other people who can do it better. Fine, I don’t have perfect crew that’s the truth, nobody is perfect, there are some errors I see in the shots, in the way they handle the camera, but I will not change them because of that, because they were like that when we started and we managed it, I cannot now say that we have better people that can do it. Now by the grace of God I can afford better DPs, I can afford bigger DPS but no I prefer to still use them whatever I see that I like in editing, in the cinematography I go to them and tell them, then we work on it together and we have been producing results, there are many things we discuss together during script conference and we achieve what we want. So I keep using same crew because most of them are people whom we have worked together when the ministry was so small, now that God has began to put us in the spot light let them also join in the race. The truth is, I may not change them in the next 20-40 years except they decide to withdraw from the assignment. So,I’m that kind of person when I know you and we have worked together, you have contributed to my lifting, if there is anything God has done for me, I will not forget, I don’t forget people I don’t forget people’s sacrifices, so whoever has helped us to be whatever we have become is only right to pay them and still making sure that we feature them in the glory of that future that they have also helped us to build. Look at Daddy Isaac, daddy Isaac Femi-Akintunde of Mount Zion is somebody that I will continue to honour and use because there was a film he featured me in then and that film did a lot for me, I can’t forget it for anything, look at Dr. Omoniyi during the year 2016 I had an instruction that I should face acting and drop directing for now (I have been the director of my movies from the beginning)and Dr Adeoye Omoniyi came to my mind and since then he has been directing my movies and we have doing wonderfully well. There was a time he told me “Bro femi you can direct now” but I will told him that we will do it together, everything that we do in this kingdom is that at the end souls are saved. We are not in a competition that people must see me or they must know me, No no no. I believe that we are going somewhere and our mission is to reach out to the unreached so whoever that is going to make that vision actualized we use them leaving sentiments behind, so about the actor I use, I don’t like actors that will come on my set and give me problems, some actors you call them they will give you problem, the work will be slow, but people that i use are people that we know and understands ourselves, we work together in unity and we are likeminded people and whatever we give to them they accept it with joy. So this are the reasons I recycle people, I like working with likeminded people, my crew has not changed, my actors have not changed because I like to work with likeminded people.

IT WAS NOTICED THAT YOUTUBE SHUTDOWN YOUR CHANNEL, HOW DID YOU ACTUALLY RECOVER YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL BACK AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY THE GIST?

About how I recovered my YouTube channel and what actually happened is a gist, I will not want to say it, because the views on my channel on Sunday was noticed by some people, whom I believed should have reached out to us and ask us what was happening and why was things not going well but, they didn’t talk about it, everybody pretended like things were going on well. And so if God has done it the only news and gist that we can now pass is the testimony of what God has done, so what God has done is the testimony, He has taken control, He has done it, but actually the experience taught me a lot, it exposed a lot to me, I understand things better. The major gist is that it was shut down for reasons we do not know of, but the way the Lord did it, in fact, the way it was done that opportunity has never been given to anybody. I wouldn’t want to go into details. God has done it is the gist, there is testimony is the gist and I believe that it is for a lifting and progress, but I want to say that next time if we see anybody who we observe, like we know some movies will actually come out on some days and we know how some channels usually go, we should always try to check up on ourselves properly we should know what is going on. By the grace of God alone we are happy, we passed through a challenge though painful but we thank God that we came out strong and better. To God be the glory.

 HOW IS BABA NIFEMI INVOLVING?

Oh Baba Nife…(in Baba nife’s voice) Hellooo, how are you o, all of you asking of baba nife. Hahahaha, how I wish this was a video interview, actually baba nife is involving o, because when we started during the Covid, like I said the Covid was an advantage to us the Lord revealed to us to do things during the Covid, we didn’t know it will go far, but I must tell you Baba Nife is going far, I must tell Baba Nife is going far, I must tell you. We have been receiving invitations to come and perform on stage, I will be in Lagos next week, Baba Nife is going there and there are some places we have gone to play on stage, and aside that people has been calling us that they want Baba Nife to come celebrate birthdays, help them advertise their music albums, advertise their programs, and they are willing to be a blessing to Baba Nife, because people forget the fact that I am Baba Nife, so they see this man as an old man and having this compassion on the old man character forgetting that it’s still me that is doing the thing, so it is involving, we are taking it to another level, in fact, by grace of God in the month of June we are trying to build a conference and a brand for that Baba Nife concept to build in script writers and producers for the concept, we are going into full soap opera that will go to Television station, we are planning to build the brand to be a gospel alternative in the world of comedy and we would see that it will be a blessing to the body of Christ.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR YOUNG CHRISTIAN FILMMAKER?

My advice to young Christian filmmakers like myself, because I’m also young too. I’m saying we should not relent and we should not compare ourselves with another person. The bible says for these comparing themselves are not wise. Don’t compare yourself with another person, the graces men carry are different, we may be age mate but we are not grace mate, we must always be able to identify the graces in men and always give an honour to it so we can have access to that grace. So, we must not be too proud, we must not be too heady and believe that we have arrived like some young ministers do, we must be obedient to God, we must be patient, we must hear from God and we must honour the fathers, we must honour the sacrifices of the fathers, we must be patient to wait for God’s time cause everybody has their own time of announcement. No man can announce any man, it is only God that announces men, in fact, it took God announcing Jesus when he was being baptized, He said this is my beloved son, hear ye him. Not until God has announced what he has commissioned that men should hear us we will not be heard, and before God will tell people to hear us there are measures of sacrifices that we must do in His vineyard that God has seen before he can say Yes this one has really passed through the method, he has the scar, he has what it takes, then God would now say let men hear him. That is it! But most importantly we must check your ear, your heart must be perfect, the heart at which you want to work for God must be right first, your motive must be for the souls of men, not for money, not for fame or any other thing.

IT’S DIFFICULT TO SEE YOU AT ANCEDRAM CONFERENCE, WHY?

Ancedram Anthem

Ancedram, drama   army

Ancedram, against the devil

Ancedram, Is for unity

We are one

We are one

We are one

May God make us united as that song is in Jesus name. My not in Ancedram conferences is not intentional, sincerely I’ve always wanted to be there, but most times it always clash with my other personal engagement, that is the reason why. In fact, there are many program I should have gone to, but it usually clashes with my other personal programs, my mind is with Ancedram and I love Ancedram, and I love the association. We’re doing big, we’re doing great and we are going to do better. I pray that one of this days I will be able to attend one of the conferences that will take place as soon as possible, so my not being there is not for any reason aside that my schedule and time that won’t let me be there. Thank you very much Gospel Film News for the privilege to speak out and be a blessing and then say some things, it’s been a great honour, and I must say you guys are doing a very good job to the body of Christian drama, we appreciate you and we love you and it’s our prayer that you grow bigger from strength to strength and glory to glory in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.