A Nigerian filmmaker, Busola Komolafe, has called for a shift toward ethical, psychology-driven storytelling, prioritizing responsible representation and emotional depth over sensationalism, particularly in documentaries and African brand storytelling.
Komolafe made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
She noted that filmmakers wield enormous power to shape public perception.
According to Komolafe, who is also the Founder of Jyraes Motion Pictures, storytelling goes beyond entertainment but also a tool that can influence how society understands trauma, behavior and truth.
Reflecting on the responsibility of creatives in shaping narratives, Komolafe said filmmaking was like a call to action for her to do more stories.
She further noted that many stories, especially those about women, often dwelt on visible experiences while ignoring deeper psychological struggles that shape behavior and identity.
Recalling one of her works, she recounted a short film about a kidnapped woman whose trauma was overlooked after her release.
“My short film was about a lady who was kidnapped and the traumatic aspects of it wasn’t treated.
“When she was released, they focused on just the physical, meanwhile, she had some mental thing going on,” she said.
Komolafe emphasized that such gaps reflected a broader societal failure to engage with mental health, particularly among women who, she said, silently carry multiple burdens.
“I think that as women, we grow up with a lot of things, just because of what society expects.
“There’s just a lot of battle going on with us mentally,” she said.
Beyond extreme cases of trauma, she pointed to everyday psychological pressures shaped by cultural expectations, relationships and lived experiences.
“Sometimes you see people and you be like, why does this girl always behave like this?
“When you sit down and listen to the backstory, you understand why they act the way they act,” she added.
Komolafe further emphasized that filmmakers had a duty to explore these backstories, rather than reinforce shallow judgments.
The filmmaker, who has worked both as a TV executive and on production sets, described filmmakers as gatekeepers who decide which stories are told and how they are framed.
Speaking on the ethical responsibility that comes with narrative control, she illustrated the persuasive power of storytelling with an example of a crime documentary that altered her perception of guilt.
“Do you know that I was watching and I was convinced that the guy was innocent because of the storytelling?
“So, we have so much power that we need to make sure that we’re telling the right stories,” she said.
She also challenged assumptions about the marketability of women-centred stories, noting that they resonate strongly with audiences.
“It’s marketable because all the shows that you see on TV, if you look at the survey, women were actually watching more than men,” she said.
Komolafe further drew attention to the economic and social realities of women, especially those in informal sectors who shoulder family responsibilities with little recognition.
She added that many women bear financial responsibilities quietly to conform to societal expectations about male dominance.
“When I see women who roast corn on the road side, I know that one or two of these women, are probably paying the school fees of their children.
“There are some women who are the breadwinners of their families but they hide because they don’t want their husbands to be perceived as weak,” she said.
For Komolafe, these untold stories – from psychological struggles to economic resilience – offer rich material for more authentic filmmaking.
She explained that her approach to storytelling is rooted in psychology, aiming to spark recognition and shared experiences among audiences.
“I would like to tell stories beyond feminism, beyond the surface of what people think, things that people don’t ordinarily talk about.
“I want to get a reaction where people will say, ‘oh wow, me too, this thing actually happens to me too,’” she said. (NAN)
