Why my movie, Tiresimi Is trending” Adetona Davies 

Adetona Davies is a Music Artist cum Film Producer and a successful entrepreneur. In an exclusive chat with us, the amiable CEO of the TALENT HUNT AFRICA-EUROPE FOUNDATION opens up on the success of his newly released movie, which came out on the 5th of February 2023 and showing on YouTube via LIBRA TV 

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF

My name is Adetona Davies. I am the CEO of a Youth Empowerment foundation named Talent Hunt Africa AcademySouth Africa) which I fully registered and started in the city of Johannesburg in 2011. For seven years, we operated the NGO fully with the main training center in Joburg and during those years, we reached out extensively to Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Sweden, Germany, Norway, France, and Holland with various training programs in MUSIC among African and European children/youths. In 2018, I got an appointment from a Spanish School of Art in Madrid, to be its first African Music Instructor! After completion of the contract, I moved down to an Island called PALMA DE MALLORCA here in SPAIN. where I started my community outreach music programs. In 2019, I change the name of the NGO to TALENT HUNT AFRICA-EUROPE FOUNDATION because SPAIN is now my permanent base with the vision of reaching out to both African and European youths with our TALENT DISCOVERY PROGRAMS 

HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY INTO ENTERTAINMENT START AND WHAT MOTIVATED YOU

Hmmm! That’s a good question that I  love to answer because it brings back the memory of my growing up in the city of IBADAN (Oyo State, Nigeria). It is an ancient rich in deep and undiluted YORUBA CULTURE! As a young teenager, as far back as 1981, every evening after dinner, we always gathered together to watch Yoruba play like KOOTU ASHIPA, AWADA KERIKERI, and ARELU! I always get excited every evening because I always look out for the songs that will be rendered along with the acting by the actors! My best of them are all the plays produced by Late PA Oyin Adejobi and I can categorically say that he was my foundational Mentor in Music, because all the songs from those plays are my daily National Anthem! I got motivated and from there started developing my singing talent! There as a teenager, I gave birth to MY DREAM that one day, I will be going around the world singing and producing films rich in AFRICAN CULTURE and that it will be a TOTAL THEATER (i.e Combination of MUSIC/ACTING/DANCE) Production, just like the late legends ( Pa Oyin Adejobi, Hubert Ogunde, Ade Love, etc) during their time. 

*YOUR MOVIE TIRESIMI IS TRENDING, HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? 

I’m so excited and happy about the huge success and can you believe it that within three weeks, we got over half a million views on YouTube! This can only be GOD and having a good story with good handlers! For a movie to get people’s attention, it must be a good STORYLINE to be handled by a seasoned and professional DIRECTOR! 

I did my homework, I sought out one of the best YORUBA MOVIE DIRECTOR that is current in NIGERIA! My net caught Princess ALLWELL ADEMOLA, who is currently an award-winning and best Yoruba Female Director in Nigeria! 

She did justice on the well-scripted story written by my lovely daughter – EWABUNMI AKINNUBI, who acted as TIRESIMI in the FILM. My director really went far in getting seasoned and current award-winning Nollywood actors for the film! That effort of hers gave the film a great boost! This year, people should look out for more! 

TO EVERY GLORY IS A STORY TO TELL! WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES FACED AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM? 

In the past, I’ve gotten a lot of bitter and bad experiences through debts! I’ve borrowed money in the past for projects that I ran into huge debts which I never recover from till we entered the pandemic! So during the pandemic, I concluded that I won’t come near film production again! Towards the end of 2021, I ventured into another business related to travel and tours, expecting a breakthrough by the early part of 2022! So I entered with great hope for huge success but unfortunately, the business failed woefully! I WAS DUPED! I became depressed through the month of February and March of 2022! I stayed indoors throughout, seeking God’s face and new direction! You won’t believe it that during that dark period, apart from God’s deep intimacy I had, I WATCHED OVE 50 YORUBA MOVIES and most of them gave me motivational messages that made me conclude that this is for real the path God wanted me to take! To be producing films that will touch lives(especially Yoruba people living in the diaspora!) 

But as a die-hard person who doesn’t give up at all, by April of 2022, TIRESIMI became a personal message to me when my daughter(EWABUNMI) shared it with me! 

God miraculously provided the fund for the shoot without consulting anyone to borrow money for the project! God indeed PUSH FAVOUR TOWARDS MY DIRECTION (OLUWATIRESIMI) 

*WHAT SEPARATES THE MOVIE FROM OTHER MOVIES

In this present generation, especially in Africa, the general belief is that the best production can only be done by men! That we are in a Men’s world where people always assume that only men can direct good films and that good stories can only come from popular and guru story and script writers! The uniqueness of the film  TIRESIMI is that it proved all those beliefs wrong! The story was written by a woman and directed by a woman that is ever ready to operate in the midst of a highly competitive world of film directing in Nigeria and the entire World! 

*IS THIS YOUR FIRST MOVIE AS A PRODUCER? 

No! I did my last movie in 2013 and it was titled THE UNBROKEN that future Nollywood Actors like DAMOLA OLATUNJI, AYO ADESANYA, SHOLA KOSOKO, BIDEMI KOSOKO, and others. It was shot in Nigeria, South Africa, and UK

We know you are into music too, tell us about it.

Yes! MUSIC is my mainstream! I’ve been singing since 1982. I started in IBADAN with Mummy TOUN SOETAN.

Then in 1994, with my box guitar, I became a traveling evangelist to Nations of the World! 

There is a particular musical storyline that I’ve rendered in 18 Countries of the World! I became famous in churches with the story titled TAANI YOO D’ADE(WHO WILL WEAR THE CROWN) and this is our next film coming out this year!

*WHICH OTHER PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON?

This year, people should be expecting two major films of which one is going to be an epic film! 

Two, we are planning a big event here in Spain tagged TALENT FESTIVAL! 

Three, We are going to create more awareness about my NGO(TALENT HUNT AFRICA-EUROPE ACADEMY SPAIN) with a training center here in Spain and Nigeria for youths and adults talented in MUSIC/ACTING/DANCE

By GOD’S GRACE, our vision is to TRAIN YOUTHS ON HOW TO PLAY GUITAR, BE A GOOD actors & dancers, and establish TALENT SCHOOL & FILM VILLAGE here on the Island of Palma De Mallorca SPAIN!  Lastly, to AFRICAN and EUROPEAN Culture through MUSIC, ACTING, and DANCE! Will be having frequent film PRODUCTIONS in Nigeria, and South Africa where our European students will travel to collaborate with their African counterparts!