Veteran Nollywood actress and filmmaker Omotola Jalade Ekeinde has stirred fresh debate within the Nigerian film industry after openly criticising the growing trend of using social media dance videos to promote movies.
Omotola shared her views during a recent interview on TVC Entertainment, where she made it clear that dancing should not be seen as a compulsory marketing strategy for films.
Speaking during the interview, the award-winning actress stated that she cannot bring herself to dance simply to sell a movie, describing the trend as unprofessional and inconsistent with how films should be marketed. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be dancing to market or promote my movie. It’s not professional. I’ve done the movie, now I just have to go around and promote it,” she said.
According to Omotola, movie promotion should be handled through structured, deliberate, and professional channels, rather than relying on forced social media trends that may dilute the essence of the work.
Her comments come amid ongoing conversations in the industry following similar views expressed by filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, who has also criticised the pressure placed on actors and filmmakers to dance online as part of movie publicity.
Omotola’s position aligns with a growing sentiment among veteran creatives who believe storytelling, production quality, and strategic promotion should take precedence over viral gimmicks.
While some younger filmmakers argue that social media dances help movies reach wider audiences in today’s digital age, critics insist that such trends risk reducing serious cinematic works to fleeting internet content.
Omotola’s remarks have since sparked mixed reactions online, with some applauding her stance on professionalism, while others argue that adapting to evolving marketing tools is necessary for commercial success in Nollywood.