Behind The Lens with Lanre Malaolu
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BEHIND THE LENS: LANRE MALAOLU
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Music
Words By: Luc Hinson
Photography: Salima Kamara
Illustration: Tom Shotton
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Ahead of its release on December 9th we sat down with the director of 'Figure' - Lanre Malaolu. Figure is a movement film that charts the narrative of growing up without a father consistently present, of growing up and finding ones own way, through movement Lanre presents an array of emotions and experiences and the film, is nothing short of beautiful. It's currently doing the rounds on the awards ciricuit and is being met with wide acclaim. Enjoy the trailer above, and read our full interview with Lanre below:
BB: Lanre, from what we’ve seen of figure so far it’s a beautifully made piece of work, tell us a bit about the narrative behind the film?
LM: Thanks man.
The narrative behind the film has been with me for quite some time, but Kendrick Lamar gave me the inspiration to tell it in the way I did…
I remember listing to his album DAMN for the first time, and coming across a track called Feel. I listened to that track about 20 times, I resonated deeply with it and still do even on my 500th play. I started to explore the ideas and feelings I got from the track. I began visualising a filmic piece exploring the concept of a cathartic release of emotions, particularly anger, and what the journey of that would look like.
Fast forward a month or so and I’m in the studio with Nnabiko Ejimofor (who features in the film), and it became apparent that the piece needed more of a focus on where the emotional release was coming from. So one rehearsal I and Nnabiko just sat down and talked. We came onto the topic of our fathers and realised that we shared similar experiences. Our circumstances, were of course different, but the emotions weren’t. That session was the birth of FIGURE.
Why I say the narrative has been with me for some time is because I’ve written stuff in the past, scripts and what not, exploring father/son relationships rooted from my experiences, but for whatever reason wasn’t able to push them any further. I think this was down to timing as well as finding the right vessel to tell the story. Everything came together so perfectly for this, so I guess timing + film (and a phenomenal creative team) was the magic combination.
BB: It seems like a very personal expression of self; do you feel your identity is something that’s reflected in you work?
LM: Intrinsically. Every piece of work has a bit of my soul in it. But on the flip side, I also learn a lot about myself through the process of making each piece of work, whether weeks, months, or years down the line
BB: What would you describe as the biggest contributing factor to your identity?
LM: I can’t answer that in one sentence, so I’ll give you a selection of words… Family, Hackney (pre-gentrification), Nigerian food, ambition, asking questions.
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Photogapher: Salima Kamara
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"INTRINSICALLY. EVERY PIECE OF WORK HAS A BIT OF MY SOUL IN IT."
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Photographer: Salima Kamara
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BB: Why did you choose a movement film to share this narrative?
LM: I truly believe in the power movement has to unlock a visceral feeling in a viewer that words cannot. Also, the emotional journey of what I wanted to explore is too complex and nuanced for words, it had to be movement.
BB: ‘Figure’ combines physical theatre and hip-hop dance, can you tell us a bit more about your journey through the two
LM: I still remember being at this party, I must have been 10 or 11 and Michael Jackson’s “Beat it” came on. As soon as I heard it, I started going IN and mid-way through I noticed there was a circle that formed around me… probably not because they were in awe of my moves, but because they realised if they came too close they’d end up getting fly kicked in the face or elbowed in the chest. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing, arms and legs flying all over the gaff, but I remember the feeling, I remember the freedom and that’s what got me into dance.
I learnt the basics of Body Popping and B-boying from an
Fast forward a few years and I co-founded a dance company which was when I really started to hone in the technique and play with the fusion of
I’m also an actor, so during all the above was working quite a bit in theatre/film too which heavily contributed to the journey.
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"I STILL REMEMBER BEING AT THIS PARTY, I MUST HAVE BEEN 10 OR 11 AND MICHAEL JACKSON’S “BEAT IT” CAME ON. AS SOON AS I HEARD IT, I STARTED GOING IN"
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BB: When and where will we be able to see Figure in full?
LM: December 9th, 9pm. I’ll be splattering the link all over my socials.
BB: What are your hopes for Figure, (we see it’s doing the rounds at the moment on the awards circuits)?
LM: Yeah, it’s been a bit mad to be honest. I guess I just want it to be seen by as many people as possible. It’s a piece I think people from all walks of life can connect to in some way. I want it to be seen and felt.
BB: What does 2019 hold for you Lanre?
LM: I’m currently developing my next film with the BFI. I have a few theatre movement direction projects lined up, and will be premiering my solo show “Elephant in the Room” followed by a tour, as well as a few other things bubbling.
Oh and imma go sky diving too. Been on my list of things to do for some time and the idea scares the shit out of me... So yeah, I'm on it.
You can keep up with Lanre by following his socials below, keep your eyes pinned to those socials as a link to the full film will be released on 9th December !
Peace.
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Twitter: @lanremalaolu
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Words By: Luc Hinson, 2nd December 2018
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CONTEMPORARY CONVERSATIONS
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