Filming the Netflix hit Citation on the EOS C500 Mark II

"A huge goal of mine is to not only tell great Nigerian and African stories but to share them with the rest of the world," says award-winning director Kunle Afolayan. "Stories about people are universal, and if they are produced well, they can be understood by anyone."

With his most recent release, Citation, available on Netflix across the globe, the Nigerian filmmaker is well on his way to achieving this goal. Born and raised in Lagos, Kunle was introduced to the world of film from a young age. "I've always had great appreciation for amazing stories and film because as a child it was all around me," he says. "My father, Adeyemi Josiah Afolayan, was a popular Nollywood theatre and film director and producer, so film is in my blood."

While working in a bank, Kunle realised he wasn't following his true passion and decided to retrain in filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Since then he's become one of the leading lights of Nollywood – the Nigerian film industry – releasing hits including Mokalik and The Figurine, and has founded Kunle Afolayan Productions Television (KAPTv) and Golden Effects Pictures.

Citation tells the story of a university student who finds herself inadvertently taking on the establishment when she reports a popular professor for attempted rape. The film is based on real events. "Citation is an incredible story that I believe will resonate far and wide," says Kunle. "It is about a young woman in higher education who is being groomed by lecturers in return for better, higher grades – a really topical subject in Nigeria and something I believe happens across the world but isn't discussed."

Here, Kunle and his DoP Jonathan Kovel share how the Canon EOS C500 Mark II and Sumire Prime lenses met their creative demands and enabled Citation to become a Netflix triumph.

"Two things are important to me as a director," says Kunle. "The production needs to have a great story, and the production value must be of a high standard. The latter is the most important because no matter how great the story is, if it is not well produced, you cannot do it justice. Great productions need great camera kit."

Kunle is no stranger to Cinema EOS cameras, having shot his movie Mokalik on a Canon EOS C300 Mark II. But for Citation, he was drawn to a new camera which had caught his attention at 2019's IBC technology show in Amsterdam.

"I was amazed at the Canon EOS C500 Mark II's capabilities," he recalls. "Normally it's not a director's place to say to a DoP what kit to use, but I've always wanted to shoot with a 4K full-frame camera, and I knew that this one would make it to the Netflix approved list – which was important for this production."

Citation has gained praise for tackling the thorny topic of sex-for-grades and offering a more nuanced social commentary than previous Nollywood films. Kunle is committed to spotlighting Nigerian and African stories, which can be seen throughout his back catalogue.

"I try to be as original as possible, telling stories that are close to me and that I truly understand," he explains. "Yes, I am a director and can turn my hand to many different productions, but when it comes to storytelling, I am deeply rooted in my environment and draw a lot of inspiration from my roots. I can tell an amazing, deep-rooted Nigerian/African story – for genuine and meaningful productions this authenticity is important."

While Nollywood films may not be breaking into European cinemas, they are reaching much wider audiences today through platforms like Netflix. "Streaming services are so important in exposing content from other continents," says Kunle. "If they didn't exist, it would be a real shame for both independent production companies but also for viewers, as they would only see a limited portion of the world."

Netflix has been central to Kunle's personal journey, ever since his first film, October 1, was released on the platform in 2014. "This changed everything for me," he recalls. "I was contacted directly by the streaming service and I knew straight away that it was a step in the right direction – for myself, but also for Nigerian and African independent film companies, because at the time, Netflix didn't have any subscribers in Nigeria. This move told me that Netflix cared about universal appreciation for content."

Since then, Kunle has gone on to dominate the most-watched lists of Netflix Nigeria, with Citation maintaining a position in the top 10 six weeks after its release.

When planning this production, it was vital for him to shoot with a camera on Netflix's approved list, to ensure his film would meet the platform's stringent requirements. A number of Canon's Cinema EOS cameras have been accredited for Netflix productions, including the EOS C500 Mark II, EOS C700 FF, EOS C300 Mark III and EOS C70.

"With Citation, we decided to go with UHD, keeping the Netflix prerequisites in mind," says Kunle. "The EOS C500 Mark II gave us the opportunity to shoot in 5.9K, and it was pretty easy to edit that footage in proxy and then sync it back and down convert it to the resolution we wanted."

Citation – along with many of Kunle's other productions, including Mokalik, October 1 and The CEO – is available to stream on Netflix throughout Europe. His production company now has a three-title partnership with Netflix, creating three original films, starting with an adaptation of Nigerian-American writer Sefi Atta's third novel, Swallow.

"Platforms like Netflix can raise awareness of issues globally and allow independent filmmakers to gain exposure in different markets," Kunle says. "It's all about getting the right content to the right people around the world. The demand for great stories is everywhere, whether that's on the big screen or at home on the couch."