The Nollywood community has been thrown into mourning as one of the best and veteran TV and Film producers in the industry, Wale Fanu, died at the age of 72years.
The CEO of CINECRAFT, Pa Fanu, was born into the Fanu family in Lagos State. His late father was a civil servant who worked with the P & T. The third child of his mother, Pa Fanu was the only one born with the sickle cell anemia.
According to facts made available to Freelanews, he was never given a chance by his doctor to live beyond 20years old but according to him, his survival was a miracle. He managed sickle cell crisis since he was born and for thirteen years, nobody could tell him what the problem was, not even his mother until then.
When he celebrated his 70th birthday on April 21, 2020, the late veteran filmmaker revealed his most cherished wish in life.
“I have looked forward to my 70th birthday for a long time,” Fanu once told the media two years before and repeated same in January, 2020.
For those in make-believe industry, Uncle Wale, as he was fondly called, would be dearly missed.
In a long tribute penned for the late veteran, an actor and director, Francis Onwochei, stated that Pa Fadun was a champion discipline and culture of excellence.
“For those who may not know, Uncle Wale as we fondly call him was one of the foremost Nigerian filmmakers. A long standing associate of our dear Tunde Kilani and Lola Fani Kayode.
“He was founder and CEO of Cinekraft , the go-to studio at the time. Beyond post production, Cinekraft was top of the range in grip, tracks, jib, car mount, heavy duty generators and all manner of production equipment. Cinekraft maintained some of the best trained crew with tested experience in celluloid film projects.
“Uncle Wale’s Cinekraft partnered with LFK to make the hugely impactful “Mirror in the Sun” a few years later I was privileged to star in his film project OWOBLOW directed by Tade Ogidan.
“Sometime in 1993, Uncle Wale Fanu,Tunde Kilani,Lola Fani Kayode and Tade Ogidan had their production offices on the famous Jakande Close in Surulere.
“Uncle Wale Fanu was a sickle cell carrier. Doctors informed that he may not survive after age 30. But he lived up to 72. To friends and close associates he is used to making morbid self-deprecating joke that he was on the brink every day of his life after he was 30.
“He was a champion of discipline and culture of excellence expected of motion picture practitioners,” he wrote.
While also extolling his virtues, Onwochei revealed that aside from being a lover of God and His ministry, Uncle Wale was friendly, supportive and jovial when encountered.
“If you have practised long enough in the creative industry particularly a back camera operative, you must have encountered the business conscious yet friendly, supportive and jovial Uncle Wale.
“He was very active in Men’s fellowship of his church in Surulere (often invited me to speak to their young graduates for skill development in the creative sector). May God console and comfort his family for this irreplaceable loss,” he concluded.
The founder of Best of Nollywood Awards, Seun Oloketuyi, wrote: Sad! Wale Fanu passes on!
“Ahhhhhhhh!!!…..this is sad ooohhhh. Rest in peace uncle Wale. Rest in peace,” Bakky Adeoye, a Nollywood movie producer, mourned.
Another movie producer, Temitope Duker, wrote: Good night Uncle Fanu.
Yinka Quadri, a veteran movie actor, wrote: May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace.
The late filmmaker once submitted:
Presently, people ask me how I managed to survive but the more they ask me that question, the more I feel for my mother how she managed not to know what my problem was.
Each time, this crisis comes, the only thing I cry is hot water. I don’t know gives that insight. I have nothing to hide and I don’t pretend, I’m 100 per cent well. No, I’m strengthened to tell people that I’m a sickler.
One of the residual thing caused by the sickle cell was my damaged hip of which medical experts both in and out of the country advised that I shouldn’t touch. The American Surgeon I met before 40 said, do not do it. But, when I can no longer work to earn money, I should come back, it will be done.
None of my parents told how I contracted this problem. I’ve never heard it from any of them when they were alive. Probably I contracted it from both of them. But, I never had the chance to think of how I became an SS.
The first friend I had in Lagos was SS. And he died two years after we knew each other. There is something peculiar about SS patients and that is, it is very easy to tell if an individual is SS. If this condition gives me another twenty years,
I will continue to do what I’m doing. I still drive myself. I’m only praying that God should strengthen me to work harder in finding solution to it.
May his soul rest in peace.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
