Filmmaker Dotun Taylor chose to feature the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, in his new movie *Take Me Home* because the film centers on Yoruba culture. He explained to Saturday Beats, “The Ooni is the progenitor of all Yorubas, and such a character appears in the story, so we approached the king. He is our father, and his involvement in the movie is to strengthen the message.”
Taylor said the aim of the film is to draw renewed attention to the repatriation of Yoruba arts and artefacts scattered around the world. “In every part of the world there are various properties that belong to the Yorubas. They may be called ‘art’, but they also possess spiritual energies that are desperately crying to be returned to their source,” he noted.
When asked why he decided to shoot a Yoruba‑culture film in the United States, Taylor replied, “Hollywood is not exaggerated. It is the world’s filmmaking capital and the experience was awesome. It is a wonderful new frontier.” He added, “Again, this is my heritage, my pride and essence. I am first a Yoruba man before any other thing. I am a Yoruba culture ambassador as well, so this is just me doing my job.”
According to a statement sent earlier to Saturday Beats, the movie explores a quest for originality that leads the lead characters to question the status quo and discover their destinies. The story follows an American family whose daughter becomes spiritually possessed after wearing an African masquerade costume stolen from Ile Ifẹ, Osun State, Nigeria.
The cast includes Nigerian actors Lateef Adedimeji and Bayo Bankole, alongside Hollywood performers Dave Sheridan, Amber Rivette and Felissa Rose.
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