Nigerian Canadian filmmaker Kazeem Kuteyi came to Nigeria in the summer of 2015 with an idea on his mind. He planned to make a short documentary chronicling the creative and personal lives of young Nigerian creatives forging new paths in their respective fields. As a creative Nigerian in diaspora, he had begun to hear the first strains of homegrown talent making a name for themselves internationally. But the stories he often heard about them were either incomplete or skewered through a western media lens, taking out all the nuance and cultural influences that inspire these home based artists. He decided to do something about him, take on the project of properly telling these stories himself.

It took him a few months to find the subjects for his documentary and record their interviews and after post production Kuteyi was forced to shelve the project due to financial constraints and the Nigerian network for which the documentary was produced refusing to pay for the project. Kuteyi turned his time to other projects including the digital platform New Currency which Kuteyi co-founded, that profiles independent artists across the world, curating their sounds and influences and deciphering their inspirations and motivations. New Currency has also curated a number of offline events to connect followers of the project with the artists that the project has profiled.

Two years later Kuteyi has decided to put out clips and outtakes from the documentary so we can experience the greatness that he immortalized on tape and share in the very distinct vibe he was able to capture. The ones we’ve seen so far, featuring fashion merchandize expert and stylist Funmi Fagbemi and graphic designer/photographer Niyi Okeowo are must sees.

Watch them here.

Niyi Okeowo.

Pathmakers – Niyi Okeowo from Kazeem Kuteyi on Vimeo.

Funmi Fagbemi

Pathmakers – Funmi Fagbemi from Kazeem Kuteyi on Vimeo.

Featured Image credits: Kahlil Hernandez

Watch Seyi Isikalu’s short film, ‘Monochrome’