Fast-rising UK-based talent, Adeyinka Adetoyi (popularly known as Ayinkulebe), is a Nigerian-born filmmaker who hails from Ila-Orangun, an ancient town in Osun State, Nigeria.
Adeyinka’s exploits, especially as an actor and post-production video editor with speciality in VFX and audio mastering, are fast gaining wide acceptance in the United Kingdom with more home-grown and established filmmakers signing up for collaborations on projects.
From a humble background as a child who grew up in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria, Adeyinka – from one successful film project to another – is growing into a global phenomenon across the UK and beyond.
His films have been released on streaming platforms including Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube.
As his passion keeps growing, he has become more than a filmmaker to getting involved in the grit of post-production side of things by editing video scenes, dressing sounds for best outputs, and even fixing complicated VFX nodes to create flawless animations that achieve excellent aesthetic appeal in movie scenes.
While his talent has empowered him to fully explore his creative side even as a newcomer in the UK, it solidifies his vision to be a recognized filmmaker.
The graduate of Pure and Applied Physics from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, veered into the filmmaking industry merely as “a little chap admiring movie characters” to “become an element of that making,” he stated in a recent publication where he shared his journey into the movie space.
This is quite a leap for Adeyinka, who is a typical Nigerian ingrained with the culture and spirit of succeeding against all odds.
The journey has not all been rosy for Adeyinka, but he had constantly forged ahead by scaling the hurdle with tough choices.
“Remove the challenge of struggling to get funds for the production of our films, and you will have a paradise in filmmaking,” he noted. “I simply wake up every day to give it my best shot while flowing with the tide of life. To be honest, smashing a life goal is not an easy task, especially as a Nigerian child with limited resources. Omo! Our people would say: ‘No Be Beans.’ They are right because it didn’t come cheap.” 
Adeyinka Adetoyi is an optimist that believes that there are ways around every challenge. “When I moved to the UK, I shot a Zero-Dollar movie. It remains one of my best. It’s right on Prime Video. Check out “Stranded,” and let me know what you make of it,” he stated.
The LAUTECH product has managed to beat the odds to make his dreams come true. He emphasized the need for young people never to give up, citing the importance of diversifying one’s skills to earn in the industry beyond being an actual filmmaker.
One of the factors that have contributed to Adeyinka’s growing success in the film industry as an immigrant alludes to his academic background in Nigeria.
“School is not a scam, after all. Life is complex. Filmmaking is complex. If there is one thing majoring in …Physics …taught me, it is embracing complexity to demystify the world, anywhere life leads. And, this, I think, I have, through filmmaking.”
One Nigerian slang goes: ‘Warri No Dey Carry Last’ meaning: a child from Warri, a popular township in Southern Nigeria, does not lose. This perfectly fit for Adeyinka.
And, with tonnes of projects under his belt, Adeyinka’s interest is gradually paying off, especially as he makes strides outside his home country.
His latest work in the offing, “Sociopath” is a UK-based project produced by a UK studio under the directorship of Amrita Baine — where he contributed his talent as the commissioned video editor.
“I am ever grateful to the folks around me; families, friends, and colleagues who supported us, and those who cheered us on till we got here. And, to our Ogas who continue to refer us to new players in the industry, from my home country, Nigeria, to the USA, UK, Russia, Israel, Australia, South Africa, and many others, we are grateful, and hope to never disappoint.
“The filmmaking space is a magical ecosystem, and every experience is unique. While it can be very unpredictable, it gives you a reason to be alive and digging.”
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