Mike Bamiloye
When you talk of Christian movies in Nigeria, the most resounding name you hear is Mike Bamiloye. He did not shoot the first Christian movie, but his contributions made the genre popular and gained acceptance across the country. Today, his films are subtitled in various languages and sold across the world. A graduate of the Osun State College of Education, Bamiloye did not have formal training in movie or film-making, but his love for anything gospel and the silver screen contributed to his soaring success. In this interview with Senior Correspondent, Hazeez Balogun, he explained how he rose to the top of his art.
You have done a lot of movies and touched many lives; what factors would you say have helped you attain your present level of success?
The mercy of God and his divine favour have been the secret of our success. I mean his favour in calling, helping and guiding me. It is his mercy that helps us to obey him everywhere we go.
Why movie production?
I think it is a divine calling. I realised the fact that I could have been called to do something else. As a child of God, there must be an order you receive from him. I realised at the college of education that mine is in drama and film production. So, I went for it.
When exactly did you start the ministry?
The ministry started in 1985, but film production, which is an outreach of the ministry, started in 1990. The original work of the ministry was drama presentation in churches. We were going to churches in cities like Kano, Zaria and Kaduna to present plays. We travelled round the country and even abroad – Kenya, Cameroon and Ghana. We started the drama ministry by going from church to church and campus conventions. But the film production arm of the ministry became an arm of the Mount Zion Faith Ministries in 1990.
You have reached a lot of people and your movies are widely viewed, yet in our country with many ‘men of God’, corruption and hypocrisy are still rife. Are the messages in the movies really having positive effects?
They have because we have received testimonies, e-mails and phone calls about what the films are doing in the lives of people. It is through those feedbacks that we know what the films are doing in the lives of people. We believe we are reaching out to people and the films have been able to cut across religious boundaries because they address situations in people’s lives. So, whether you are a Christian or not, the films address you. They talk about your life. That is why I said they cut across religious boundaries. People have accepted them.
How many films have you produced so far?
Over 40, but not up to 50 yet. We thank God.
Which of your films do you consider your favourite?
It is very difficult to decide. The reason is that each film is unique in its own right and it addresses some specific classes of people. Ultimate Power may be very popular, but that was because it was like a watershed. It created a demarcation between secular and Christian movies at that time. I think the demarcation is still there. Its production was very challenging because it was a form of open ground, a starting point. Though it was not our first film, it was interesting. It made so much impact at that time. And I think it was our first major television serial.
You are giving the impression that the Mount Zion Ministries is a different entity from your movie production outfit. Can you clarify how the structure really is?
Mount Zion Faith Ministries has about six arms. It has drama outreaches which are the reason we travel to various places. All the members of the Mount Zion Ministries are involved in travelling to churches, campuses of schools and other places within or outside the country. Live performance on stage is the original work we started with in 1986. Our first drama presentation titled Hell In Conference was done on July 11, 1986. But it was in 1990 that Mount Zion Film Production started as a production output ministry. Another arm, Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama, is an academic arm of the ministry. Churches send their members there to learn the principles of Christian drama. We started that in 1991 and we run the course every November. We have graduated more than 1,200 students. Majority of those in drama ministries today graduated from the Mount Zion Institute of Christian Drama. There is also Mount Zion Publications, a resource centre for the publication of Mount Zion drama books and classics on drama. We have about six specialised publications as well as other publications. There is the Delegation Outreach, which is responsible for supplying television stations with our tapes. Recently, we created another department called the Africa Mission. This department makes sure our tapes are sent to all television stations in Africa. We also have the French department, which is involved in the translation of scripts into French. We intend publishing them and sending them to missionaries in different countries. We intend using those scripts to sub-title Lost Forever, the film we plan to send to those missionaries and television stations in French-speaking countries.
What are the major challenges you have faced in the course of your calling?
In this type of work, we have a lot of them. Before now, many saw the drama ministry as ‘no big deal’ and so they never took us seriously. They believed we were not doing anything. Sometimes, we were tempted to look at the flamboyant aspect of the career. But you know these are no genuine things and so we appear foolish to them. We are ministers, though in drama. In the Mount Zion Ministries, we don’t beg around for money. If God doesn’t provide, we carry on and when he provides, we take it the way it comes. If he can’t do it, nobody will do it. So, we don’t move ahead of God. Since the beginning of the ministry, we don’t have any godfather. Nobody sponsors us. It has been God all through.
As a busy man, how do you relax and have some fun?
I read, watch television programmes, films and cartoons. I like people who work with faith. I like people who have vision. I like sitting down and talking with people who like talking about faith, ministry work and ministerial adventures. I don’t like people who talk too much about money and material things.
Do you have any plan of releasing films specifically for children?
For now, our focus is on adults. But movies that will be for both children and youths are coming. I believe God is using other people from other ministries too to have people’s lives touched. We have people that God raised from our school and other evangelists for that purpose. Though Mount Zion deals generally in whatever God releases at a particular time, I still believe that is part of our vision as well.
What are the countries your ministerial work has taken you to?
I have been to Singapore, North Korea, China, France, United Kingdom, United States where we had ministry assignment, and Thailand. I was also in North Korea for the Pyoyang International Film Festival.
Though you are a man of God, being on TV and in movies, makes you a star. How do you cope with stardom?
Stardom makes no difference to me at all because I see myself as facing a lot of challenges. People may see it as being famous, but I see it as having challenges, at least to reach out to more people. I live like an ordinary man. I walk on the street like everybody.
Do you have a fixed production team or you hire as and when needed?
We have about 16 persons on Mount Zion Films that are in-house members of the ministry. Apart from that, we have numerous guest ministers on film production. Whenever we have films that involve a large cast, we invite them. Those are the ones that are involved mostly in live drama performances. As for our rehearsals, it is only when we have new plays that we rehearse.
There is a brother in charge of location. But at times, if there is need for a special set, we create it ourselves. On two occasions, we have invited external set designers, as in Apoti Eri, where we had to construct a king’s palace. The same happened in The Gods Are Dead. Apart from these, we have never had any serious set.
How do you get inspirations to write those scripts before producing?
God. I prayed before receiving those inspirations from God. It is not by figment of any human imagination. For instance, if you look at the Ultimate Power, you will find it difficult to believe that it was man-made. So, I would attribute it to God. The Holy Spirit brought the inspiration, telling me what I did not even know. I didn’t know many of those things; I just put them down. Sometimes, I wrote things that I didn’t know. When I write things that I doubt, I asked myself: If these things come out now, won’t people dispute them? So, they are no stories from somewhere They are not from newspapers or testimony books. The Holy Spirit dictates them. He gives these inspirations. Without him, I cannot write anything.
Do you watch secular films or you stick strictly to Christian movies?
I watch Nollywood films to know the latest trends and then get acquainted with all those cast, but not to receive messages. I don’t get messages from them. At-times, I also watch Christian films; I watch foreign films too, because it is good to be acquainted with all those technicalities.
What about music; do you listen to secular music too?
I don’t listen to secular music. I don’t even know the musicians. Though, I listen to some Christian musicians.
What future plans do you have for the Mount Zion Faith Ministries?
We have the intention of reaching out to most African nations. We want to translate most of our films into African and foreign languages like French, Spanish, German and Dutch. We want our messages to reach out to a large number of people. We want to be given access to television stations so that we can supply them with our films. We have only been able to cover Nigeria. But that is not enough.
What has been your most memorable moment in the ministry?
I think it was during our 20th anniversary. It was such a favour from God. It was at that anniversary that we dedicated the ‘Habitation of Faith.’ People came and they were able to see the love of God. It was a very memorable day.
Do you have regrets?
Yes. In ministry, there are always ups and downs. There is a time you come down, but when you get up again, it overshadows the time you were down. So, ministry is full of ups and downs. There are dull moments, but there are also several joyful moments too.
Do you have your own church?
Mount Zion Faith Ministries is not a church. It is just an organisation, a ministry. Individual members belong to different churches. Where I got converted to Christianity was the Gospel Faith Mission in Ile-Ife. I was there for many years until we left to Ibadan, and I began to attend the Glory Tabernacle.
Who are your role models?
I won’t mention names now. But when we started the ministry in 1984, I read a lot of books. Even before the ministry started, when God was introducing me to his work, I used to read books written by Kenneth Hagin, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Coleland and T.L. Osborne. I was engrossed in the magazines published by Hagin and K.C. Price. I read about faith, giving, tithing and offering in all those books.
Will you say you are a fulfilled man?
I thank God because I believe one can only be fulfilled when he or she is able to discover his or her purpose in life. I don’t think I will be fulfilled if I’m not doing what I found myself doing today. I have a passion for other things but I am happy with this calling because through it God has been able to show me his purpose in life. It is not all about money. Discovering Christ is better than money. When you know that this thing you are doing is of the Lord and you are touching lives through it, you will feel very much fulfilled. That is enough for me to be happy; that is fulfilment in life.
Where do you project the ministry will be in the years to come?
My prayer is that God should keep us alive and assist us to achieve more on his behalf. I believe there is still more in life for us to cover. We have just started and we are still growing and aiming higher. My prayer is that God should just help us to accomplish all that He wants us to do for him.
Do you have a favourite meal?
Anything, because I am an evangelist. The Bible says, ‘whatever I set before you, eat. Wherever I go, whatever is given to me, I eat. I don’t make choices.