Filmmaker & Novelist, Opeyemi Akintunde Sends Open Letter To Netflix, Demands More Of Gospel Films On Netflix

By Oluwafemi Dosu

A gospel filmmaker and novelist, Evangelist Opeyemi Akintunde is calling on the popular video streaming platform, Netflix to stream more of Gospel content on their channel, Gospel Film News gathered.

In an open letter she titled “HELLO NETFLIX,” Akintunde stated that:

“Good Day Netflix #naijaonnetflix, I hope this letter meets you well.

“My name is Opeyemi Akintunde ( Mrs, She/her) and I am a Nigerian Novelist with Over 20 widely read novels to my Credit as Inspired by my Christian Faith.

“I will like to get straight to the point because I am aware of tons of letters you have to attend to.You are a great streaming platform where I spend my leisure time, although recently I had to end my subscription. Well, that didn’t last as I had to compulsorily make my Mum subscribe recently so My parents could watch a movie I recently featured in which is presently airing on Netflix. 

“I was at my Mum’s place and they wanted to watch my performance using the big T.V screen. I took the pain of subscribing for her…

“Why did I end my subscription?

“I was mad that I wasn’t considered in the programming of the platform. Not just I, but thousands and Millions of people like me.

“There is a large demography and psychography of people like me who love your platform but our loyalty to your platform gets tested when we realize that as more films gets released, we can not relate. 

“We see different demographics represented, but we are yet to find ‘US’ represented.

“Who are we?We are the young, middled aged and elderly tech-savvy users; teenagers, youths, college-goers, house-wives, house-husbands, entrepreneurs, working professionals, retired grandparents WHO ARE FAITH LOVING people.

“We are people of the CHRISTIAN FAITH who love Clean entertainment. We love to watch good movies that soothe our Christian Faith, but its rather unfortunate that we are rarely represented. I believe FAITH BASED FILMS do not even get up to 5 percent representation on your platform. On #Naijaonnetflix, we can’t boast of 10 Christian Films or can we?

“Business wise , I can tell you that you are underestimating the profit you can make if you gave FAITH BASED Storytellers like myself the opportunity to produce quality Faith-filled movies that will satisfy the entertainment desire of most Christian believers. 

“You could carry out a survey among Christians and ask how many of them would love to see CHRISTIAN Entertaining movies on your Platform, you will be shocked at your results.Please kindly consider our demography and psychography.

“We see how you have welcomed the beliefs of other demographics like the LGBTQ COMMUNITY, WITCHCRAFT & SORCERY COMMUNITY, HINDUISM, AFRICAN TRADITIONAL beliefs and others on your platform. This is not birthed out of hate for their beliefs but We would appreciate it if you would be kind enough to say NO to partiality and embrace the CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY as well, Making your platform a platform that has every one represented.

“We ( CHRISTIAN CREATIVES) have our stories to tell and we have the audience ( CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS) who are waiting for us on your platform.  

“They can’t wait to see entertaining, funny, inspiring , clean , cultural, science based, Love, political, and other genres of Christian movies.

“Why am I so convinced about this?

” I have one of my novels that was adapted into a movie in year 2019…S.I.M.S ( Stepping into Maggie’s Shoe).It pulled thousands at its premiere, it pulled a lot of Christian viewers to the Cinema, despite it being screened when COVID 19 was ravaging the world at its hottest. People still turned out in their face masks to see the CHRISTIAN film. That’s how sentimental and committed Christians can be towards what encourages their FAITH.

“Till date, I still get requests to have it on your Streaming Platform! But I met roadblocks when I tried to get it on your platform? 

“Why? Our Demography was not priority; quite heart wrenching.

“Netflix, this letter is not to condemn or accuse you but an attempt to make you look into a demography and psychography that has prospects. Please, Kindly give us a space on your platform and you will be pleasantly surprised at the hundreds of thousands and millions of CHRISTIANS who have sentiments for Christian contents showing up.

“I am available for more dialogue on this. I have successfully through creating Christian Stories held hundreds of thousands of Online readers committed to reading my online stories. Stories like ISOKENE( Stop my Wife from Smiling), MY FATHER FARMLAND, TEACHER CHUKS, to mention but a few.

“I also tell stories through short films that have gone viral in the Christian Space, I have feature length movies and series that viewers love and desire for more of such. I have a recent movie on YOUTUBE titled “PERFECT GIFT” which is presently a delight to believers. I also have a Series that many are yearning for the Season 3 at the moment. The series is titled ” HIM, HER & I” also on our YOUTUBE channel @DEEP THOTS FILMS. ( T.H.O.T.S here means THE HOLY ONE TELLS STORIES). In addition to that, we also have children and Teenage Christian contents on the channel.

“The previous paragraph was written so you can understand that there are a lot of people out there who desire FAITH BASED FILMS which if Christian storytellers like myself can create on your platform with better resources available, you will be pleasantly amazed at the large number of viewers that will migrate and subscribe to your platform. 

“Imagine Christian leaders, Fellowship leaders validating a content on your platform? You can not imagine the numbers you will have. Thank you for taking out time to read this message from my heart. I am Opeyemi Akintunde, a Christian Novelist and Filmmaker. My Facebook page is @Opeyemi Akintunde TV, my Instagram handle is @Opeyemiakintunde. My YouTube Channel is @ DEEP THOTS FILMS. I also have an App on Playstore @ Opeyemi Akintunde TV. My email is deepthotsonline@gmail.com.

” I hope to see soon that you have included us in your programming demography. Once again, I am open for more dialogue on this to discuss the kind of Stories that will pull these demography in. God bless Netflix!”