Veteran Nigerian filmmaker Tunde Kelani has condemned the unauthorised creation and circulation of short clips from his films on social media, describing the trend as piracy and intellectual property abuse.

Kelani, popularly known as TK, raised the concern in a Facebook post on Wednesday, reacting to bloggers and content creators who extract scenes from his movies and repost them online without permission.

“This is WRONG! Cutting our films, Saworoide, Agogo Eewo, Ti Oluwa Nile, Thunderbolt: Magun, into unauthorised reels and posting them online is not promotion. It is piracy and the destruction of our cultural work,” he wrote.

The filmmaker stressed that films are designed as complete creative works and should not be reduced to fragmented content for social media engagement or profit.

“A film is a complete story, not fragments for quick views to make quick money illegally. This is stealing openly,” Kelani stated.

He urged digital content creators to respect copyright laws and support filmmakers through legitimate distribution channels.

“Please stop this practice and wickedness! Support creators by watching and sharing films through the proper channels. Let us protect, not diminish, our heritage. Stop this criminality,” he added.

Kelani, known for culturally significant productions and literary adaptations such as Koseegbe, Oleku, The Narrow Path, White Handkerchief, Maami, and Dazzling Mirage, said the growing trend of reposting film scenes across platforms undermines the creative industry and threatens Nigeria’s cultural heritage.