'I am a product of Grace’, declares AY Read

*Says “A Trip to Jamaica” is poised to up the ante “I am a product of grace.” That’s how Ayo Makun a.k.a AY described himself after his cast and crew stormed Lagos, last weekend for the world premiere of his comeback blockbuster movie, “A Trip To Jamaica.”

Directed by Robert Peters, the romantic comedy is a sequel to AY’s award- winning debut feature length movie, “30 Days in Atlanta, “ which became a box office hit, as the highest grossing film in Nigerian cinema.

A feast that earned the movie a place in the 2017 Guinness World Record. The multi-talented artiste has enjoyed a successful career as a stand up comedian, most notable for his comedy show, AY Live and TV show. Last year, he delved into movie production,carving out a niche for himself as a producer with a difference.

AY said, his latest movie was produced to celebrate the best of our cultures.“After the success of ‘30 Days In Atlanta’, there were a lot of calls for more. So we decided to do a spin-off to showcase further adventures of Akpos. ’A Trip to Jamaica’ bridges the gap between Nollywood, Gollywood, Hollywood and the Jamaican movie industries,” AY said.

Starring AY as the lead character, ‘A Trip to Jamaica’ also featured the likes of award-winning comedienne Funke Akindele, Ghanaian ‘lover boy’ Chris Attoh, Hollywood veteran Eric Roberts, and Paul Campbell from Jamaica, the movie is a funny part of the Akpos character series shot in Lagos, Ghana, Atlanta and Montego Bay in Jamaica.

On why he shot the film in Jamaica, AY explained that he discovered after some research, that “Jamaicans love Nollywood movies, and we also love their culture, especially in the aspect of Music”. He also said that as part of making it work, there were a lot of collaborations alongside the movie.

Such collaborations he revealed, were between Tiwa Savage and singer, Busy Signal, who created the official motion picture soundtrack for the movie. Admitting, however, that there is a very high expectation for his new movie, which premiered last Sunday, in Lagos, AY recalled how stand up comedy paved the way for “what I am doing today.” He added, ‘With stand up comedy, I became recognized. “I don’t know what I have done differently.

I am beginning to suspect myself because in the series of the things I do, they always come out well. Now, I am breaking new grounds in the movie industry. I always tell people that I am a product of grace, not because I am the best or I know how to do it more than other people.

But it’s because I have this shining light in my direction.” The premiere of the movie last Sunday was preceded by a novelty football match that featured top Jamaican ex-footballers playing against ex-Nigerian players. ”The football game witnessed live comedy and musical performances as a way of celebrating the cultures of these unique countries.