Intellectual biography in film: Portraying Sophie Bọsẹdé Olúwọlé

Thanks to Sophie Olúwọlé, the ancient Yorùbá philosopher Ọ̀rúnmìlà is lifted out of obscurity onto a pedestal next to Socrates with her 2014 publication Socrates and Ọ̀rúnmìlà (Olúwọlé 2014). We decided to make a film together, after meeting in 2017 during the book tour of its Dutch translation. Here I reflect on how I portrayed her thought and personality as part of an intellectual biography in a short film. This essay explores how film as an art-form can be an implicitly suitable means of depicting a philosopher, but also how it can act as a means of philosophy in and of itself. The importance of the inextricable role of personality in light of intellectual legacy is recognised here in reflection of Yorùbá traditional thought related to personhood. By providing a translation of my artistic process, while taking into account the ethical considerations related to documentary filmmaking, I demonstrate that the plural, complementary nature of filmmaking can lend itself particularly well to express African philosophy.