Intellectual biography in film: Portraying Sophie Bọ́sẹ̀dé Olúwọlé

Authors

  • Juul van der Laan independent researcher

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13135/1825-263X/11891

Abstract

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.

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Author Biography

Juul van der Laan, independent researcher

Juul van der Laan is an independent artist-filmmaker, based in Rotterdam, NL. Initially schooled in Chemistry (BSc, Utrecht University), she swapped lab equipment for a camera and proceeded her studies in film (MA Documentary Film, University of the Arts London). With a focus on strong research in creating her work, she moves between the overlapping domains of science, philosophy, and art from an intercultural perspective. Her short documentary Sophie was a.o. nominated for a Lions Award 2022, pre-screened at the University of Ibadan, and officially premiered at the Lagos Book and Art festival in 2022. She also made Multiverse Ghana (60’, 2015) and currently works on the ongoing development of the critical AI - essay film installation I M U (v2.2 presented at Ars Electronica, 2024; v2.1 at Wageningen University, 2024) featuring Prof. Mogobe Ramose. 

Find out more about her work on https://juulvanderlaan.nl 

Juul can be contacted at: contactme@juulvanderlaan.nl

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Published

2025-05-18

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 2 (2025): Investigating intellectual biographies in African studies

Section

Intellectual biographies and philosophies through digital writing and film

License

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