It’s International Women’s Day! And this year’s campaign theme – #BreaktheBias – spotlights the individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequality.
“Whether deliberate or unconscious, bias makes it difficult for women to move ahead. Knowing that bias exists isn’t enough, action is needed to level the playing field,” the International Women’s Day website reads.
It is against this background that TCN has compiled a list of five women filmmakers (in no particular order) who have been very dexterous at their craft and are definitely making the womenfolk proud.
Tope Oshin:
Tope Oshin is a severally awarded filmmaker who has directed over 7,000 hours of TV & film content. These consist of up to 750 episodes of some of Africa’s biggest drama series like MTV Shuga, Tinsel, Hotel Majestic, Hush, Castle & Castle, etc.
Her directing credits include films like New Money, Journey To Self, InLine, Ireti, The Young Smoker, and the ground-breaking December 2018 theatrical release – UpNorth.
Kemi Adetiba:
Although a law graduate, Kemi Adetiba is one of the most sought after filmmakers in Nigeria at the moment. She started out professionally as a radio presenter with Rhythm 93.7 FM and gradually transitioned to the brains behind many acclaimed Nollywood movies.
Her Directing credits include The Wedding Party, King of Boys, King of Boys: The Return of the King.
Mildred Okwo:
Mildred Okwo is another filmmaker whose films have been nominated and won several prestigious awards in Africa including AMVCA, AMAA, NMA and “Publix du Prix” at Nollywood Paris.
Trained as a Los Angeles litigation lawyer, her film “The Meeting” was one of the top box office draws of 2012 which set a quality standard for other Nollywood films. Mildred’s first film ’30 Days’ received 9 AMAA nominations.
Jade Osiberu:
Formerly the head of GT Bank’s Ndani TV, Jadesola Osiberu has been adjudged the pioneer of the Online TV craze that has taken over Nigerian banking.
Trained as a Computer Systems and Software Engineer in the UK, made her foray into filmmaking in 2017 with ‘Isoken’ which was a box office hit at the time, making ₦55m in its first 10 days at the time. She has produced several other quality movies, including 2021’s most talked about, ‘Ayinla’.
Bolanle Austen-Peters:
BAP, as she is fondly called in film circles, is regarded as a woman who has conquered both film and theatre. One of Nigeria’s most prolific theatre and movie directors/producers, she is the founder and Managing Director of Terra Kulture, an Art and Culture centre located in Lagos.
Films to her credit include 93 Days, The Bling Lagosians, Collision Course as well as musicals like Saro The Musical, Wakaa The Musical, Moremi The Musical, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, The Oluronbi Musical, and most recently Death and The King’s Horseman.
She recently secured the rights to tell the story of Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, the mother of late Afrobeat legend and pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
