MultiChoice beams light on four Nigerian women defying stereotypes through filmmaking

In honour of women’s history month, last march, MultiChoice Nigeria beamed light on four young women, who are defying every odd there is to follow their dreams of telling the African story through film.

Uchenna Eileen Ugwu
Ugwu knew from when she was just a little girl that she wanted to make films. She went on to study Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Now 24, Ugwu’s passion for film keeps growing more than ever. After undergoing training at the Multichoice Talent Factory (MTF), she went from wanting to only write scripts, to realizing that she can do so much more.

A film she co-wrote and line-produced – made it to the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) while a mini documentary she wrote and co-produced, named – Plastic Treasures – won the spotlight award at the Mobile Film Festival in Paris, France this past year.

Ugwu has also started a production company and hopes to make films that will show the lives of people whose stories we never heard.

Precious Iroagalachi
Iroagalachi studies Sociology from the University of Port-Harcourt. Like Uchenna, she got her shot at filmmaking when she won a scholarship into the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) to study Film and Television Production.

Iroagalachi has co-produce an award-winning mini documentary – Plastic Treasures, which won the Spotlight Award at the Mobile Film Festival in France, as well as worked as Camera Operator for two feature length films currently showing on SHOWMAX – Life of Bim and DreamChaser. The latter she says has been “the most challenging and fulfilling thing I’ve done, asserting myself as a cinematographer in Nollywood.”

As one would expect, the biggest challenge has been having to prove that she is much more than just a pretty face. “I always work hard not to be the weakest person in the room because in a way, that is expected,” she says.

Ronke Adeola
Ronke Adeola, quitted her 9 to 5 easily to pursue her filmmaking dreams , but nothing could quite prepare her for the difficulties she ran into when she exhausted her savings. It took her a couple of years to find her footing and even though she still doesn’t earn as much as she earned at her bank job, the Art History graduate is a lot more fulfilled making films and telling stories that matter.

Since quitting her bank job, Adeola has worked on a number of cool projects including the film adaptation of Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of A Yellow Sun where she worked as a Producer’s assistant. Her film, Awani has gotten into major film festivals across the world and bagged Award of Merit from the Impact documentary Awards and UNESCO prize from the Belgium UNESCO commission.

“Awani is by far my biggest achievement. Everything that came after that has been a big bonus.”

“If we are going to spend 16 hours in one location, we need access to proper toilets. If filming lasts till 4am, women have different security needs, how are we supposed to get home safely? The inclusion of women can be improved with better logistical planning and setting up funding for women led projects. That being said, the future is getting brighter for women filmmakers. We just have to be steadfast and also make sure we are opening doors for other women behind us,”she said.

Blessing Bulus
Bulus has got a versatile skill set, from production, cinematography, costuming, production management to editing. Fresh out of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism where she studied Mass Communication, Bulus was selected as part of the 20 students from West Africa to undergo training in filmmaking at the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF).

Her recent and highest  project is tittled Aljana where she worked as the Associate Producer. Like some of her idols including Rama Thiaw, Ava Duvernay, Caroline Reucker and Mo Abudu, Bulus dreams of telling stories that will resonate with a global audience. “I never dream to make Nigerian/African cinema,” she says. “I dream to make Cinema. I look forward to seeing films that outlive the filmmakers and to achieve that, I have to dig into my inner self and tell the truest form of what I feel.”

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