Gun to your head, mention Nigerian female screenwriters? Many people can’t and that’s partly because female screenwriters are underrepresented in the industry Hence, it’s imperative to appreciate the amazingly talented women who have made great contributions as they blaze a trail in the industry. Here are the top six female screenwriters to watch out for in 2022:
Dami Elebe
Ndani TV series Skinny Girl in Transit (2015) was a massive success partly because of the writer Dami Elebe, who is also an On-Air Personality and screenwriter. Dami has demonstrated her spectacular prowess in making shows that involve characters that would fascinate the audience. Her works include Men’s Club (2018), Jemeji (2017) and Rumor Has It (2016). She is the head writer of a Netflix Nigerian series scheduled to be out soon.
Tamara Aihie
Aside from being an MC, presenter and host on Accelerate TV, Tamara is also a screenwriter. In recent years, she has developed projects that have earned her a spot in the screenwriting niche. Though most of her projects are television or web series, it’s clear she is skilled and efficient. She has written on projects like Money.Men.Marriage (2017), On the Real (2016), Inspector K (2018) and Rise of the Saints (2020)
Jola Ayeye
Co-podcaster on I Said What I Said, one of Nigeria’s biggest podcasts, Jola is beyond her humour and hilarious social media banter. Aside from being a co-founder of the Feminist coalition, she owns a Film and TV production company, Salt & Truth which focuses on placing African stories on the centre stage. Jola is a talented screenwriter and blogger. Some of her works include great shows like Inspector K (2020) and The Smart Money Woman (2021) where she was a co-writer who helped translate the book to a television series that is now available on Netflix.
Ozioma M. Ogbaji
In recent years, Accelerate filmmaker Project contestant, Ozioma Ogbaji has become a budding name in the scene. In 2021, she won Young Screenwriter of the Year at the Young Writers & Creatives Award. Ozioma has since written three megahit films which include Fate of Alakada (2020), Kambili: The whole 30 yards (2020) and the box office hit Aki and Paw Paw (2021).
Toluwani Obayan
This Lady Called Life is an excellent movie and a chunk of the movie’s appeal can be attributed to the film director and writer, Toluwani Obayan. The movie was awarded Best Screenplay, Best Use of Food on a Movie and Movie With the Best Production Design. Some of her works include Ponzi (2021), the short film Heart and Might (2017).
Adaora Udeh
Adaora Udeh is a rising screenwriter who deserves more accolades. Her works include Sweet Face (2020) and Truth (2021). She was awarded Best Nigerian Film at the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival for her movie, Blue. She also wrote and starred in a movie, Baby Maker, coming out later this year. From the trailer and synopsis, you can tell that it is certainly worth your time.