Tope Oshin is a Nigerian television and film director, producer and casting director, listed as one of the most influential Nigerians in film in 2019. In 2015 Pulse magazine named her as one of "9 Nigerian female movie directors you should know" in the Nollywood film industry. In March 2018, in commemoration of the Women's History Month, Tope was celebrated by OkayAfrica as one of the Okay100 Women. The interactive campaign celebrates extraordinary women from Africa and the diaspora making waves across a wide array of industries, while driving positive impact in their communities and the world at large.
Early life and education Tope hails from a devout Christian family. As a child, she engaged in drawing, singing, and dancing, and had aspirations to be a painter. She studied Economics at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, and then Theatre Arts, TV & Film Production at Lagos State University. She became more interested in filmmaking and later studied Film Production, and Cinematography at Colorado Film School of the Community College of Aurora, Denver, and Met Film School, Ealing Studios, London respectively. Tope is also an alumnus of 'Talents Durban' and Berlinale Talents, a networking summit of select outstanding creatives from the world of film and drama series across the globe.
Career Tope, who was an actor for 12 years, featuring in films like Relentless (2010 film), before veering into directing, working as an associate producer and assistant director for The Apprentice Africa. and has since become known for directing popular African TV dramas and soap operas such as Hush, Hotel Majestic, Tinsel (TV series) and MTV Shuga. Though she has directed and produced several introspective short film projects such as The Young Smoker, Till Death Do Us Part, New Horizons and Ireti, she is known best for her highly successful 2018 feature film releases Up North (film), and New Money.
Oshin has produced some of the highest box office breaking movies in Nigeria, including the 2015 romantic film Fifty, about four fifty-year-old female Lagos residents, which broke box office records upon release in December 2015, taking N20 million in the first weekend. and The Wedding Party 2, as at 2018, the highest grossing Nigerian film.
In 2016, she produced and directed the documentary, Amaka's Kin: The Women Of Nollywood, as a memorial to prominent filmmaker Amaka Igwe, who died in 2014. The documentary addresses issues facing Nigerian female directors, working in a male-dominated industry.
As a follow-up to her documentary, in 2017, and as part of the BBC 100 Women season, Tope celebrated the new generation of women filmmakers reinventing Nollywood, by presenting the BBC documentary Nigeria-Shooting It Like A Woman. Apart from the BBC World Service documentary, Tope's Amaka's Kin - The Women Of Nollywood also influenced a lot of other TV shows and literary works alike, including Niran Adedokun's book Ladies Calling the Shots.
Oshin racked up some controversy in Nigeria, when she co-wrote, directed and produced the Queer film We Don't Live Here Anymore (2018 film) for human rights organization TIERs (The Initiative For Equal Rights) in 2018. The movie was not accepted for a cinema release and received only a limited online release with FilmOne Distribution in 2018. We Don't Live Here Anymore however screened at Africa In Motion Film Festival in Glasgow, and also racked up a lot of nominations and awards surprisingly at 2018 Best Of Nollywood Awards in Nigeria. The film can be found currently on Amazon.
Tope also has a thriving career as a Casting director and has cast for several film and television projects including all 3 Nigerian seasons of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation drama series Shuga.
Tope, through her company Sunbow Productions [ng], was commissioned to produce Season 8 of MTV Shuga (TV Series), dubbed MTV Shuga Naija 4, and is credited as Head Director, Showrunner, Executive Producer and Producer, after directing and casting Season 6 of the show in 2017.
In 2015 Tope served as a juror for the International Emmy Award for the first time.
Personal life Tope's 2002 marriage to screenwriter, Yinka Ogun, ended in 2014. The union produced four children.
Filmography Feature films YearTitleRoleRefDirectorProducer2012Journey to Self2015Fifty 2017The Wedding Party 2In Line2018New Money We Don't Live Here AnymoreUp North2022Here Love Lies
Short films YearTitleRoleRefDirectorProducerWriterEditor2011The Young Smoker2013New HorizonsTill Death Do Us Part2014Crush2015Ireti
Documentaries YearTitleRoleRefDirectorProducerWriterPresenter2016Amaka’s Kin: The Women of Nollywood.2017Nigeria: Shooting It Like A Woman
Television YearTitleRoleRefDirectorProducerWriterCastingdirectorOther2008Maltina Dance AllPresenter2009Moments With Mo2009 - 2013Tinsel (TV series)Box/Content producer2012Bridges2013Conversations At Dinner Love and War 2014Walk The Talk 2015Hotel Majestic2016GidiUp 3 (Unaired)EvoLHush2017BattleGroundConsultantEver After (TV Feature)2018MTV Shuga Season 62019MTV Shuga Naija Season 4Executive producer
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryFilmResultRef2011In-short film festivalAudience PrizeThe Young SmokerSpecial Jury MentionBest Director Best Film TAVA (The Audio Visual Awards)Best DirectingTinsel2012Abuja International Film FestivalBest Short Film Till Death Do Us PartIn-short film festival Best FilmBest Director TAVA (The Audio Visual Awards)Most Outstanding Short FilmThe Young SmokerAfrica Movie Academy AwardsBest Short FilmAbuja International Film FestivalOutstanding Film in DirectingTill Death Do Us PartBest Short FilmThe Young Smoker2013Slum Film FestivalBest Narrative FilmBest of Nollywood AwardsBest Movie With A Social MessageJourney To SelfZulu African Film Academy AwardsBest DirectorNollywood Movies Awards Best MovieBest Short FilmTill Death Do Us Part2014Teens Favorite AwardsTeens Favorite TV & Film ProducerAfrica Movie Academy Awards Special Jury AwardNew HorizonsNigerian Broadcast & Media AwardsBest Program DirectorTinselBest TV DramaNew HorizonsNigerian Entertainment AwardsBest DirectorJourney To SelfBest of Nollywood Awards Best Short FilmNew Horizons2015Golden Movie AwardsGolden Short Award2016Lagos Entertainment AwardsDirector Of The YearExquisite Lady Of The Year AwardsBest Producer of The Year FiftyNigerian Creatives AwardCreative Personae of the year rowspan="2" Divas AwardsFilmmaker of the yearAbuja International Film Festival, NigeriaBest Short FilmIretiAfrica Movie Academy AwardsGolden Movie AwardsGolden Short AwardNigerian Broadcast & Media AwardsBest TV Program DirectorTinselWomen's Only Entertainment Film FestivalBest International Short Film IretiBest International Female DirectorBest of Nollywood AwardsBest DocumentaryAmaka’s Kin: The Women of Nollywood2017Africa Magic Viewers Choice AwardsBest Short FilmIretiCity People Entertainment AwardsBest Director Of The Year Ebonylife TV Sisterhood AwardsDirector Of The Year 2018Best of Nollywood AwardsBest Director of The YearWe Don’t Live Here AnymoreBest Movie of The YearBest EditingBest Screenplay of The YearRealTime Film FestivalBest Movie By A Female African FilmmakerIn Line2019Africa Movie Academy AwardsBest Nigerian FilmUp North20217th Annual Hollywood Weekly Magazine Film Festival & AwardsBest DirectorIn Line2021ReFrameThe ReFrame Stamp AwardHere Love Lies
Honors OkayAfrica Okay100 Women 2017 Honoree Excellence in The Creative Industries Award - Sisi Oge Awards 2018 Distinguished Alumni Medal of Honor 2016 - In-short film festival African Woman In Film Award 2015 by African Women Development Fund Special Award For Outstanding Contribution To Film & TV In Nigeria - Eko Star Film & TV Awards by Lagos State Govt./Nigerian Film & TV Summit/Ebonylife Media 2021
See also List of Nigerian film producers List of Youruba people
References
External links Official Website