Dear reader, It’s really happening! Our dear Nollywood is blossoming right before our eyes. Now more than ever, the attention and focus have been acute. The recent years as seen a voluminous demand for our local entertainment scenery even more than how it used to be.
With the streaming era holding water, it is not far-fetched to say the times are changing. The year 2022 in particular has been a very productive and interesting year for creatives. The Nigerian movie industry is beginning to set a large gap, there has been obvious and commendable growth.
Our Thrillers are thrilling, Comedy-drama more enthralling and humorous than ever, and Blockbuster movies shattering box office records.
Beyond the stars, beyond the glitz and glamour, there are hidden figures responsible for this uprising. A good number of these hidden figures are Women who sparkle behind the scenes and afterward. Women are changing the trajectory of things, with ingenuity, craftsmanship, and creativity aptly in full display.
In this article, we focus on Nigerian women that are actively pushing Nollywood to greater heights using filmmaker Jadesola Osiberu as a case study.
Born to a royal family in 1985, Jadesola Osiberu’s father, Oba Adewale Osiberu is the Elepe of Epe Sagamu. She has a degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Manchester.
The multi-disciplinary creative is also an alumnus of the esteemed Pan Atlantic University, where she studied Media and Communications.
She worked professionally as a software developer before doing a career switch to film-making.
Now, Jadesola Osiberu is a Nigerian writer, producer, and director. Jade Osiberu is gradually becoming a big name in the Nigerian movie industry as she has worked over the years and
garnered numerous recognition and awards due to her work ethic excellence.
In celebrating Women’s History Month, Pulse included her in its list of ten women making waves by developing content in the Nigerian film industry. Osiberu started her film production company in 2017. She is the founder of Greoh Studios; a film production company in Nigeria, with a focus on telling stories about the Pan-African experience.
In 2018, she headlined the Nollywood Film Festival in Scotland; whose primary aim is to offer audiences in Scotland the opportunity to view the best of African cinema from across the continent. Osiberu has written and directed major blockbuster movies that still get honorable mentions up to this moment.
In 2013, she wrote and produced the Ndani web series;
Gidi Up, in 2016, produced the popular web series; Rumor Has it.
Jadesola Osiberu definitely has a mind-blowing portfolio and creative run as she also produced Netflix blockbusters Sugar Rush and Ayinla in 2019 & 2021 respectively. As far as awards go, she is doing great, as she has awards such as AMVCA plaques in her personal achievement inventory.
Osiberu is also the brain behind Brotherhood (2022) and Gangs of Lagos; the first Nigerian original film set to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. In September 2022, Jadesola Osiberu’s film
production company; Greoh Studios, signed a three-year deal with Amazon to develop and produce original scripted TV series and feature films.
Her latest film, the critically acclaimed Brotherhood has been streaming in cinemas since 23rd September and is still currently available. Jadesola Osiberu is absolutely a force to reckon with.
In recent interviews, she has constantly made it clear that there are more sides to explore and she’s only just getting started. As aforementioned, a lot of progress and development has happened to Nollywood in recent years and it is only sacrosanct that we recognize and appreciate the ones putting in work with their audacious exploitations.
Glaringly, Jadesola Osiberu is a versatile and creative innovator who is making exploits by telling African stories in the most creative dimensions. A Queen worth rooting for.
