Top 10 most sought after movie producers in 2021

The effects of Covid19 were and continue to be felt on a global basis. Many industries were temporarily shut down in the months following the first epidemic.

Many governments used non-essential company closure orders in an attempt to slow and contain the virus’s spread, keeping vital personnel on the frontlines while sending non-essential peers home.

Because the entertainment industry was deemed non-essential, production on films and television series was halted.

Nigerian producers have seized the chance to make up for lost time in 2021 as the world gradually transitions to a new normal.

Some of these well-known producers are Funke Akindele Bello , Kunle Afolayan, Joy Grant-Ekong, Funke Kemi Adetiba, Tope Oshin, Mo Abudu and others.

Funke Akindele Bello

Funke Akindele Bello is another producer that works tirelessly. Her forte is comedy-dramas that she often stars in as well.

Famously known for her role as Jenifa in Jenifa’s Diary. She is a top-rated Nollywood actress, director, producer, and occasional writer.

Her movie, Omo Ghetto currently holds the record of becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time in Nigeria, breaking the four-year record of Kemi Adetiba’s movie titled ‘The Wedding Party’ in 2016. According to a statement, broadcast by the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), in January 2021, the movie grossed N468,036,300 after maintaining its number one spot for 3 consecutive weeks.

Kunle Afolayan

Kunle Afolayan, the founder and the CEO of Kunle Afolayan Productions Television (KAPTv), and Golden Effects Pictures, is a force in Nollywood.

He has been able to reach far and wide with his company all thanks to his talent and tenacity. Kunle Afolayan has several films in the highest-grossing film list of the 2000s that show not only his skill for making films but also their profitability.

Most of his recent filmography can be found on Netflix, meaning a licensing agreement with Kunle Afolayan’s production company. His latest films, Swallow and Citation are exclusive to Netflix, after their premieres.

Joy Grant-Ekong

Joy Grant-Ekong also known as Joy Aiyegbeni is prolific filmmaker, producer, casting director best known for her work in the movie MAMA DRAMA, which had its world premiere on October 1, 2020, at Filmhouse Imax theatres before being made available on Netflix in 2021. She has also produced a number of other films, including Inline(Currently streaming on Netflix), One Too Many and Hell Ride, soon to be streamed on Netflix etc.

Tope Oshin

Tope Oshin is a 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 and in March 2018, in commemoration of Women’s History Month, Tope was celebrated by OkayAfrica as one of the Okay100 Women.

Tope Oshin is a severely 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.

Mildred Okwo

Mildred Okwo is a Nigerian film director and producer. She was nominated for the Best Director award at the 4th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

In 2012 she directed the romance comedy-drama film The Meeting which won several awards including Nigeria Entertainment Awards, Africa Movie Academy Awards, and Nollywood Movies Awards.

In 2016, Okwo was named one of the “50 Women Shaping Africa” by the influential international women’s magazine Elle Magazine and 100 Most influential people in Nigeria.
She is a founding member of the Nigerian Oscar Selection committee and was recently featured in a BBC documentary about female Film Directors in Nigeria

Kemi Adetiba

Kemi Adetiba is a producer, director, and writer. Best known for The Wedding Party, King of Boys, and King of Boys: The Return of the King, Adetiba is one producer that has scored goal after goal.

Her latest work, the seven-episode limited series that is a sequel to her 2018 film, King of Boys, was released on Netflix in August of 2021.

Interestingly, Adetiba did not pitch to Netflix, she was asked by the streaming giant if she was planning on making a sequel and when she did, Netflix was there to not only license her work but get exclusive streaming rights

Mo Abudu

Mo Abudu is the founder of EbonyLife Media, a media conglomerate comprising but not limited to EbonyLife Films, a production company responsible for movies like ‘Fifty’ and ‘The Wedding Party’, and more.

In September 2020, Òlòturé premiered on Netflix. Produced by Mo Abudu, the movie was about human trafficking in Nigeria.EbonyLife and Sony Pictures Television announced Àló, a new writers initiative that offers a unique platform for writers of African heritage. Coincidentally, Mo Abudu entered the Forbes list of 100 most powerful women for 2021.

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Chika Anadu 

Chika Anadu is a Nigerian filmmaker best known for the film B for Boy. She has also written and produced several short films. Anadu’s films are known for tackling issues of gender discrimination and cultural pressures surrounding tradition in Nigeria.
 
 Emem Isong 

Emem Isong is a Nigerian screenwriter, film producer, and director. She has become known primarily for films in the English language and is a dominant figure in that industry. Her second directed feature, Code of Silence, which deals with rape in Nigeria, was released in 2015. 

Mary Remy Njoku 

Mary Nnenna Njoku (also known as Mary Remmy or Mary Remmy Njoku) is a Nigerian actress and film producer, and Director General of the award-winning Lagos-based film house, ROK Studios, in Nigeria, which was acquired by French TV giant, CANAL+ [1] She produced and starred in Thy Will be Done, Husbands of Lagos.