| Tope Oshin | |
| Occupation: | Filmmaker |
| Years Active: | 1996-present |
| Notable Works: | Shuga Up North (film)[1] The Wedding Party 2 Journey to Self Tinsel (TV series) Fifty |
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.[2] In 2015 Pulse magazine named her as one of "9 Nigerian female movie directors you should know" in the Nollywood film industry.[3] and in March 2018, in commemoration of the Women's History Month, Tope was celebrated by OkayAfrica as one of the Okay100 Women.[4] 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.
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.[5] She became more interested in filmmaking and later studied Film Production, and Cinematography at Colorado Film School of the Community College of Aurora, Denver,[6] and Met Film School, Ealing Studios, London respectively.Tope is also an alumnus of 'Talents Durban' [7] and Berlinale Talents,[8] [9] a networking summit of select outstanding creatives from the world of film and drama series across the globe.
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.[5] 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.[10] 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),[11] and New Money.[12]
Oshin has produced some of the highest box office breaking movies in Nigeria, including the 2015 romantic film Fifty,[13] 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.[14] and The Wedding Party 2, as at 2018, the highest grossing Nigerian film.[15]
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.[16]
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.[17] 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.[18]
Oshin racked up some controversy in Nigeria,[19] when she co-wrote, directed and produced the Queer film We Don't Live Here Anymore (2018 film)[20] 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[21] with FilmOne Distribution in 2018. We Don't Live Here Anymore however screened at Africa In Motion Film Festival[22] in Glasgow, and also racked up a lot of nominations and awards[23] 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[24]
Tope, through her company Sunbow Productions [ng], was commissioned to produce[25] Season 8 of MTV Shuga (TV Series), dubbed MTV Shuga Naija 4, and is credited[26] 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.[27]
Tope's 2002 marriage to screenwriter, Yinka Ogun, ended in 2014. The union produced four children.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Ref | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | ||||
| 2012 | Journey to Self | ||||
| 2015 | Fifty | ||||
| 2017 | The Wedding Party 2 | ||||
| In Line | [29] | ||||
| 2018 | New Money | [30] | |||
| We Don't Live Here Anymore | [31] | ||||
| Up North | [32] | ||||
| 2022 | Here Love Lies | [33] | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | Editor | ||||
| 2011 | The Young Smoker | ||||||
| 2013 | New Horizons | ||||||
| Till Death Do Us Part | |||||||
| 2014 | Crush | ||||||
| 2015 | Ireti | [34] | |||||
| Year | Title | Role | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | Presenter | ||||
| 2016 | Amaka’s Kin: The Women of Nollywood. | [35] | |||||
| 2017 | Nigeria: Shooting It Like A Woman | ||||||
| Year | Title | Role | Ref | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Producer | Writer | Casting director | Other | ||||
| 2008 | Maltina Dance All | Presenter | [36] | |||||
| 2009 | Moments With Mo | |||||||
| 2009 -2013 | Tinsel (TV series) | Box/Content producer | ||||||
| 2012 | Bridges | |||||||
| 2013 | Conversations At Dinner | |||||||
| Love and War | ||||||||
| 2014 | Walk The Talk | |||||||
| 2015 | Hotel Majestic | |||||||
| 2016 | GidiUp 3 (Unaired) | |||||||
| EvoL | ||||||||
| Hush | ||||||||
| 2017 | BattleGround | Consultant | ||||||
| Ever After (TV Feature) | ||||||||
| 2018 | MTV Shuga Season 6 | |||||||
| 2019 | MTV Shuga Naija Season 4 | Executive producer | [37] | |||||
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | In-short film festival | Audience Prize | The Young Smoker | |||
| Special Jury Mention | ||||||
| Best Director | ||||||
| Best Film | ||||||
| TAVA (The Audio Visual Awards) | Best Directing | Tinsel | ||||
| 2012 | Abuja International Film Festival | Best Short Film | Till Death Do Us Part | |||
| In-short film festival | Best Film | |||||
| Best Director | ||||||
| TAVA (The Audio Visual Awards) | Most Outstanding Short Film | |||||
| The Young Smoker | ||||||
| Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best Short Film | |||||
| Abuja International Film Festival | Outstanding Film in Directing | Till Death Do Us Part | ||||
| Best Short Film | The Young Smoker | |||||
| 2013 | Slum Film Festival | Best Narrative Film | ||||
| Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Movie With A Social Message | Journey To Self | ||||
| Zulu African Film Academy Awards | Best Director | |||||
| Best Movie | ||||||
| Best Short Film | Till Death Do Us Part | |||||
| 2014 | Teens Favorite Awards | Teens Favorite TV & Film Producer | ||||
| Special Jury Award | New Horizons | |||||
| Nigerian Broadcast & Media Awards | Best Program Director | Tinsel | ||||
| Best TV Drama | New Horizons | |||||
| Nigerian Entertainment Awards | Best Director | Journey To Self | ||||
| Best Short Film | New Horizons | |||||
| 2015 | Golden Movie Awards | Golden Short Award | ||||
| 2016 | Lagos Entertainment Awards | Director Of The Year | ||||
| Exquisite Lady Of The Year Awards | Best Producer of The Year | Fifty | ||||
| Nigerian Creatives Award | Creative Personae of the year | |||||
| Divas Awards | Filmmaker of the year | |||||
| Abuja International Film Festival, Nigeria | Best Short Film | Ireti | ||||
| Africa Movie Academy Awards | ||||||
| Golden Movie Awards | Golden Short Award | |||||
| Nigerian Broadcast & Media Awards | Best TV Program Director | Tinsel | ||||
| Womens Only Entertainment Film Festival | Best International Short Film | Ireti | ||||
| Best International Female Director | ||||||
| Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Documentary | Amaka’s Kin: The Women of Nollywood | ||||
| 2017 | Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards | |||||
| Best Short Film | Ireti | |||||
| City People Entertainment Awards | Best Director Of The Year | |||||
| Ebonylife TV Sisterhood Awards | Director Of The Year | |||||
| 2018 | Best of Nollywood Awards | Best Director of The Year | We Don’t Live Here Anymore | [38] | ||
| Best Movie of The Year | ||||||
| Best Editing | ||||||
| Best Screenplay of The Year | ||||||
| RealTime Film Festival | Best Movie By A Female African Filmmaker | In Line | [39] | |||
| 2019 | Africa Movie Academy Awards | Best Nigerian Film | Up North | |||
| 2021 | 7th Annual Hollywood Weekly Magazine Film Festival & Awards | Best Director | In Line | [40] | ||
| 2021 | ReFrame | The ReFrame Stamp Award | Here Love Lies | [41] |