Tope Oshin: Biography, Age, Career, Family And Movies

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. and 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, but left the course to study Public Administration, 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), cut her teeth in directing, working as an 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 Season 6 of MTV Shuga. Though she has directed several introspective short films 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 of 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 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 the 2018 Best Of Nollywood Awards in Nigeria. The film can only 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.

Since 2015 till date, Tope has served as a juror for the International Emmy Award.

Personal life

Tope’s 2002 marriage to screenwriter, Yinka Ogun, hit the rocks and led to a permanent separation in 2014. The union produced 4 children before it ended.

Filmography

Feature Films

2018 Up North Director
2018 We Don’t Live Here Anymore Director. Producer
2018 New Money Director
2017 InLine Director
2017 The Wedding Party 2 Producer
2015 Fifty Producer
2012 Journey to Self Director

Short Films

2015 Ireti. Director. Producer. Writer.
2014 Crush Director. Producer. Editor. Writer.
2013 New Horizons. Director. Producer.
2013 Till Death Do Us Part. Director. Producer.
2011 The Young Smoker. Director. Producer.

Documentaries

2016 Amaka’s Kin – The Women of Nollywood. Director. Producer. Writer.
2017 Nigeria: Shooting It Like A Woman. Presenter.

Television

2019 MTV Shuga Naija Season 4. ShowRunner. Lead Director. Producer. Casting Director. Executive Producer.
2018 MTV Shuga Season 6. Director. Casting Director.
2017 Ever After (TV Feature) Director. Producer. Casting Director. Writer.
2017 BattleGround (Tele-Novella, Pre-Production) Content Director/Consultant.
2016 Hush (Tele-Novella) Director
2016 EvoL (TV Feature) Director. Producer. Casting Director. Writer.
2016 GidiUp 3 (Drama Series, Unaired) Director
2015 Hotel Majestic (Tele-Novella) Director
2014 Walk The Talk (Talk Show, Season 1) Director, Producer.
2013 Love and War (TV Movie) Director. Producer. Casting Director.
2013 Conversations At Dinner (TV Movie) Director. Producer. Casting Director.
2012 Bridges (Drama Series, Season 1) Director.
2009-2013 Tinsel (TV series) (Soap Opera, Seasons 2-5) Director. Box/Content Producer.
2009 Moments With Mo (Talk Show) Producer.

Awards, nominations, honours

Honours

OkayAfrica Okay100Women 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

Awards

Best Director of The Year – Best of Nollywood Awards 2018 – We Don’t Live Here Anymore
Best Movie of The Year – Best of Nollywood Awards 2018 – We Don’t Live Here Anymore
Best Director Of The Year – City People Entertainment Awards 2017
Best Documentary – Best of Nollywood Awards 2016 – “Amaka’s Kin”
Best International Female Director – Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival 2016 –Ireti
Best International Short Film – Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival 2016- Ireti
Best TV Program Director – Nigerian Broadcast Media Awards 2016 – Tinsel
Golden Short Award – Golden Movie Awards Africa 2015 – New Horizons
Special Jury Award – Africa Movie Academy Awards 2014 – New Horizons
Teens Favorite TV & Film Producer – Teens Favorite Awards, Nigeria 2014
Best Movie With A Social Message – Best Of Nollywood Awards 2013 – Journey To Self
Best Narrative Film – Slum Film Festival 2013, Nairobi – The Young Smoker
Best Director – In-short film festival 2012 – Till Death Do Us Part
Best Film – In-short film festival 2012 – Till Death Do Us Part
Best Short Film – Abuja International Film Festival 2012 – Till Death Do Us Part
Best Directing – TAVA (The Audi Visual Awards), Lagos 2011 – Tinsel
Audience Prize – In-short film festival, Lagos 2011 – The Young Smoker
Special Jury Mention – In-short film festival, Lagos 2011 – The Young Smoker

Nominations

Best Nigerian Film – Africa Movie Academy Awards 2019 – Up North
Best Screenplay of The Year – Best Of Nollywood Awards 2018 – We Don’t Live Here Anymore
Director Of The Year – Ebonylife TV Sisterhood Awards 2017
Best Documentary nomination – Amaka’s Kin – The Women of Nollywood – Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, Nigeria, 2017
Best Short Film Nomination – Ireti – Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards, Nigeria, 2017
Filmmaker of the year nomination – Divas Award, Nigeria, 2016
Creative Personae of the year nomination – Nigerian Creatives Award, Nigeria, 2016
Best Producer of The Year nomination – ‘Fifty’ – Exquisite Lady Of The Year Awards, Nigeria, 2016
Director Of The Year – Lagos Entertainment Awards – Nigeria, 2016
Best Short Film Award nomination – Ireti – Abuja Int’l Film Festival, Nigeria, 2016
Best Short Film Award nomination – Ireti – Africa Movie Academy Awards Nigeria, 2016
Golden Short Award Nomination – ‘Ireti’ – Golden Movie Awards Africa, Ghana 2016
Best Program Director Nomination – ‘Tinsel’ – Nigerian Broadcast & Media Awards(NBMA), Nigeria, 2014
Best TV Drama Nomination – ‘New Horizons’ – Nigerian Broadcast & Media Awards(NBMA), Nigeria, 2014
Best Director Nomination – ‘Journey To Self’ – Nigerian Entertainment Awards(NEA), New York, USA 2014
Best Short Film – ‘New Horizons’ – Best Of Nollywood Awards(BON), Nigeria, 2014
Best Director nomination – ‘Journey To Self’ – Zulu African Academy Awards(ZAFAA), London, UK, 2013
Best Director nomination – ‘Journey To Self’ – Nollywood Movies Awards (NMA), Lagos, Nigeria, 2013
Best Movie nomination – ‘Journey To Self’ – Nollywood Movies Awards (NMA), Lagos, Nigeria, 2013
Best Short Film nomination – ‘Till Death Do Us Part’ – Nollywood Movies Awards (NMA), Lagos, Nigeria, 2013
Best Short Film Award nomination – ‘The Young Smoker’ – Africa Movie Academy Awards, Lagos, Nigeria, 2012
Outstanding Film in Directing nomination – ’Till Death Do Us Part’ – Abuja International Film Festival, Abuja, Nigeria, 2012
Best Short Film nomination – ‘The Young Smoker’ – Abuja International Film Festival, Abuja, Nigeria, 2012
Best Director nomination – ‘The Young Smoker’ – In-short film festival, Lagos, Nigeria, 2011
Best Film nomination – ‘The Young Smoker’ – In-short film festival, Lagos, Nigeria, 2011
Most Outstanding Short Film nomination – ‘The Young Smoker’ – TAVA (The Audi Visual Awards), Lagos, Nigeria, 2012
Most Outstanding Short Film nomination – ’Till Death Do Us Part’ – TAVA (The Audi Visual Awards), Lagos, Nigeria, 2012