Tope Oshin

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.[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), cut her teeth in directing, working as an 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 Season 6 of MTV Shuga.[10] 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),[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[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 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[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]

In 2020 she directed Quam's Money which is a follow-up to the 2018 film New Money. The story follows what happens when a security guard (Quam) suddenly becomes a multi-millionaire. The new cast was lead by Falz, Toni Tones, Jemima Osunde, Blossom Chukwujekwu and Nse Ikpe-Etim.[28]

Tope's 2002 marriage to screenwriter, Yinka Ogun, led to a permanent separation in 2014. The union produced four children.[29]

• List of Nigerian film producers

• Official Website
• Tope Oshin at IMDb