THE GODS OF NOLYWOOD
By Victory Aduragbemi
A renowned professor of screenwriting, Richard Walter, described screenwriters as Gods who created heaven, earth and everything therein in their stories. According to the UCLA teacher, ‘To write screenplay is to play God’.
Suffice to say that, these professionals do not only create the world in their story, they equally create the world, words and walls for other members of production crew, including the almighty benevolent dictator- the director.
No doubt, as much as the blueprint upon which a film is built is important, so is the screenwriter whose keyboard paints beautiful story on the canvass of the silver screen. Screenwriting is the bedrock of any movie.
The following are some of the screenwriters with notable impacts:
- ISHAYA BAKO
Bako is a Nigerian film director and screenwriter. He was born on 30th December, 1986 in Kaduna. He is an alumnus of Covenant University and London Film School, respectively. He has written quite a number of movies and he’s got himself awards for his works. His most recent screenwriting was for the movie, ‘Lionheart‘. He won the best short film awards. One of Bako’s documentary films on poverty and fuel subsidy was narrated by the Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka.
- XAVIER IGHORODJE
Xavier is one of the talented screenwriters in Nollywood. He is a story and screenwriter, production manager and currently the Head writer at M-Net Africa Magic’s show (DSTV). He is a graduate of Chemical Engineering from University of Benin.
He’s written several movies such as, HUSH and AJOCHE
- DARE OLAITAN
Dare is the brain behind the movie, Ojukokoro. He is a talented screenwriters which you’d see in display of the movies he writes. He was born in Lagos. He is an alumnus of Illinois Wesleyan College where he studied, Economics and Business Management.
Dare enrolled for film directing/ screenwriting degree in the Colorado Film School because his perception is that, the biggest area for growth in the African Market is in Film Production. Currently, he owns and manages Singularity Media LTD.
- BIODUN STEPHEN
Biodun is a sreenwriter, a radio presenter, a producer and a film maker. She is a graduate of Philosophy from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. She’s also an alumna of London Film Academy. She is mostly known for writing romantic comedy stories.
Biodun started her journey into acting in 2014 when she released her movie, THE VISIT. The movie got nominated twice in 2016, Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards. She also won best Director at Maya Awards Africa in 2016. Her works speak from an angle of pain and joy she has experienced in life.
- KEMI ADESOYE
Kemi is a Nigerian screenwriter, she was born in Kaduna but, she hails from Kwara State. She is a graduate of Federal University of Technology, Minna. She also is an alumna of New York Film Academy in the United States where she took a course on screenwriting.
Kemi wrote her first script in 1998. She is the writer of Kunle Afolayan’s movie, FIGURINE. Asides that she’s done a number of works. She also wrote the viewer’s delight Netflix/KAP’s Naija Christmas. She won Nollywood Movie Award for Best Original Screenplay.
- DAMI ELEBE
Dami is a screenwriter, an On-Air-Personality, a musician and an artiste. She studied in Lee University, USA. Dami’s web series, SKINNY GIRL IN TRANSIT is a popular one and shows how great a writer she is.
Dami won the ELOY Awards in 2018 as the Scriptwriter of the Year.
- EMIL GARUBA
Emil is screenwriter, director, a film producer and a creative consultant. His works range from television shows, short films, documentaries and feature films.
He is a co-writer for the 2016 AMVCA winning feature film, ROAD TO YESTERDAY. He also co-wrote the movie titled, Lionheart. Emil’s works have won him several awards.
- OLU YOMI OSASANYA
Yomi is a screenwriter, film culturist, videomaker and essayist. He has written on different TV shows. Few of Yomi’s short films have been selected for Africa International Film Festival, (AFRIFF), Blackstar’s Beyond Nollywood (BIF) and, Cannes Short Film Corner (CAFF).
He reviewed Blank Panther and other movies.
- KENNETH GYANG
Kenneth is a film maker and a screenwriter. He was born in Barkin Ladi, Plateau State. He is an alumnus of Nigeria Film Institute, Jos, where he studied, Film Production and later enrolled in Gaston Kabore’s IMAGINE in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
His works have won him various awards.
- VICTOR SANCHEZ AGHAHOWA
Victor is best known as a show-runner, a screenwriter, a director, a television producer. Victor was born on 27 December, 1982 in Benin City, Edo State. He is worked in the field of screenwriting for over 15years now and he currently runs the content creation for TatafoHQ LTD.
Picture credits- internet
