Since the inception of the Nigerian film industry in the 1960s, many women have made their mark in front of the camera, portraying diverse characters, while others have left an indelible impact behind the scenes.
For Women’s History Month, inspired by Archivi.ng’s 100 Nigerian Creators Who Defined Culture 2025 campaign, we remember eight remarkable women who left their mark on Nollywood’s history with strong legacies.
- Amaka Igwe (1963–2014)
Uzoamaka Audrey “Amaka” Igwe (née Isaac-Ene) was a filmmaker whose works like Checkmate (1991–1994), Rattlesnake (1995), Violated (1996), and the much-beloved classic soap opera, Fuji House of Commotion (2001-2010), collectively defined a new era of creative direction within the Nigerian film industry. Back when film schools were barely existent in the country, Igwe’s projects served as training grounds for several film professionals, launching now-veteran actors like Ego Boyo, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Bob-Manuel Udokwu, Julius Agwu, Francis Duru, and Nkem Owoh into the spotlight.
The visionary behind Amaka Igwe Studios, Q Entertainment Networks, Top Radio 90.9 FM, and the annual Best of the Best African Film and TV Programmes Market (BOBTV Expo) was well-known for choosing quality over quantity. “I set out to tell a story that will resonate with people,” she once said of her filmmaking process, “because if it does, then they will buy, they will watch, they will enjoy, (and) they will be entertained.”
Igwe inspired Tope Oshin’s 2016 documentary, Amaka’s Kin: The Women of Nollywood, which examines the unique struggles of Nigerian female directors through the experiences of Omoni Oboli, Mildred Okwo, Jade Osiberu, and Stephanie Linus, among others; built around her famous words, “I will give to you what I have, added to what you have, so that you can be more than me.”
- Lola Fani-Kayode (1959 –)
Lola Fani-Kayode was a pioneer of Nigerian television in the 1980s who wrote, directed, and produced the trailblazing soap opera Mirror in the Sun (1984–1986) in collaboration with Cine Kraft Ltd., with the final 13 episodes produced by NTA. The show focused on the lives of Lagos’s middle and upper classes in the city and humorously showed the flaws of the rich, inspiring subsequent others like Ripples, Behind The Clouds, and Amaka Igwe’s Checkmate.
Fani-Kayode also produced Mind Bending, a program in the early 1990s that raised social awareness about the effects of drugs and alcohol on young people, based on research conducted at Yaba Psychiatric Hospital.
At a time when women rarely held powerful positions behind the scenes, Fani-Kayode carved a path for others to follow. Her later works include The Dilemma of Father Michael (1988) and her debut directorial film, Iwa (1989), based on Adebayo Faleti’s novel, “Ìdààmú Páàdì Mínkáílù”.
- Nelly Uchendu (1950–2005)
Nelly Uchendu was a renowned singer in the 1970s and 1980s, known for her vocal prowess across Igbo highlife, pop, and gospel music, with songs like the classic “Love Nwantiti” (recognised in contemporary Nigerian films). She was also recognised for her efforts in modernising traditional Igbo folk songs and nicknamed “The Lady with the Golden Voice.”
On Nollywood’s early screens, Uchendu took on roles that allowed her to showcase her musical ability; as Ikemefuna’s mother in Things Fall Apart (1986), she performed “Ikemefuna’s Song”. She also sang in Taboo (1993) and Nneka the Pretty Serpent (1994). Her work paved the way for other artists, like Onyeka Onwenu, to bring music into film.
- Christy Essien-Igbokwe (1960–2011)
Nigeria’s Lady of Songs, Christiana Uduak “Christy” Essien-Igbokwe, stepped into the limelight in 1976 as Apena in James Iroha’s The New Masquerade. A year later, she released her debut album, Freedom.
Essien-Igbokwe went on to shape popular culture through socially conscious hits like “Seun Rere”, “Hear the Call”, and “Teta Nu Na Ula”, widening her reach across the country by performing in multiple languages, including Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Efik, English, and her mother tongue, Ibibio. She also featured in Nollywood films like Chico Ejiro’s Flesh and Blood (1996) and Reginald Ebere’s Scars of Womanhood (1998), which speak on the themes of child abuse and female genital mutilation, respectively, using her influence to draw more attention to these issues.
- May Ellen Ezekiel Mofe-Damijo (1956–1996)
May Ellen Ezekiel “MEE” Mofe-Damijo was an innovative journalist and writer whose work in the early days of Nigerian lifestyle and entertainment journalism influenced conversations around the entertainment scene.
As publisher of Classique Magazine, one of the first entertainment journals in the country, she worked with top journalists like Dele Momodu, Rudolf Okonkwo, and Ben Charles Obi. She also hosted and produced her own talk show, Mee and You, on NTA.
MEE’s career spanned roles as a journalist with Sunday Concord, Newswatch, and Quality magazine. At the time of her passing, she was married to veteran filmmaker Richard Mofe-Damijo.
- Abiodun Duro-Ladipo (1941 –)
Abiodun Duro-Ladipo, a performer from a royal family in Ijan-Ekiti, began her career in 1963, when she joined Yoruba playwright and dramatist Duro Ladipo’s Mbari Mbayo Theatre Group; a year later, they were married.
Duro-Ladipo, known for her famed Oya role in the Sango play, performed with the troupe on both local and international stages throughout the 60s and 70s. After her husband’s death in 1978, she took charge of the group—an uncommon feat for women at the time—and kept acting in productions like Oya Sings (1979), B’Inaku (1981), Oyinbo Ajele (1986), and Esentaye (1997). She also brought her stage roles to screen in titles like Ija Orugun (1983) and Moremi (2009), which she later remade in 2017. Abiodun Duro-Ladipo remains a strong champion of the preservation of the Yoruba dramatic legacy.
- Funmi Ranco (1942–1984)
Olufunmilayo Rachiel Ajayi (A.K.A. Funmi Ranco) was a former motor park attendant and skilled wrestler who ventured into theatre and became the only actress-manager in the Yoruba travelling theatre scene in the 60s. In 1964, she co-founded the Irawo Obokun Theatre and quickly built a reputation for taking on strong male roles, leading her shows with music, dance, and drumming.
Ranco was also a self-described feminist; her famous plays, Oredunni and Gongo So, reflected these ideals while addressing cultural issues and her energetic displays challenged what women could do in the Nigerian theatre.
- Peace Anyiam-Osigwe (1969–2023)
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe was a visionary filmmaker and founder of PMO Global Studios, known for projects like Fear the Unknown (2003) and GRA Woman (2010). In 2005, she created the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) to celebrate African cinema and later launched the African Film Academy Fund as an initiative “borne out of our commitment to the development of our stories, images, and our heritage.” It reportedly went on to train over 5,000 filmmakers across the continent.
As early as nine, she already wrote articles for Punch. During her media career spanning over three decades, she also produced Peace of Mind (a TV talk show featuring successful diasporan Nigerians to counter the negative image of Nigerians). Also, Anyiam-Osigwe managed stars like Kate Henshaw, P Square, and Somkele Iyamah, as she nursed ambitions of expanding cinema infrastructure across Africa. Her dedication towards the advancement of the Nigerian film industry earned her the nickname “Queen of Nollywood.”
Join us this Women’s Month at a special event in Lagos.
What Kept Me Up will be a programming partner at the March edition of Nolly Trivia, featuring a special round spotlighting important women in Nollywood. The event will take place on March 7 in Lagos, with doors opening at 6pm. Get your tickets here.
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