Imoh Umoren
Imoh Umoren | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 August 1982 |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer, writer |
| Years active | 2007–present |
Imoh Umoren (born 13 August 1982), is a Nigerian filmmaker who primarily makes indie films.[1] He is most notable as the director of the 2017 film Children of Mud. Umoren is considered the first filmmaker to make a silent black and white film in the Nollywood film industry.[2]
Personal life[edit]
He was born on 13 August 1982 in Nigeria. His father was a politician and mother was a college professor.[3] Umoren credits his mother's influence for his career in filmmaking. Both of his parents died when he was a teenager, and he was raised by relatives until he struck out on his own at 16.[4]
Career[edit]
At the age of 9, Umoren started to write a comic series called The Wickeds with his closest friend Richie. He joined as a junior producer for 'Common Ground Production' and worked on an international series called The Station.[1] Later, he involved with franchise TV productions such as Project Fame, MTV Advance Warning, Don’t Forget The Lyrics and Malta Guinness Street Dance.[5]
At the age of 26, he made his first feature film Lemon Green.[4] The film gained critical acclaim. Then in 2010, he directed the short film All Sorts Of Trouble. In 2013, his TV movie Have A Nice Day was nominated for Best Cinematography. In 2015 he directed the black and white silent movie Hard Times, which won him his first AMVCA.[6] For his tragedy film The Happyness Limited, the lead actor Tope Tedela was voted as the Best Actor in Africa at the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA).[2]
Umoren later wrote and directed the critically acclaimed film Children of Mud which is loosely based on a real story.[1] The film received 7 nominations at different international film festivals including: Nigeria Entertainment Awards (NEA) and the AMVCA.[7] His next tragedy film Dear Bayo was screened in 11 film festivals and won 6 awards at the UK Nollywood Festival other international film festivals.[2] Umoren also directed the film Lagos: Sex, Lies & Traffic which he co-wrote with Gbemisola Afolabi.
He then completed the production of the period drama The Herbert Macaulay Affair, a biopic about Herbert Macaulay, in 2018.[8][9] In 2020, he made the drama series Channel 77.[10]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Film | Role | Genre | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Hard Times | Director, writer | Film | |
| 2007 | The Station | Junior producer | TV series | |
| 2007 | Break the Bank | Producer | TV series | |
| 2007 | Don’t Forget The Lyrics | Junior producer | TV series | |
| 2008 | Project Fame | Junior producer | TV program | |
| 2008 | MTN Xtra Connect Game Show | Junior producer | TV series | |
| 2008 | MTV Advance Warning | Junior producer | TV series | |
| 2009 | Lemon Green | Director, writer | Film | [11] |
| 2009 | Malta Guinness Street Dance | Junior producer | TV program | |
| 2010 | All Sorts Of Trouble | Director, writer | Film | |
| 2013 | Have A Nice Day | Director, writer | Film | |
| 2015 | Lagos: Sex, Lies & Traffic | Director, writer | Film | [12] |
| 2016 | The Happyness Limited | Director, writer | Film | [13] |
| 2017 | Children of Mud | Director, producer, writer | Film | |
| 2018 | Club | |||
| 2019 | The Herbert Macaulay Affair | Director, producer | Film | [14] |
| 2020 | Dear Bayo | Director, writer | Film |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Imoh Umoren: Setting The Pace In Indie Film". The Guardian. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "Imoh Umoren career". kweliTV, Inc. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ "Interview: Imoh Umoren, African Filmmaker Talks Career Plus "Lagos: Sex, Lies & Traffic"". Indie Activity. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Losing My Parents And Two Siblings Scared Me Shitless — Man Like Imoh Umoren". Zikoko!. 2021-05-30. Retrieved 2021-05-30.
- ^ "Imoh Umoren: The rise of a filmmaker". Omenka Online. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "AMVCA 2015: Imoh Umoren wins Best New Media Online Video". Africa Magic - AMVCA 2015: Imoh Umoren wins Best New Media Online Video. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ "GEP Studios bags another nomination for Children of Mud". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ "Imoh Umoren features Herbert Macaulay's grandson, Wale in a new film, 'The Herbert Macaulay Affair'". Pulse Nigeria. 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
- ^ "From an idea to the big screen: The journey of producing a movie". Stears Business. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Imoh Umoren flashes Kelechi Udegbe as its lead star in 'Channel 77' teaser". pulse. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "I want to take Lemon Green to 22 film festivals says, Imoh Umoren". thenigerianvoice. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ "Filmmaker X-rays Lagosians in new film, 'Lagos: Sex, Lies and Traffic". thenationonlineng. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ Umoren, Imoh (2016-12-03), The Happyness Limited (Drama, Family), Tope Tedela, Elvis Duke, Mariam Kayode, Kingsley Nwachukwu, retrieved 2021-01-06
- ^ "The Herbert Macaulay Affair is a timely reminder that Nigerian history matters (Review)". pulse. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 14 October 2020.