Mildred Okwo

{{Infobox person

| name = Mildred Okwo

| image = Mildred Okwo and others on set of The Meeting.jpg

| caption = Okwo on set of The Meeting in 2011

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|04|29|df=y}}{{cite web | url=https://thenationonlineng.net/top-10-nigerian-filmmakers/| title=Top 10 Nigerian filmmakers|work=The Nation|date=30 September 2024|accessdate=30 March 2025| author=Oamen, Samuel}}

| birth_place =

| alma_mater = University of Benin
Orange County, California

| occupation = producer, director

| nationality = Nigerian

| citizenship =

| other_names =

| years_active = 2006 - present

| notable_works = The Meeting

| spouse =

| children =

| signature =

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}}

Mildred Okwo is a Nigerian film director and producer.{{cite web | url=http://allafricancinema.com/afrinolly-meets-nigerian-filmmaker-mildred-okwo/ | title=Afrinolly meets Nigerian Filmmaker Mildred Okwo | publisher=allafricancinema.com | accessdate=22 June 2014}}{{cite web | url=http://www.ynaija.com/ynaija-interview-why-i-have-not-released-the-meeting-on-dvd-mildred-okwo-movie-director/ | title=Why I have not Released The Meeting on DVD - Mildred Okwo | date=26 July 2013 | publisher=YNaija | accessdate=22 June 2014}} She was nominated for the Best Director award at the 4th Africa Movie Academy Awards. In 2012, she directed the romance comedy-drama film The Meeting, which won several awards, including Nigeria Entertainment Awards, Africa Movie Academy Awards and Nollywood Movies Awards.

Early life, education and career

Okwo was born on 29 April 1966 in Lagos, Nigeria.{{Cite web|url=https://filmfreeway.com/MildredOkwo|title = Mildred Okwo}} She studied theatre arts at the University of Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. She also studied law at the Whittier Law School, Orange County, California, USA.{{cite web | url=http://nollywoodexpress.com/mildred-okwo-im-home-to-lead-a-revolution-in-nollywood-the-guardian-nigeria/ | title=I am Home to lead a Revolution - Mildred Okwo | publisher=nollywoodexpress.com | accessdate=22 June 2014}}

Okwo is a Nigerian film director and producer whose films have received several nominations and awards in Africa, including the AMVCA, AMAA, NMA and "Publix du Prix" at Nollywood Paris. In 2006, after her return to Nigeria, she wrote, co-produced and directed the film 30 Days.{{Cite web|url=https://thenationonlineng.net/mildred-okwo-i-make-actors-comfortable-to-shoot-sex-scenes/|title=Mildred Okwo: I make actors comfortable to shoot sex scenes|date=28 August 2020}} Many popular Nigerian film actors featured in the film, including Joke Silva, Najite Dede, Genevieve Nnaji, Segun Arinze, Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw and Norbert Young. On 30 April 2006, 30 Days was released in the US. It received 10 nominations at the 2008 Africa Movie Academy Awards, including Best Art Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Picture.{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.ng/mildred-okwo-talks-sex-love-forbidden-romance-in-la-femme-anjola/ | title=Mildred Okwo Talks Sex, Love, Forbidden Romance in 'La Femme Anjola' }} In 2016, Okwo was named one of "50 Women Shaping Africa" by Elle Magazine SA and one of the 100 most influential people in Nigeria by Y'Naija.com.{{Cite web |last=BellaNaija.com |date=2016-07-28 |title=#TheIncredibles! Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Mildred Okwo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & More on Elle Magazine SA’s List of “50 Women Shaping Africa” |url=https://www.bellanaija.com/2016/07/theincredibles-omotola-jalade-ekeinde-mildred-okwo-chimamanda-adichie-more-on-elle-magazine-sas-list-of-50-women-shaping-africa/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=BellaNaija |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=BellaNaija.com |date=2016-12-12 |title=Meet YNaija.com’s 100 Most Influential People in Nigeria in 2016 |url=https://www.bellanaija.com/2016/12/meet-ynaija-coms-100-most-influential-people-in-nigeria-in-2016/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |website=BellaNaija |language=en-US}}

Academy Awards committee

Okwo, alongside eleven other Nollywood practitioners, founded the Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee (NOSC) and were approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to screen Nigerian films to be submitted for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.{{cite web | url=http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/05/academy-awards-incorporates-nigeria-committee-screen-nollywood-films/ | title=Academy Awards incorporate Nigerian Committee to Screen Nollywood films | publisher=dailyindependentnig.com | accessdate=22 June 2014 | url-status=usurped | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502191105/http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/05/academy-awards-incorporates-nigeria-committee-screen-nollywood-films/ | archivedate=2 May 2014 }}{{cite web | url=http://tribune.com.ng/razzmatazz/item/4447-oscars-approve-committee-for-screening-of-nollywood-movies/4447-oscars-approve-committee-for-screening-of-nollywood-movies | title=Oscars approve Committee for Screening Nigerian films | publisher=tribune.com.ng | accessdate=22 June 2014 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903202840/http://tribune.com.ng/razzmatazz/item/4447-oscars-approve-committee-for-screening-of-nollywood-movies/4447-oscars-approve-committee-for-screening-of-nollywood-movies | archivedate=3 September 2014 }}{{cite web | url=http://www.bellanaija.com/2014/05/01/major-milestone-for-nollywood-oscars-approve-nigerian-comittee/ | title=Major Milstone for Nollywood as Oscars approve Nigerian Committee | date=May 2014 | publisher=bellanaija.com | accessdate=22 June 2014}}

Filmography

30 Days (2006)
The Meeting (2012)
Suru L'ere (2016)
La Femme Anjola (2019){{cite web | url=https://www.independent.ng/mildred-okwo-talks-sex-love-forbidden-romance-in-la-femme-anjola/ | title=Mildred Okwo Talks Sex, Love, Forbidden Romance in 'La Femme Anjola' }}{{Cite web|url=https://businessday.ng/life-arts/article/are-people-totally-evil-see-mildred-okwos-la-femme-anjola/|title=Are people totally evil? See Mildred Okwo's "La Femme Anjola"|date=4 October 2019}}

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable"

!Year

!Award

!Category

!Work

!Result

!Ref

rowspan="2" |2022

| rowspan="2" |Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards

|Best Overall Movie

| rowspan="2" |La Femme Anjola

|{{nom}}

| rowspan="2" |{{Cite news |title=2022 Africa Magic Awards Nominees don land- See who dey list |work=BBC News Pidgin |url=https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-60818021 |access-date=2022-03-26}}

Best Director

|{{nom}}