Jade Osiberu did not take the traditional route into Nollywood. She started with a web series about young people in Lagos, released online at a time when few Nigerian producers took the internet seriously. A decade later, she was making action films for Amazon Prime Video. As a writer, director and producer, Osiberu has become one of the most influential figures in new Nollywood, known for glossy, ambitious films about modern Lagos life.
Gidi Up, Isoken and Sugar Rush
Osiberu created Gidi Up, a series about young friends in Lagos that began online in 2013 and later appeared on television. Her directorial debut, Isoken, released in 2017, is a romantic comedy about a woman under family pressure to marry within her Edo culture. Isoken starred Dakore Egbuson-Akande, Joseph Benjamin and Marc Rhys, and became a box-office success.
Osiberu founded Tribe85, a production company focused on high-quality Nigerian films. Sugar Rush (2019), produced by Osiberu, is a comedy-crime film about three sisters who find a bag of money.
Brotherhood and the Amazon deal
Brotherhood (2022) tells the story of twin brothers on opposite sides of the law. It featured Falz and Tobi Bakre. In 2022, Osiberu signed a multi-film deal with Amazon Prime Video. Gangs of Lagos, released in 2023, was Amazon’s first Nigerian original film. It drew praise for its action and criticism over its depiction of the Eyo masquerade.
Her films are known for slick production, strong casts and stories set in contemporary Lagos. She is among the Nigerian filmmakers who have built close relationships with global streaming platforms. Younger filmmakers point to her as an example of how to move from web content to international deals.
Women behind the camera
She is part of a growing group of women directing and producing in Nollywood. When Gidi Up began, most Nigerian producers saw the internet as a place for trailers, not full shows. Osiberu used it to find a young audience first, then took that audience with her into cinemas and onto streaming services. Her stories return again and again to the ambitions, pressures and nightlife of middle-class Lagos, a world her viewers recognise.
Gidi Up started life as a series people watched on their phones and laptops. Ten years later, Osiberu’s films were premiering on Amazon.
