Omoni Oboli is one of the big names in the Nigerian movie-making industry and has revolutionized the world of YouTube movies for others in the Nollywood scene.
Omoni’s career started in 1996 with an acting role in Bitter Encounter, where she played a secretary, and from then on went on to star in three major movies as the lead female character: “Not My Will,” “Destined To Die,” and “Campus Tale.” After her success in these roles in 1996, Omoni left the movie industry to complete her university education and did not return until a decade later.
Omoni Oboli’s return to the industry did not pan out as she had hoped, prompting her to pivot to movie production, where she thrived. She has several screenplays to her name, with the inclusion of Wives on Strike, and The Rivals, a film she co-produced, which went on to win the prize for the best international drama at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, making it the first Nigerian film to have premiered since the inception of the festival in 2003.
After securing her position as a producer, Omoni Oboli returned to the screen as an actor and continued to play lead roles in blockbuster movies like “The Figurine,” “Being Mrs Elliot,” and “Fifty,” among others.
Omoni is also the first Nigerian actress to take home the award for Best Actress at two international festivals in the same year: the Harlem International Film Festival and the Los Angeles Movie Awards, for her role in “Anchor Baby,” one of her major mainstream roles.
Earlier this year, her movie “Love In Every Word” became the highest-watched Nollywood film on YouTube, gaining over 30 million views and becoming the first movie to cross 1 million views in under 24 hours.
Her move to YouTube, a major streaming platform for her movies, prompted other producers to also put their films on the platform as well.
Even after the release of the second part of the highly watched movie, Omoni continued to receive applause and endorsements because the film was widely accepted by Nigerians worldwide, as well as by an international audience.
Omoni has consistently shown that she is a fantastic actress, producer, and filmmaker, and with her present exploits, she is not slowing down anytime soon.
