In today's episode, I had the opportunity to chat with exciting British-Nigerian film director Tomisin Adepeju. We talk about his journey from Nigeria to London at a young age; how finding and shaping his identity led him to film making: from his first short film at college to his catalogue of high profile short films thus far. We delve into his passion for film and talk about the works of Ousmane Sembène, Satyajit Ray, Yasujiro Ozu, Andrew Dosunmu, Abbas Kiarostami, Andrei Tarkovsky, Herbert Ogunde and much more. We also chat about our Yoruba cultural heritage, Tomisin's faith and and most importantly, his approach to living life and a few of the quotes and affirmations that continually encourage him.
**In case you're wondering, the outro of this episode is of Tomisin's short film, The Good son (Omo daada).
Tomisin Adepeju is a Nigerian-British filmmaker based in London, England. His multi award-winning shorts have been selected at over 150 international film festivals; including multiple Oscar-Qualifying festivals. His award-winning short, The Right Choice, had its World Premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and also screened as part of Sundance London. The film has screened at over 50 international film festivals, including various Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying ones such as the Pan African Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival & HollyShorts Film Festival.
His most recent short, Appreciation, had it's North American Premiere at the Oscar- Qualifying Aspen Shortsfest and screened at BFI London Film Festival 2019. He is currently developing his debut feature. He is represented by United Agents in the UK and Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in America.
Thanks for listening to the episode. I'd like to thank my guest for their time, insight and being a great sport!
I would also like to thank my producer, Ashanti Omkar, for all her hard work.
If you'd like to be a guest, drop me a line at theswingingpalmtree@gmail.com.
Keep Rising & Thriving. Aṣẹ!