Screenwriting and story development
Film writing, story creation, script development, character layering, and screenplay consultancy across film and television projects.
British-Nigerian filmmaker and scholar
Dr. Samantha I. Iwowo, Ph.D., FHEA
Filmmaker
Filmmaking,scholarship,andteachingshapedbyresearch-ledpractice,postcolonialinquiry,andcollaborativefilmmakingcultures.
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At a glance
A film world shaped by scholarship, authorship, awards, and postcolonial inquiry.
Her practice bridges creative filmmaking, screenwriting, directing, production consultancy, and academic research with sustained attention to postcolonial cinema, transnational media studies, collaborative ethics, and decolonising pedagogy.
Practice note
Screen storytelling, critical research, and cultural leadership move together across every part of the work.
Principal Academic
Principal Academic in Directing for Film & TV at Bournemouth University, based in the United Kingdom.
Screenwriting practice
Over fifty published screenplays spanning feature film, television drama, research-linked writing, and commissioned screen projects.
Current role
Principal Academic in Directing for Film & TV, Bournemouth University
Current location
United Kingdom
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Published screenplays
Across feature film, television, commissioned writing, and research-linked scripts.
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Years in screen practice
From independent and commissioned writing through academic and creative leadership.
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Major awards and nominations
Including NAFCA, AMAA, AMVCA, Best Shorts Competition, San Diego Black Film Festival recognition, and additional career distinctions across film, scholarship, and public engagement.
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Academic qualifications
BA, MSc, Diploma in Film Directing, PhD, and a PG Certificate in Education Practice with Distinction, with additional professional and academic development across screen practice and higher education.
Featured works
Filmography and screen projects presented like a curated festival catalogue.
Featured films
Recognition
Awards, nominations, and distinctions that frame the public record.
01
Winner, Best Screenplay, NAFCA Awards 2015 for Oloibiri.
02
Winning production team, Best Film, San Diego Black Film Festival 2016 for Oloibiri.
03
Winner, Award of Merit, Best Shorts Competition, Los Angeles 2015 for One of Several.
04
Nominated, AMAA 2016, Best Documentary for R.U.N.S.
Specialisation
Screen practice spanning story development, character layering, directing, and production consultancy.
Content creation, story creation and development, character layering, genre specialisation, scriptwriting, film directing, and production consultancy sit at the centre of the practice. The work moves across feature film, television, advocacy media, research-linked production, and higher-education leadership.
CopywritingFilm ProductionScript-writingAdvertisingTelevisionVideo ProductionPoetryScreenwritingEditingEntertainmentFilmFeature Films
Story frame
A practice shaped by postcolonial inquiry, collaborative ethics, and the visual languages of African and diasporic screen cultures.
Research and public presence
Scholarship, public engagement, and collaboration stay in active dialogue.
Research-led practice
Her practice bridges creative filmmaking, screenwriting, directing, production consultancy, and academic research with sustained attention to postcolonial cinema, transnational media studies, collaborative ethics, and decolonising pedagogy.
Her doctoral work on colonial vestiges in Nigerian film production, ongoing grant activity, and monograph development continue to inform directing, screenwriting, and pedagogy.
01
PhD research at the University of Bristol examining colonial vestiges in Nigerian film production and their effects on Nollywood aesthetics, production, distribution, and global position.
02
Co-Investigator on the AHRC project 'Colonial Reels: Histories and Afterlives of Colonial Film Collections' awarded GBP 839,632.
03
Routledge-commissioned monograph in progress on decolonizing film directing.
Ubuntu
Collaboration as method
The Ubuntu Collaboration Model is an intersectional filmmaking framework rooted in African philosophy. Developed from 2019 onward and later adopted by the Bournemouth University MA framework, it emphasises interconnectedness, shared ownership, reciprocity, collective survival, and collaborative ethics across production and pedagogy.
Intersectional attention to power, voice, and representation within creative teams.
Collaborative decision-making grounded in mutual accountability.
A framework for teaching, minimalist filmmaking, and research-led practice rather than a fixed production formula.
Focus
Postcolonial cinema studiesTransnational filmmakingDecolonising pedagogy
Enquiries and public engagement
Screenwriting, directing, research, teaching, and media collaborations welcomed.
Directing and production consultancy
Creative direction, production thinking, project development, and advisory support for screen work, practice research, and collaborative productions.
Teaching, talks, and curriculum
Keynotes, workshops, guest lectures, visiting sessions, curriculum discussions, and public engagement for universities, festivals, and cultural organisations.
Research, publications, and media
Research collaboration, publication-linked conversations, media interviews, and public scholarship requests connected to postcolonial cinema and transnational screen cultures.
Named references
Broadcast, academic, and institutional presence.
Press
Samantha Iwowo: The Quintessential Filmmaker, ThisDay
Selected external reference from the broader press and public scholarship record.
Press
Interview-Samantha Iwowo, Scriptwriter of Oloibiri (2016), Journal of African Cinemas
Selected external reference from the broader press and public scholarship record.
Press
Iwowo: "Oloibiri" Provoked Formal Apology from Gowon to the People of the Niger-Delta, The Guardian
Selected external reference from the broader press and public scholarship record.
Press
iREP docu-film fiesta in Lagos, poetry reading in Port Harcourt..., Anote Art Hub
Selected external reference from the broader press and public scholarship record.
Press
New Year, new conversations around Nollywood, The Guardian
Selected external reference from the broader press and public scholarship record.
Press
The Africa Institute Sharjah delves into the history of African cinema, Gulf Today
Selected external reference from the broader press and public scholarship record.