Chioma Ude

Ude is the first female organizer of a film festival in Nigeria. Under her vision and tireless efforts, the privately funded AFRIFF has grown into the largest film festival in Africa since its launch in 2010 receiving over 2,000 international entries from filmmakers such as Lynn Whitfield, Tichina Arnold, Rockmond Dunbar, Malcom Jamal-Warner, Adnan Siddiqui, Giancarlo Esposito, Eriq Ebouaney, Hakeem Kae-Kazeem, Gbenga Akinnagbe and Vanessa A. Williams, as well as their Nigerian counterparts.

Going into its 10th edition in 2021, AFRIFF has become an important venue on the international festival circuit, attracting an average 10,000 international and domestic participants. Just as important, AFRIFF has trained over 10,000 young adults in film and television through beginner, intermediate and master classes with mentors from Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. These classes are provided during festivals free of charge as part of Ude’s mission to empower Africa’s youth.

Ude’s goals for AFRIFF are to raise awareness in Africa about the vast potential that entertainment has and the significant impact it can generate on the economy. The festival also enables the African film community to establish bridges for partnership with international counterparts and help ensure that quality, professional expertise and global standards are met across the local industry, accelerating its sustainable development.  With AFRIFF, Ude hopes to re-establish Africa’s significance as the original birth home of civilization and indeed, the last frontier for unique film stories and content development.

AFRIFF 2019

Ude founded AFRIFF in 2010 as a platform to train individuals in film then develop and monetize content for the public.[1] At the Nigerian entertainment conference, she stated that the inability of indigenous filmmakers to adequately convey the language, story and cultural elements of Nigerians into film was responsible for non-selection for the Academy Awards.[2] In October 2016, she spoke with the corporate world about AFRIFF in Lagos, explaining that the aim is to raise awareness on the benefits and potentials of African cinema.[3]

In 2018, Ude co-founded Envivo Communications which has become the largest platform of its kind in Africa, growing rapidly through strategic partnerships with Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Yoshimoto. Envivo will soon launch ANIVO, Africa’s first Japanese anime network on DStv, Africa’s largest direct broadcast satellite network with over 20 million subscribers.

The Envivo Education division addresses gaps in Africa’s education system by leveraging new and emerging technologies in Student Information Systems, Learning Management Systems, Virtual Classroom and Collaboration Systems. In partnership with Cisco Network Academy, Envivo will educate and train over 2,000 young students annually in gaming and animation – a first-of-its-kind training platform in Africa.

In 2019, Ude established La Vida Studios (LVS) within the Envivo network.  Under the LaVida shingle, Ude has produced eight digital scripted series and four feature films.  Soon after the launch of LaVida, she invested in Oasis Studios in Morocco with Khadija Alami to increase the quantity and quality of art by Nigerian filmmakers.  LVS is currently in development of multiple projects that include feature films, scripted TV, and transmedia properties.  

Ude’s additional business accomplishments include her role as Managing Director and CEO of JATA Logistics LTD where she expanded the company’s fortunes by moving its core focus from logistics services like travel management to business support services and events management—still a passion of hers today. From 2006 to 2009, JATA managed various investors as well as local and international IPO roadshows for companies including Interstate Data USA and Global Biofuels, growing the company’s net worth to millions of dollars.

A passionate film lover and commentator, Ude turned her interest into action when she helped produce the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) UK Roadshow in 2007. She went on to oversee logistics for the 2008 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) as well as create the novel concept of the AMAA Charity Benefit which she produced that year and in 2009. The benefit was designed to be the Africa Film Academy’s annual corporate social responsibility initiative serving as a vehicle for the industry to give back to African society.

In 2009, Ude was the local Nigerian producer for the ION International Film Festival (IONIFF), a global touring festival founded in Hollywood to promote global awareness and peace via art, culture, and film.

Ude has a degree in marketing from University of Nigeria, Nsukka.[4]