Genevieve Nnaji is Nigerian Actress and the first Nigerian director Netflix acquired her movie; Nigerian first ever submission for the Oscars, although it was disqualified, but there was an attempt.
As the first Nigerian billionaire in the movie industry, Genevieve Nnaji is our woman crush and wonder woman for this week.
PORTFOLIO ACCOLADES
Nnaji was born on the 3rd of May 1979 in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria, and grew up in Lagos. The fourth of eight children, she was raised in a middle-class family; her father worked as an engineer and her mother as a nursery school teacher. Genvieve attended Methodist Girls College (Yaba, Lagos), before transferring to the University of Lagos, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in creative arts. While at the university, she began auditioning for acting jobs in Nollywood.
Nnaji started her acting career as a child actor, in the then-popular television soap opera Ripples at the age of 8.
In 1998, at the age of 19, she was introduced into the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie Most Wanted.
Her subsequent movies include Last Party, Mark of the Beast, and Ijele. In 2010, she starred in the award-winning film Ijé: The Journey. Nnaji has starred in over 200 Nollywood movies.
MUSIC CAREER
In 2004, Nnaji signed a recording contract with EKB Records, a Ghanaian record label, and released her debut album One Logologo Line. It is a mix of R&B, Hip-Hop, and Urban music. In 2004, Genevieve Nnaji was with the most votes after contending with other celebrities for the search for the face of Lux in 2004.
AWARDS
In 2005, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Actress in a Leading Role, becoming the first actor to win the award.
As of 2009, Nnaji was one of the best-paid female actors in Nollywood. Due to her contributions to the Nigerian movie industry, she became the first actor to be awarded Best Actress at the 2001 City Peoples Awards; the award ceremony that previously had only recognized politicians and business conglomerates. She was also the first actor to be awarded as Best Actress by the Censors Board of Nigeria in 2003.
In 2011, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, by the Nigerian government for her contributions to Nollywood.
In November 2015, Nnaji produced her first movie called Road to Yesterday; the movie won Best Movie Overall-West Africa at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
On 7 September 2018, her directorial debut Lionheart was acquired by online streaming service Netflix, making it the first Netflix original film from Nigeria.
The movie had its world premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival.
Her directorial debut movie, Lionheart, is the first Nigerian submission for the Oscars. The movie was disqualified for having most of its dialogue in English; but was recorded as an attempt at the Oscars.
GENEVIEVE NNAJI THE HUMAN RIGHT ACTIVIST
Genevieve Nnaji is a very strong activist. She advocates for Nigerian girls to be able to have a say in who they choose to marry. She is against early marriages for the girl child.
Nnaji is strongly against abuse of women in society. She is a strong advocate for social justice; this was seen during the #Endsars Protest in Nigeria; where she constantly called out the Nigerian Government on social media.
Further, Genevieve Nnaji is a strong feminist. She states her type of feminism, is the type where the woman has the right to make her own choices, and freedom to live.
NETWORTH
Genevieve Nnaji, a Nigerian actress, producer, director, model and singer; who has appeared in over 90 movies and has being active in the acting scene since 1987; has an estimated net worth of $10 million.