Genevieve Nnaji

Early life

Nnaji was born in Mbaise, Imo State, located in the southeast region of Nigeria and grew up in Lagos, southwest Nigeria. The fourth of eight children, she was raised in a middle-class family; her father worked as an engineer and her mother was a nursery school teacher.

Education

She attended Methodist Girls College (Yaba, Lagos), before proceeding 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.

Career

Nnaji started her acting career as a child actor in the television soap opera Ripples at the age of eight. 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.

Nnaji, alongside eight other actors known as the G8, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Richard Mofe-Damijo, Emeka Ike, Ramsey Nouah, Nkem Owoh, Stella Damasus, and Jim Iyke, was banned in 2004 for charging excessively high fees. In the same year, Nnaji signed a recording contract with EKB Records; a Ghanaian record label, and released her debut album One Logologo Line. It was a mix of R&B, hip-hop and urban music. In 2004, Nnaji was voted the face of Lux.

In 2005, she won the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) for Best Actress in a Leading Role, becoming the first actress to win the award.

In 2009, Nnaji was one of the highest-paid female actor 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 People's Awards, the award ceremony that previously had only recognised 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 2009, she was referred to as the Julia Roberts of Africa by Oprah Winfrey.

In November 2015, Nnaji produced her first movie called Road to Yesterday, later winning Best Movie Overall -West Africa at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards.

In January 2018, it was reported that Nnaji would be replacing Funke Akindele as a member of the Dora Milaje in Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War. This was later debunked as an internet prank and the actor did not appear in the movie.

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 premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival, where she also appeared in Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's autobiographical directorial debut Farming, alongside Kate Beckinsale, Damson Idris and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

In 2023, it was announced that Nnaji would return as an executive film producer with I Do Not Come to You by Chance, an adaptation of the novel by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, alongside Chinny Carter. The film features Blossom Chukwujekwu, Paul Nnadiekwe, Jennifer Eliogu, Sambasa Nzeribe, and Beverly Osu. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival but has not yet been officially released.

Nnaji is also a women's 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. She advocates against the abuse of women in society. Nnaji has described herself as a feminist, stating that her type of feminism is that of a woman who has the right to make her own choices and do whatever she feels like.

Modelling

Nnaji has featured in several commercials, including Pronto (beverage) and Omo detergent. In 2004, she became the "Face of Lux" in Nigeria. In May 2010, she was appointed as the "Face of MUD" in Nigeria.

Awards and nominations

Nnaji has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Best Actress of the Year Award at the 2001 City People Awards and the Best Actress in a Leading Role Award at the 2005 Africa Movie Academy Awards.

In 2019, her movie, Lionheart, was selected by the Nigerian Oscars Selection Committee (NOSC), as Nigeria's submission to the Best International Feature Film category of the 2020 Oscars. It was the country's first ever submission to the Oscars.

Subsequently, the Oscars submission was cancelled for not meeting the language criteria. The film's dialogue track was predominantly in the English language. However, the Oscar rules since 2006 dictate that eligible movies must have a "predominantly non-English dialogue track." This move was an attempt to open up more opportunities for films from diverse cultures.

In a viral tweet on 4 November 2019, filmmaker Ava DuVernay questioned the Academy's decision on nixing Lionheart Oscar race for using its official language — English. In response to Ava DuVernay's tweet, Nnaji wrote on Twitter that Nigeria has over 500 languages and is so ethnically diverse that English, as the official language, was the only viable choice to make the film acceptable to audiences across the country and beyond Africa.

In an article published by culture writer and multiculturalism scholar- Kovie Biakolo titled "Nigeria's Lion Heart Disqualification is Bigger than the Oscars" on the CNN opinion website; Kovie opined that "one cannot help but feel that Nigeria is ultimately being penalised for being a former British colony in using the very language that was imposed on its people, to communicate between them, and especially for art. Former French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies certainly don't have this problem. And in truth, the Academy may be demonstrating a short-sighted or surface-level understanding of its purported inclusivity in this category".

She went further to criticise the Oscar board for allowing the nominations of British movies that were not done in English, which invariably is the Country's main language but did so in the case of Nigeria whose cultural diversity could be confounding yet true.

92nd Academy Awards ([[92nd Academy Awards|Oscars]])

The 19th [[Black Reel Awards]] (FAAAF)]

[[Toronto International Film Festival]]

|- |2018 |Lionheart |Grolsch People's Choice Award | |- |}

[[Africa Movie Academy Awards]]

|- |2005 | | |- |2008 |30 Days/Keep My Will | |- |2011 |Tango with Me | |- |}

[[Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards]]

|- |2013 |The Mirror Boy | |- | |- |Best Movie West Africa | |- |}

[[Nigeria Entertainment Awards]]

|- |2009 | |Best Actress | |- |Silent Scandals |Best Actress Film/Short Story | |- |Guinness Ultimate Survivor |Best Actress TV Series | |- |2011 |Tango with Me |Best Actress Film/Short Story | |- |2013 |Doctor Bello |Best Actress in Leading Role | |- |2014 |Half of a Yellow Sun |Best Actress in Supporting Role | |- |Lead Actress in Film | |- |Best Picture | |}

[[Nollywood Movies Awards]]

|- |Tango with Me |Best Actress Leading Role | |- |Herself |Viewers Choice- Female | |- |}

[[Ghana Movie Awards]]

|- |2010 |Silent Scandals |Best Actress-Africa Collaboration | |- |}

[[Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards]]

|- |2012 |Herself |Best Actress- Viewers Choice | |- |}

[[Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards|Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards (NAFCA)]]

|- |2013 |Weekend Getaway |Best Actress Leading Role | |- |}

[[Zulu African Film Academy Awards]]

|- |2011 |The Mirror Boy |Best Actress | |- |}

[[City People Entertainment Awards]]

|- |2001 |Herself |Best Actress | |- |}

[[Best of Nollywood Awards]]

|- |2010 |Silent Scandals | |- |The Mirror Boy | |- |Bursting Out |Best Kiss with Majid Michel | |- |}

Filmography

Discography

• One Logologo Line (2004)

References

References

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2. (1 May 2005). "Nollywood's finest". New Vision Printing & Publishing Company Limited.
3. "Genevieve Nnaji makes a stunning return to the spotlight at 2025 AFRIFF".
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5. (8 December 2011). "Star Actress Genevieve Nnaji Reveals Success Secrets". [[Leadership (newspaper).
6. (21 November 2011). "Nigeria actress Genevieve ready to visit Zambia". [[Zambian Watchdog]].
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12. (5 November 2019). "Nigeria Oscar choice ruled out for English script". BBC News.
13. (2020-07-04). "Omotola, Genevieve profiled in new books on leadership, success".
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55. Olukole, Tope. (7 August 2010). "Nadia Bouari Visits Nigeria". [[Nigerian Tribune]].
56. (23 April 2010). "Genevieve, Majid Michale sparkle in Bursting Out". [[Vanguard Media]].
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