Korede Azeez

EARLY LIFE

Korede Azeez was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to Enugu State in southeastern Nigeria at the age of two due to her father’s postings in the army. She was raised in Enugu as a Yoruba Muslim from Oyo State, often describing herself as the “odd one” or “weirdo” for being the only Yoruba Muslim in her classes through university. Both her parents are dentists; her extended family is highly educated (maternal grandfather a professor of pathology who practiced in Saudi Arabia; grandmother a nurse who worked in the UK and Saudi Arabia). She developed an early love for storytelling, reading fantasy books (including Enid Blyton) from around age five and writing her own short stories by ages 8–10. She participated in drama club, acted in a teenage series (which never aired due to the producer’s death), and began recording short skits with siblings once camera phones became available. She was torn between science and arts in secondary school but ultimately pursued Mass Communication at Caritas University (which lacked a Theatre Arts program). There she became deeply involved with the campus radio station as a presenter, producer, writer, and sound engineer, adapting stories into radio dramas inspired by the BBC’s Story Story.

CAREER

Azeez’s filmmaking journey began in earnest after university and NYSC. She worked in radio and later in TV/journalism before focusing on film. In 2018 she joined BBC Media Action as an assistant technical producer, serving as sound recordist, camera operator, and video editor while also contributing to radio drama. She co-produced and directed her first short film, Tip of the Edge (around 2018/2019). She went on to make additional short films and was selected for a directing program with Native Filmworks / Native Team Works, through which she directed her first feature, It Blooms in June / Blooms in June (shot around 2021; a father-daughter story). In 2022 she was one of six winners (and the only West African Muslim woman finalist) of the Netflix-UNESCO “African Folktales, Reimagined” Short Film Competition, receiving funding and mentorship. Her entry, originally titled Adieu, Salut and released as Halima’s Choice (Zabin Halima), is a Hausa-language sci-fi reimagining of a southern Nigerian folktale about a girl who refuses an arranged marriage. Set in a near-future where most people have uploaded into a virtual world, it explores agency, arranged marriage, and technology; it streamed on Netflix. She has discussed the intensive writing, virtual pre-production, casting across the North, and pressure of representing West Africa. Her second feature, With Difficulty Comes Ease (released August 2024 on Prime Video), examines the experiences of a recently widowed Igbo-Hausa woman navigating cultural expectations, grief, and personal struggle. Azeez is known for blending sci-fi, folklore, fantasy, and social realism, often centering women’s agency, underrepresented communities (including Muslims in mainstream Nollywood), and authentic language use (Hausa, etc.). She has worked in corporate operations, sales, and marketing roles alongside filmmaking and advises emerging creatives to gain practical experience and structure. She continues as a director, screenwriter, and story consultant.

PERSONAL LIFE

Azeez is married and has publicly credited her husband with strong support for her career, including encouraging her to apply for the Netflix-UNESCO competition. She marked her fourth wedding anniversary in January 2023. She has children. She currently resides in Abuja. She has spoken about balancing creative work with family life, corporate employment, and the realities of motherhood, emphasizing the importance of women’s economic power, support systems, and planning life in seasons. As a Nigerian Muslim woman raised in the East and later living in the North, her background informs her interest in representing underrepresented groups, interfaith/cultural experiences, and women’s agency.

Azeez frequently discusses the importance of language and authenticity in storytelling, the need for more speculative/genre work in Nollywood, and the power of media to challenge stereotypes and promote understanding across religious and cultural lines. She draws inspiration from filmmakers such as Yasujirō Ozu for restrained, actor-focused camerawork. She has emphasized that art can both entertain and shape perspectives, and she aims to portray complex, non-stereotypical Muslim and female characters. During the 2020–early 2024 period (when she stepped back from full-time corporate work), her film career flourished despite the demands of pregnancy and early motherhood. She remains based in Abuja and continues developing projects that reflect her unique intersectional perspective as a Yoruba Muslim raised in the East.