Tunde Aladese

EARLY LIFE

Tunde Aladese was interested in drama since primary school, joined a drama club, and had an obsession with The Sound of Music. She studied English literature at the University of Ibadan and assisted with a drama series destined for the BBC in Nigeria. She later studied at the private MetFilm School, based in London and Berlin, gaining a BA in Practical Filmmaking.

CAREER

Tunde Aladese has worked professionally as a writer since 2003, participating in workshops for the BBC/DFID radio drama series 'Story Story' and working on its second season. She also worked on the TV drama 'The Station' and MNet Nigeria's 'Edge of Paradise'. Her other writing credits include the Amstel Malta Box Office film 'The Child', the musical 'Oluronbi', and 'The Nigerian Vagina Monologues'. In 2007, she became an associate producer on 'Moments with Mo' and a writer for 'Tinsel', later becoming its Script Editor and then Head Writer for four years. She was the head writer for 'Hotel Majestic' and wrote for 'MTV Shuga', eventually becoming its head writer. In 2020, she wrote a 70-night drama for MTV Shuga which was filmed by the actors themselves across four countries. Her role in Kenneth Gyang's 'The Lost Café' (2018) earned her a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards. In 2018, she was listed by YNaija as one of the 10 most powerful Nigerians under 40. In 2023, she scribed the finale and worked as a story editor on the Netflix series 'Transatlantic'.

PERSONAL LIFE

Aladese decided to go to film school after almost 10 years of screenwriting to shake herself out of routine and acquire new tools and knowledge. While living abroad in Berlin, she experienced a challenging financial, social, and creative period. She chose to study in Europe to better understand arthouse films and felt European industries were more open to stories from around the world. Her personal experiences as a Nigerian living abroad have informed her interest in themes of refugees and statelessness.