Bolanle Austen-Peters is an award-winning Nigerian film producer, director, and cultural entrepreneur.
Dubbed the “Queen of Nigerian Theatre,” she has, over the years, been renowned for shaping Nigeria’s art industry, as well as her focus on bringing to life films that address social issues.
As she turns a year older today, here are some things to know about this movie powerhouse.
1. Bolanle Austen-Peters was born on Feb 4, 1969, in Ibadan, Oyo State, but she hails from Ekiti State.
2. She is the daughter of legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Afe Babalola.
3. She attended Command Secondary School, Ibadan, for her secondary education before bagging a BA in Law from the University of Lagos and an MA in International Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
4. Bolanle practised as a lawyer in the 1990s at her father’s law firm, Afe Babalola and Co Barristers and Solicitors, and also worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Switzerland.
5. She founded Terra Kulture, a hub for arts and culture in Lagos, in 2003 to promote the richness and diversity of Nigerian languages, arts, and culture.
6. In 2013, her production company, Bolanle Austen-Peters Productions (BAP Productions), was founded. The company’s first production was Saro, the musical. The musical went on tour to London’s West End.
7. She built Nigeria’s first-ever privately owned theatre called the Terra Kulture Arena in 2016.
8. Bolanle is known to have directed and produced other notable plays and award-winning movies under BAP Productions, which include Wakaa (2016), 93 Days (2015), Fela and the Kalakuta Queens (2017), Bling Lagosians (2019), Collision Course (2020), Man of God (2021), Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti (2022), and House of GA’A (2023). 93 Days received 13 nominations at the 2017 AMVCA awards and was the highest-nominated film at the 2017 AMAA.
9. She founded Terra Academy Of The Arts (TAFTA) in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation in 2021. The academy offers free training to students in the areas of scriptwriting, sound design, animation, etc.
10. She is married to Dr Adegboyega Austen-Peters, and they are blessed with two children.