Biodun Stephen: Shaping Nollywood’s Emotional Core

It’s been a whirlwind few months for Biodun Stephen. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the Nigerian filmmaker has premiered three new titles: “I Am Anis,” a raw character drama on Circuits TV; “Labake Olododo,” a sweeping cultural epic in cinemas; and “Asoebi Diaries, ” an intimate tale of legacy and memory now showing in the cinemas.

For any filmmaker, that’s a heavy slate. But when Stephen appears for an early morning interview with The Nollywood Reporter, she’s calm, reflective, and even a little amused by the moment she’s in.

“It’s an honor, really,” she says, “to keep telling stories and have people engage with them. That’s what keeps me going.”

That ease, gentle but focused is what many associate with Stephen’s work. Over the past decade, she’s quietly carved out a unique space in Nollywood, one not driven by spectacle or celebrity but by something more subtle: a commitment to real people, real emotions, and stories that feel lived-in. Whether she’s directing a romantic comedy or a period drama, there’s a consistent warmth and emotional intelligence in her films that audiences have come to trust.

Her characters, often women, are messy, witty, strong-willed, and vulnerable. They laugh, fail, make questionable decisions, and try again. They are, in short, deeply human. It’s no surprise that viewers and critics alike have started to refer to a “Biodun Stephen touch,” which is a hard-to-define quality that makes her films feel both grounded and affecting. Ask her about it, though, and she says it was always part of the plan.

“Before I even started making films, I already knew the kind of stories I wanted to tell,” she explains. “Stories that mirror real life. That reflects the people around me.”

And yet, what’s striking about Stephen’s current run isn’t just her volume or consistency, it’s the range. With “Labake Olododo,” she stepped far outside her usual zone into the world of epic drama, embracing a scale and cultural specificity she hadn’t tackled before. Still, even in that setting, what stood out wasn’t just the grandeur of the costumes or the history, it was the emotional core.

As she navigates between streaming platforms, cinema releases, and online premieres, Stephen isn’t chasing trends. She’s refining a voice, one that values character over concept, feeling over flash, and truth over polish.

In this exclusive conversation, she talks about staying grounded in an evolving industry, the women who shaped her vision, and why imperfect characters make the best stories.

The “Biodun Stephen Formula”

Ask anyone familiar with Biodun Stephen’s work what makes her films distinct, and the answers tend to circle back to one thing: emotion. Not melodrama, not sentimentality, just raw, honest feeling. Whether it’s the quiet ache of “Tiwa’s Baggage,” the guarded vulnerability of “Sista,” or the tangled resilience in “I Am Anis,” there’s a sense that these characters aren’t being written to perform for an audience. They’re simply being.

“It’s always about connection,” Stephen says. “Before anything else, before plot twists or genre, I ask: who is this person? What are they feeling? What are they hiding?”

That instinct, she explains, isn’t accidental. From the start of her career, she’s been drawn to stories that reflect the emotional undercurrents of everyday life. Her early films leaned into romance, not because of market trends, but because they allowed her to explore people at their most open, or their most guarded. As she’s grown as a filmmaker, so has the scope of her storytelling, but the emotional DNA has remained the same: grounded, intimate, relatable.

“The ideas come from everywhere,” she says. “From people I’ve met, stories I’ve heard, even from things I’ve experienced. But once I have a spark, it’s always the character I sit with first. The plot finds itself after that.”

This character-first approach gives her films their signature feel: they aren’t just stories happening to people, but stories about people. Conflicts emerge naturally, often from internal struggles or moral grey zones rather than external threats. And even when the stakes are high, the emotional truths remain familiar.

What’s remarkable is that despite this consistency, her films don’t feel formulaic. The “Biodun Stephen formula” isn’t about structure or genre but it’s about resonance. There’s a rhythm to how she builds emotional arcs, a patience in how she lets scenes unfold, and a sensitivity in how she portrays flawed people navigating difficult choices. These qualities, more than any recurring plot device, are what make her voice stand out in an increasingly noisy industry.

“I think audiences can tell when a story’s just ticking boxes,” she says. “That’s not what I do. I’m trying to make you feel something, even if you don’t like the character, even if you don’t agree with them. You still feel it.”

Writing Women Who Feel Real

One of the most striking aspects of Biodun Stephen’s films is her portrayal of women. These aren’t the polished, aspirational characters often seen in mainstream cinema. Instead, they’re women who feel real: flawed, witty, resilient, and always deeply human. It’s no coincidence that these complex, grounded characters have become a hallmark of her work. Stephen herself attributes this approach to something very personal: the women who raised her.

“My mother was everything to me,” she reflects. “She was strong, intelligent, kind, and hardworking. But she was also human. She made mistakes. She had her flaws. Watching her gave me a deep appreciation for the complexities of women.”

This understanding of women – strong yet vulnerable, ambitious yet capable of making missteps – is evident in every script Stephen writes or directs. Her characters are rarely perfect. They get angry, they stumble, they love and lose in ways that feel familiar, yet never predictable. In films like “I Am Anis“, “Labake Olododo”, and “Asoebi Diaries, ” her protagonists are marked by their resilience, but not at the cost of their vulnerability. In fact, it’s often in their moments of weakness that they become their strongest, reflecting the depth of real-life women navigating complex emotional landscapes.

Stephen’s belief in writing what she knows is integral to this approach. “I always tell writers to write what they know,” she says. “For me, what I know is the strength and vulnerability of women like my mother.” The connection between personal memory and storytelling is clear: her characters aren’t born out of stereotypes or assumptions about what women should be. They are shaped by real-life experiences, and by her deep understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of womanhood.

However, while she continues to craft these layered female characters, Stephen is also aware of the broader evolution of female characterization in Nollywood. “It’s changing,” she observes. “We’re seeing more diverse, complex women on screen – women who aren’t just love interests or victims.” There’s a sense that the industry is beginning to move past one-dimensional portrayals of women, and that’s something Stephen applauds. But at the same time, she’s careful to avoid oversaturating the screen with female-centric narratives to the detriment of other essential character types.

“I think we need balance,” she emphasizes. “We need to show both strong women and strong men. I think we’ve done a good job of showing women as multi-dimensional characters, but we also need to remember the importance of strong, responsible male characters. These role models matter, especially for young boys.”

For Stephen, her commitment to writing about women who feel real is just as much about balance – balancing strength with vulnerability, complexity with relatability – as it is about defying outdated norms. Her goal is not to paint women in some aspirational, idealized light, but to present them as they truly are: beautifully flawed, impossibly human, and always capable of change.

From Rom Coms to Epic Dramas

Biodun Stephen’s shift from romantic comedies and dramas to epic storytelling represents a bold leap, but it’s one that stays true to her roots. Her latest project, “Labake Olododo,” marks a significant departure in genre – a cultural epic that dives deep into Yoruba customs, language, and tradition. It’s a challenge Stephen was eager to embrace, knowing that despite the change in scale, the emotional core of the story would remain the same.

“I love a challenge,” she admits, discussing the decision to take on “Labake Olododo.”

“Drama is drama. Whether it’s set in a Lagos apartment or a rural kingdom, it’s still about emotion. The setting changes, but the heart of it doesn’t.” This perspective is central to understanding why the transition felt so natural for Stephen, despite the vast differences between her past works like “Big Love” and “Hotel Labamba” and the grandeur of an epic like “Labake Olododo“. While the setting might have been more expansive, the emotional connectivity remained her guiding principle.

The film’s cultural scope was something Stephen had never fully explored before. “Labake Olododo” required an immersion into a culture that wasn’t her own, something that challenged her both as a storyteller and as a director. “I’m not Yoruba,” she explains, “so I had to learn the language, the customs, the do’s and don’ts. Iyabo Ojo, who brought the story to me, was amazing. To Make my work easier, she  provided a Cultural Director, Dialogue coach and everything I needed to get it right.”

Yet, despite the vast research required for a project of this scale, Stephen never lost sight of the personal voice that defines her work. Whether directing a small-scale romcom or a grand historical drama, the emotional authenticity of her characters remains paramount. “My job was to block the scenes and direct the emotions,” she says, adding that cultural accuracy was just as important as capturing the raw human emotions of the characters. “It was like being in school again,” she laughs. “But I loved it. It made me more aware of the details, even things as simple as how someone sits or speaks.”

The shift to epic drama may have demanded more logistical and cultural research, but it also gave Stephen a chance to flex her storytelling muscles in new ways. Where her earlier works like “Big Love” and “Hotel Labamba” were rooted in contemporary settings and relatively intimate narratives, “Labake Olododo” presented an entirely different set of challenges. But even in such a large-scale project, Stephen’s signature emotional resonance remained clear. “I wanted people to watch “Labake Olododo” and still feel that human connection,” she says. It’s this ability to marry the grandeur of an epic with the relatable, grounded emotions she’s known for that makes Stephen’s work so compelling.

Navigating Platforms While Staying Indie

In an industry increasingly dominated by streaming giants and digital platforms, Biodun Stephen has managed to carve out a unique space for herself, balancing her independence with the reach these platforms provide. From Circuits TV to Amazon Prime, and even cinematic releases, Stephen’s films have found their homes across multiple platforms, each bringing its own set of considerations. But one thing remains unchanged: her commitment to telling authentic stories that resonate with her audience.

For Stephen, the platform doesn’t dictate the story. “I tell the stories I want to tell,” she says simply. “I’m just grateful that there are now more platforms to showcase them.”

Her focus has always been on the story itself, not on where it will end up. Whether it’s the intimate streaming release of “I Am Anis” on Circuits TV or the grand cinematic release of “Labake Olododo,” Stephen approaches each project with the same level of dedication.

However, the platform does influence her strategic approach. “With cinema, you have to think commercially – will people pay to see this? Will it pull a crowd?” she explains. “Streaming gives you a bit more freedom,” she adds, acknowledging that digital platforms offer a more flexible creative space.

This flexibility is particularly important for an independent filmmaker like Stephen, who has always valued creative control. Even as her films reach larger audiences through platforms like Amazon Prime, she has managed to preserve the grounded, emotionally-driven voice that defines her work. “I still want to make sure [the film] connects with people,” she says. And whether that’s through the commercial pull of a cinema release or the creative freedom of streaming, that connection with her audience remains the driving force behind everything she does.

Despite the growing scale and exposure of her work, Stephen’s dedication to telling real, human stories hasn’t wavered. “The one constant for me is audience connection,” she reflects. “That’s what guides me through it all. I want to tell stories that make people feel something – that’s my goal, no matter the platform.”

By navigating the demands of various platforms without sacrificing her creative vision, Stephen has ensured that her voice remains clear and consistent, even as her reach expands. It’s a delicate balance, but one that she’s mastered through a steady focus on authenticity and emotional resonance.

Legacy, Dreams, and What’s Next

As for what’s next, Biodun Stephen has a treasure trove of untold stories still waiting to be brought to life. “Yes, there are stories I’ve been itching to tell,” she admits. Though she’s yet to reveal the specifics, it’s clear that her passion for filmmaking remains as strong as ever, and there are still worlds she longs to explore.

When it comes to the legacy she hopes to leave behind, Stephen is focused on the human connection her work fosters. “The timelessness of the stories. The depth of the storytelling. And the humaneness of the story,” she shares, highlighting that emotional depth is at the core of everything she does. In a world where films often prioritize spectacle over substance, Stephen’s commitment to portraying the complexity of life and the strength and vulnerability of its people sets her apart.

Though her career has already been filled with remarkable milestones, Stephen sees herself as still growing, still learning, and still telling the stories that matter to her. With each new project, she continues to refine her voice, constantly evolving as both a filmmaker and a storyteller.