Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe

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Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe
Born	(1978-12-20) December 20, 1978 Haringey, North London, United Kingdom
🎓 Alma mater	University of West London (also known as Thames Valley University)
💼 Occupation	Entrepreneur, film producer, media executive
📆 Years active	2002–present

Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, MBE (born 20 December) is a British-born entrepreneur, film producer and media executive who, according to his Linkedin profile, has "probably watched more black films than anyone else alive". He is the founder of the British Urban Film Festival. The Guardian documents that the festival was founded in 2005 to "give greater exposure to independent film-makers dealing in big city themes".. The film journalist Kaleem Aftab observed "while urban film is still largely restricted to ethnic minorities, it is not exclusively so". In 2019, it was announced in the 2020 New Year Honours that Anyiam-Osigwe was to receive an MBE for services to the Black and Minority ethnic film industry. Anyiam-Osigwe is a BAFTA voting member.

Early life

Chukwuemeka-Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe was born at the City of London Hospital in Hanley Road, Haringey on December 20, 1978. He is the eldest of three sons born to Ngozi-Amaru and Chukwuemeka-Chris Anyiam-Osigwe. He attended Holloway Secondary Boys School (now known as Beacon High). He has an honours degree in Media Arts with Video Production from the University of West London. He also spent his time on campus presenting a student radio show with Neil Oyenekan who has since carved out a successful broadcast media career in Nigeria. Anyiam-Osigwe was also acting head of the African-Caribbean Society Student Union and staged several high-profile events.

Career

Black Filmmaker Magazine

Having attended the Black Filmmaker Magazine international film festival in previous years, Anyiam-Osigwe applied for a summer job with the magazine in 2002. He was hired by Menelik Shabazz, founder of the magazine and prominent Black British director of the movie Burning an Illusion. Working from its Blackhorse Road offices in East London, Anyiam-Osigwe's brief covered the magazine and the film festival, reporting both to Shabazz and Charles Thompson MBE, co-director of the BFM iff. In 2003, Anyiam-Osigwe became festival co-ordinator and programmed the 14-day film festival and seminars - the biggest event in its history. American actor and film director Tim Reid was in attendance for the festival for the UK premiere of his movie For Real.

Screen Nation Film and Television Awards

In 2004, Anyiam-Osigwe joined the Screennation team - reporting solely to Charles Thompson who had left BFM the year before to set up the Screen Nation Film and Television Awards. Working from offices in Ladbroke Grove, West London, Anyiam-Osigwe's brief covered the newly established West African film categories and was commissioned to produce a nominations programme (Best From The West) which aired on BEN Television. The 2004 ceremony was staged at London's Sheraton hotel in Park Lane with actor Danny Glover in attendance to receive his honorary award.

British Urban Film Festival

Anyiam-Osigwe founded the British Urban Film Festival, a self-funded organisation set up in 2005 in the absence of state-sponsored Black and Minority ethnic film provision. Colloquially known as BUFF, the platform - supported by Black British filmmakers and actors - was inspired by the Prince's Trust Urban Music Festival and provided a showcase for creatives which, according to Film London was 'an important and emerging genre which is not otherwise seen regularly in the capital's cinemas'. The debut launch took place on 13 December 2005 at ITV's London Television Centre (aka the London Studios) on the South Bank. In 2015 the British Urban Film Festival awards ceremony, also known as the BUFF awards, was launched to recognise and honour black and urban independent talent synonymous with the film festival. The maiden ceremony took place at the Cinema Museum (London) in Kennington on 17 September; Richard Pryor was the inaugural recipient of the British Urban Film Festival honorary award. In later years, recipients of the honorary award included actor Wil Johnson, Ashley Walters (actor), writer/director Amma Asante & actor/director Noel Clarke. In October 2020, the film festival was added to the Section B list of qualifying film festivals by BAFTA for British Short Films.

Writing career

Anyiam-Osigwe has written numerous articles on film for Black Filmmaker Magazine and The TV Collective (founded by Simone Pennant MBE). Anyiam-Osigwe has also written for The Voice (British newspaper), the long running British national Afro-Caribbean newspaper operating in the United Kingdom. His obituary of Victor Adebodun, an award-winning Black British producer and director (first published in April 2018) made national and international media headlines in the wake of George Floyd's death in June 2020.

Broadcasting career

Anyiam-Osigwe has produced and curated film programming for several broadcasters including Channel 4, Community Channel (UK) (now Together TV) and London Live (TV channel).

Anyiam-Osigwe was appointed as the regular film presenter for Colourful Radio in 2017. The flagship 60 minute programme 'Meet The Critics' was first broadcast on Friday 2 June and featured a discussion on the legacy of film director Spike Lee. The programme also covered the BAFTA film awards. In February 2018, Anyiam-Osigwe anchored live coverage of the European premiere of Black Panther in London - securing interviews with agent Femi Oguns MBE plus key cast and crew.

In January 2018, Anyiam-Osigwe first appeared as a regular film expert on Sky News to discuss the Golden Globe Award.

In February 2019, Anyiam-Osigwe was hired by Channels TV to run its London bureau. His first brief was to cover the 2019 Nigerian general election. He was instrumental in securing journalists including Joyce Ohajah and Juliana Olayinka to front its international news bulletins.

Film career

Anyiam-Osigwe co-founded BUFF Originals in February 2018, launched to act as the production and distribution arm of the British Urban Film Festival. His debut feature as producer was No Shade, a Black British romantic drama which centres around the issue of colourism. The film was first screened in Cannes in May 2018 and released in UK cinemas in November 2018, making director Clare Anyiam-Osigwe (his wife) the 6th Black British female director to secure theatrical distribution in over 120 years. The film has screened at numerous film festivals across London, the United States, Brazil and the Netherlands and has won several prizes, including best film by an African abroad (for Clare Anyiam-Osigwe) at the African Movie Academy Awards in December 2020.

Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe

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