Chioma Ude

Chioma Ude is an entertainment media executive and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF), co-founder of Envivo, a multimedia digital content delivery system and co-founder of Lavida Africa Studios and Entertainment, a film and TV production company.

Under her leadership, the privately funded AFRIFF has grown into one of the most important film festivals on the continent since its launch in 2010. Going into its 11th edition in 2022, AFRIFF attracts an average of 10,000 international and domestic participants and has trained over 10,000 young adults in film and television. These classes are provided during the festival free of charge as part of her mission to empower Africa’s youth.

In 2018, Chioma co-founded Envivo Communications which has become the largest platform of its kind in Africa, through strategic partnerships with Cisco Systems, Microsoft and Yoshimoto. The Envivo Education division is a technology leader in addressing gaps in Africa’s education system by leveraging new and emerging technologies. In partnership with Cisco Network Academy, Envivo will educate and train over 2,000 young students annually in gaming and animation.

In 2019, Chioma cofounded LaVida Africa Studios and Entertainment. In 2022 LaVida signed a landmark $50 Million deal with Dentsu’s StoryLab to produce a catalogue of 10 scripted series and feature films. Soon after the launch of LaVida, she partnered with Khadija Alami of Oasis Studios in Morocco to increase the quantity and quality of productions by African filmmakers. Oasis studios is currently in development of multiple projects that include feature films, scripted TV, and transmedia properties.

A passionate advocate for African film and filmmakers, Chioma helped produce the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) UK Roadshow in 2007. She went on to oversee logistics for the 2008 African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) as well as founded the AMAA Charity Benefit. In 2009, Chioma was the local Nigerian producer for the ION International Film Festival (IONIFF), a global touring festival founded in Hollywood to promote global awareness and peace via art, culture, and film.

Chioma earned a degree in marketing from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.