Chioma Ude

Chioma Ude is an entertainment media executive and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) and co-founder of Lavida Africa Studios and Entertainment, a film and TV production company based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Under her leadership, AFRIFF, an annual festival taking place in Lagos has grown into one of the largest and most important cinematic showcases on the continent since its launch in 2010.  The event attracts an average of 10,000 participants and has trained over 10,000 young adults in film and television.

In 2019, Chioma cofounded LaVida Africa Studios and Entertainment, and in 2022, signed a landmark $50 Million deal with Dentsu’s StoryLab to produce a catalogue of 10 scripted series and feature films focused on bringing African stories to a global audience

A longtime advocate for African film and filmmakers, Chioma was listed in Variety’s 2020 Women’s Impact Report Class, the first Nigerian woman to secure the distinction.  Chioma’s early efforts in advancing the African film industry included overseeing 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 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.