Jump to content

Uzoamaka Power

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Uzoamaka Aniunoh)
Uzoamaka Power
Power in 2020
Born
Uzoamaka Doris Aniunoh

Onitsha, Nigeria
Education
Occupation(s)Actor, writer, director.
Known forMTV Shuga
RelativesChidinma Maryjane Aniunoh, Olive Chioma Aniunoh

Uzoamaka Power (born Aniunoh[1]; April 10, 1990) is a Nigerian actor, writer, and director. She is known for her starring roles in films that include Mami Wata (2023), The Weekend (2024), and With Difficulty Comes Ease (2024).

Early life and education

[edit]

Power was born and raised in Onitsha.[2] She is the eldest of four children.

She received a degree in English and history from the University of Nigeria and an MA in creative writing from the University of Birmingham.[2]

Career

[edit]
Power waiting to audition for MTV Shuga

After a two-year stay in England for her graduate studies, Power returned to Nigeria in 2017. Upon attending the open auditions for the popular series MTV Shuga, she won the role of Cynthia,[3] and starred in the series from 2018 to 2019.[4]

Cynthia talking on-line in "Alone Together" Episode 12

In 2020 she appeared in a special edition of the series: titled MTV Shuga Alone Together, the mini-series brought together cast members from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Ivory Coast highlighting the challenges people were facing across the continent during the Coronavirus pandemic.[5]

In 2019 she was a lead in the short film Stuck alongside Seun Ajayi and Lala Akindoju[4][6], and in 2020 appeared in Africa Magic's Riona, a period drama, one of the top 5 Nigerian TV series of the year. 2020 also saw her take on one of the lead roles in Ife, an LGBT love story for which she received the Kim Renders Memorial Award for Outstanding Performance from the Reelout Film Festival in 2021.[7][8]

In 2021 Power was listed as a Nigerian actress to watch by Nigerian Entertainment Today.[9] That year, she went on to appear in several shorts including in the title role of the female superhero "The Zipman" in the supernatural thriller, Ananze and the Zipman, [10] Sister Rose,[11] and Title Ije.[12] She was also named by Filmone as one of its "Box Office Breakthrough" actresses for her lead role in the comedy hit Ponzi. [13]

In 2022, she starred in the Nigerian thriller Diiche, Showmax's first Nigerian original limited series. The series received seven nominations at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards[14] including for Best Series.

Power appeared in one of Africa's most lauded films of 2023, the award-winning fantasy thriller Mami Wata written and directed by C.J. "Fiery" Obasi. In addition to being the Nigerian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, it received a multitude of awards and a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Power at the 2023 Africa Movie Academy Awards. In 2023 she also made her directorial debut with Love Language, a short film about an intertribal love affair, which she also wrote and starred in.[15]

2024 was a standout year for Power. She appeared in over a half a dozen films including Daniel Oriahi's thriller The Weekend,[16] a commercial and critical success that garnered her a Best Actress nomination at the 20th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards.[17] In With Difficulty Comes Ease, an Amazon Prime Video feature directed by Korede Azezez, Power plays a young Igbo-Hausa widow who has to navigate both her grief and cultural expectations after losing her husband.[18] She also appeared in Ifeoma Nkiruka Chukwuogo's Phoenix Fury, which won the Best Film and Best Director awards at the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in November 2024.

In 2025 Power appeared in a supporting role in Akinola Davies Jr.'s My Father's Shadow, the first Nigerian film to be selected for the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection, where it won the Caméra d'Or Special Mention.[19]

Writing

[edit]

Power is a published fiction writer. An excerpt from her work Balcony was edited and published by the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.[2] Her short story The Child That I was Not was Adichie's selection for "Story of the Week" for the literary journal The Missing Slate in January 2017.[20] The literary platform Brittle Paper also published works by Power: Tea Glass: An African Story in 2015 [21] and Mama Juror and Rush Green in 2017.[22]

Name Change

[edit]

Born Uzoamaka Aniunoh, the actress announced in 2025 that she was adopting Power as her professional last name.

In an interview with Nollywood film outlet What Kept Me Up, she explained that Power "resonates with me on a profound level....It symbolises strength, resilience, and the energy I bring to my craft." She had been using the name informally since 2018, often with the hashtag, when sharing her work on social media.[1]

Filmography

[edit]

Television

[edit]

Films

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Uzoamaka is Entering Her Power Era - What Kept Me Up". 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-08-29.
  2. ^ a b c "UZOAMAKA ANIUNOH CHATS WITH GLANCE NG". Glance Online. 2018-05-30. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  3. ^ "Every Woman Every Child partners with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation to Tackle COVID-19". Every Woman Every Child. 2020-04-16. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  4. ^ a b c Chikwendu, Margaret (2019-10-23). "Award Winning TV Drama, MTV Shuga Naija Returns To TV Screens Today!". BHM. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  5. ^ Kan, Toni (2020-04-23). "MTV Shuga "Alone Together" Mini-Series Releases Episode 1&2". The Lagos Review. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  6. ^ Tv, Bn (2019-01-23). "Ozioma Ogbaji's Short Film "Stuck" starring Seun Ajayi, Lala Akindoju & Uzoamaka Aniunoh is a Must Watch | BN TV". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  7. ^ "2021 Reelout Film Fest Awards Announced! – Reelout". www.reelout.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  8. ^ "'Ife': A rare cinematic portrait of queer women's intimacy in Nigeria". Meeting of Minds. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  9. ^ a b c d Samuel, Mofijesusewa (2021-01-08). "17 Nigerian Actresses You Should Watch Out For in 2021". Nigerian Entertainment Today. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  10. ^ Isaakiayodeji (2021-01-14). ""YOUR IMAGINATION IS YOUR POWER"". Film Rats Club. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  11. ^ a b BN, TV (16 February 2021). "Blessing Uzzi Tells A Unique Love Story With Short Film Sister Rose Starring Uzoamaka Aniunoh & Neo Akpofure". Bella Naija. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  12. ^ Nwogu, Precious 'Mamazeus' (2021-08-06). "Watch Omowunmi Dada, Uzoamaka Aniunoh in 'Ije' short film trailer". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  13. ^ ShockNG (2021-03-23). "Ponzi Hits N13.32 Million, Bumps Omo Ghetto To 2nd Slot Rankings Opening Week". ShockNG. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  14. ^ "Showmax Releases First Nigerian Original Limited Series, Diiche, This September - Nigerian Entertainment Today". 2022-09-06. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  15. ^ "First Look at Uzoamaka Aniunoh's Directorial Debut, 'Love Language', a Story of Intertribal Love - What Kept Me Up". 2023-02-15. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  16. ^ Rapold, Nicolas (2024-06-02). "A Nigerian Filmmaker Hungry to Elevate Nollywood's Thrills". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  17. ^ BellaNaija.com (2024-11-03). "AMAA 2024: "The Weekend" & "Jagun Jagun" Take Home Major Wins – Full Winners List". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  18. ^ ""With Difficulty Comes Ease" Review: Korede Azeez's Film Is a Masterful Blend of Art and Heart - Afrocritik". 2024-08-14. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  19. ^ "'My Father's Shadow' Review: Akinola Davies Jr's Devastating, Defiant Portrait of Delay and Disappointment for Family and Country - What Kept Me Up". 2025-09-26. Retrieved 2025-09-29.
  20. ^ Aniunoh, Uzoamaka Doris. "Uzoamaka Doris Aniunoh Archives". The Missing Slate. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  21. ^ "Tea Glass | by Uzoamaka Doris Aniunoh | An African Story". brittlepaper.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  22. ^ "Mama Junior | Uzoamaka Doris Aniunoh | Fiction". brittlepaper.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  23. ^ Kehinde, Opeyemi; Lagos (2019-10-19). "MTV Shuga Naija returns with 'Choices' this October". Daily Trust. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  24. ^ "Every Woman Every Child partners with the MTV Staying Alive Foundation to Tackle COVID-19". Every Woman Every Child. 2020-04-16. Archived from the original on 2021-10-09. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  25. ^ "Meet the Cast for DIICHE; Showmax's First Nigerian Original Series". BellaNaija. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  26. ^ TV, BN (2021-03-01). "Meet the Star Studded Cast of Kayode Kasum's Comedy Film "Ponzi" + Watch the Trailer". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
  27. ^ Tv, Bn (2021-03-01). "Meet the Star Studded Cast of Kayode Kasum's Comedy Film "Ponzi" + Watch the Trailer". BellaNaija. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uzoamaka_Power&oldid=1321309139"