Joseph A. Adesunloye | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, Filmmaker, Television director |
Joseph A. Adesunloye is British-Nigerian filmmaker, television director, and writer. He is known for his 2016 feature film White Colour Black, starring Dudley O'Shaughnessy, and his 2025 LGBT romantic drama Vanilla , starring Yann Gael. His production company is Dreamcoat Productions.
Joseph A. Adesunloye was born in Lagos, Nigeria, [1] the son of a Yoruba man and an Urhobo woman from the Niger-Delta region. [2] He grew up in London, England. [1] He has said that his early years in Nigeria, with his diverse cultural identity, "instilled in me an awareness that I am a product of multiple spaces, which shape how I see the world". He decided as a teenager that he wanted to be a filmmaker. [2]
He graduated from the University of Aberdeen with an MA in English Literature & Film Studies, [3] after completing undergraduate studies there first. [2]
He graduated from the London Film Academy with a Filmmaking Diploma (a one-year course) in 2007. [4]
In 2008 Adesunloye set up his own production company, DreamCoat Productions. [4]
Adesunloye's first feature film was the 2016 drama White Colour Black. [5] The film was selected to screen at the BFI London Film Festival in 2016, and was acclaimed by critics, including in The Guardian and The Times . The British Blacklist called it "a journey of self-discovery with stirring cinematography and a rich, purposeful narrative". It was also included by the British Film Institute in their "3 You Must See: LFF Black History" series. [4]
His second feature film, Faces (2018), stars Terry Pheto. [5] It became available on streaming services Amazon Prime and BFI Player. [4]
In 2020 he was commissioned to make a short documentary film about five African writers shortlisted for the 2020 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing, [2] which was titled Writing Africa.
Adesunloye's third feature film is LGBT romantic drama film, Vanilla , released in 2025, in which Yann Gael plays the lead role of Bastien. [6] [7] [8]
In 2016, Adesunloye was one of four young filmmakers nominated for the inaugural IWC Schaffhausen Filmmaker Bursary Award. The award recognised a UK-based writer or director with a first or second feature in official selection at the BFI London Film Festival, and was sponsored by Swiss watchmakers IWC Schaffhausen. [9]
In 2017, Adesunloye was longlisted in the "Best Debut Screenwriter" category in the BIFA Awards (British Independent Film Awards), for his work in White Colour Black. [4] The film was also longlisted for two BIFAs, including the category of "Most Promising Newcomer" for the film's star Dudley O'Shaughnessy. [10] [11] [12] . [13]
White Colour Black was screened at the Baltimore International Black Film Festival 2017, winning Best International Feature and Best Narrative Feature.[ citation needed ] Adesunloye received the Oscar Micheaux Award for directing.[ citation needed ]
Faces was nominated for the "Best International Feature" award at the Durban International Film Festival in 2018. [4]