Adeyemi is a multi-award-winning filmmaker and a National Film and Television School directing graduate. In 2014 he was a Broadcast Hotshot for his breakout film Sodiq, premiering at Sheffield Doc Fest and winning Grierson (2013) and Al Jazeera (2014) awards, premiering at Sheffield Doc Fest.
His Fantasy film Entitled played BFI London, London Sshort Film Festival. It won Best Short Film at the Screen Nation Awards and Best Debut Director at Edinburgh TV Fest (2019). As a Hot Doc’s Blue Ice Fellow/Durban Film Mart alumni, he directed BBC1’s Murder On the Streets (2018).
Adeyemi collaborated with Netflix (2020) curating a living collection Black British Stories. His Film4 Sci-Fi, The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be (2021) was nominated at TIFF, BlackStar, Chicago IFF.
In 2023 he directed BBC/Netflix Champion and Amazon’s Anansi Boys. Named a Screen Daily Star Of Tomorrow he recently completed directing drama for Disney & Nat Geo on WWII series Hidden Heroes whilst he is also currently developing ifeature films Ibeji (BBC Films) a supernatural fantasy and Emi (Film4) a supernatural Sci-Fi.
When did you know you wanted to be a director?
Directing didn’t come to me immediately. Ever since I was a child, I was always creatively inclined. From painting abstract imagery to drawing Sonic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and almost all the other cartoons I was into at the time. l found a love for expressing myself through this medium.
Growing up in the Nigerian community in South London, we had a party or function to go to almost every other weekend and there was one of my friends’ dad would document these parties and events. Seeing him with this massive VHS camera on his shoulder, it got me thinking about what he was doing by creating this archive of us all.
During that time, I was also exploring acting. I was in leading roles on stage in all our schools’ plays and I was also involved in programs at the Young Vic. This was until I had the lightbulb moment that I’d be better served going behind the camera and so I made the pivot as soon as I left school.
This is where my journey toward filmmaking began. Becoming a director came at a later stage for me, having fallen into the world of football coaching and managing, which became an unknown apprenticeship to directing for me. In that time, I was studying and making films and really trying to find my voice – what it was I wanted to share with world. However, I’d say it was between these life events and just living my life in this moment, that formed the nexus of my directing journey.
Once you knew you wanted to pursue a career as a director, what where your first steps in achieving this goal?
My first goal at the time was to just to get a hold of a camera and start to play with it. At the time, at college, we started using mini DV cameras, which were super accessible. I ended up finding a way to use the ones at college as much as I could. I needed for it to be in my hands, so I could start to realise the boundaries and limitations and how I could break those.
I became really interested in documentary, given that I had started to understand how important archiving my community was. So, I eventually applied to London College of Communication (University of Arts London) and there I got onto a Media Practice degree that allowed me to further exercise this creative muscle and a desire I had to tell stories from within my community.
During this time, we had now graduated to using the Sony PD150’s and PD170’s but I made sure I bought myself my own camera which, was a little flip mini DV camera which I used these until I could afford the Panasonic AG DVX 100 mini DV Camera. Finally, I had a camera with XLR inputs so I could start making serious films with proper sound. Major key.
Whilst at London College of Communication I focused on making documentaries. I made a film called Running The Line, which I later used as an application film when applying for the Documentary Directing MA at the National Film and Television School. It was whilst studying at the National Film and Television School I then upped my camera game again and got hold of a Panasonic AG AF 100.
During my time at the National Film and Television School it was the first time I had started to deal with specialists from different departments from sound, composing and editing etc. The school was a real turning point for my craft as well as my understanding of how to pull a team together. It was where I was able to call on my previous experience as a coach/manager and build a winning a team. My graduation film Sodiq garnered a lot of attention, winning countless awards and playing at several international festivals. This was the launchpad into the industry. However, my landing into the industry was very tough but I was adamant that no matter what, even if I couldn’t get funding or be commissioned to tell the stories I wanted to tell, that I’d arm myself with the tools to do so. So, I did. I bought my next camera which was a C300 and later upgraded to the FS7. I mention about owning equipment as I found it critical to my journey and being able to make my way through. Now I’m directing fiction so the need to have my own camera isn’t as important, but I maintain owning a camera, so if I chose I can just pick it up and do what I do.
What obstacles or set backs did you face in becoming a director?
One of the biggest obstacles for me has been believing in my own writing proficiency. And the best solution to that, has just been to write, no matter what that looks like. There are many other set backs but I choose not to focus on those. The main thing is that all the obstacles and setbacks serve as motivation.
How did you develop your voice and hone your craft?
Truth and authenticity have been central to developing and honing my voice. By listening to myself and making work that mirrors my truth or the truth of those that I’m reflecting within my work.
How did you get your first break?
My big break came when I chose to believe in myself in 2009. Yes, I gave myself my first big break by removing everything that didn’t include filmmaking from my professional periphery. Green lighting myself has been crucial for creating the several big breaks that are needed and come with a career in the arts.
TV Credits: The Colour of Victory: Heroes of WW2 (2024), Champion (2023), Anansi Boys (2022).
Film Credits: The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be (2021), Dark Matter (2019), No Change (2019), Entitled (2018).
Photograph: Mathieu Ajan