Kemi Adetiba, director of the award-winning and decade’s most grossing ‘Wedding Party’ movie has been listed among Netflix’s 55 groundbreaking women in entertainment. The listing is in celebration of the International Women’s Day.

Adetiba is a Nigerian music video director, filmmaker, and television director whose works have stood out in the industry in the last decade.

Kemi Adetiba is also the director of popular big screen film, ‘King of Boys’ and a long list of music works that star some of Nigeria’s best.

To celebrate the power of storytelling, Netflix is collaborating with the UN Women to launch “Because She Watched” a collection of series, documentaries and films.

Adetiba’s inclusion in the list of 55 groundbreaking women in entertainment across the world was announced on Wednesday, 4th of March.

The collection will be available all year round and is curated by female creators from behind and in front of the camera. They are made up of seasoned industry professionals from around the world including Sophia Loren, Salma Hayek, Yalitza Aparicio, Millie Bobby Brown, Laurie Nunn, Lana Condor, Petra Costa and Ava DuVernay.

Anita Bhatia, UN Women Deputy Executive Director said that the collaboration is about taking on the challenge of telling women’s stories and showing women in all their diversity.

Bhatia further explained that “it’s about making visible the invisible, and proving that only by fully representing and including women on screen, behind the camera and in our narratives overall, society will truly flourish.” 

Dr. Stacy L. Smith, Founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, added that “TV and film have the power to reflect and shape popular culture, which is why we believe it’s so important that more people see their lives reflected in storytelling.”

“Our research has shown that inclusion behind the camera leads to greater inclusion on screen. We’re encouraged that last year, 20% of the directors of Netflix original films were women and we are excited to celebrate these female creators on International Women’s Day.

Continuing, Smith said that “There’s still more to do to reach equality, but by recognising female talent from around the world, we hope more women will feel encouraged to tell their stories, pushing that number even higher.”

“From “Unbelieveable” and “Luna Nera” to “Orange is the New Black“, “Lionheart” and “Sex Education“, female creators have enabled audiences around the globe to see themselves and new perspectives on screen.