Omotoke Solarin-Sodara is a Nigerian screenwriter, director, editor and theatre creative. She gained wider attention in 2025 after winning the inaugural One Take Script Challenge with her screenplay, The Ministry of the Good People.
Her creative work spans film and theatre. She wrote, directed and produced the short film You Are the Problem, marking an important step in her transition from screenwriting into directing. She has also developed stage productions through her work with Immersia by Anthill and her own production company, Block57.
Solarin-Sodara’s career combines literary training, editorial experience and practical storytelling. Her projects explore morality, human behaviour, relationships and the consequences of personal choices.
Omotoke Solarin-Sodara’s Education and Early Career
Solarin-Sodara studied English and Literary Studies at KolaDaisi University in Ibadan, graduating in 2021 with a first-class degree.
Her interest in writing began before her professional career. She started writing stories in 2015, initially exploring online platforms and developing her storytelling skills.
She later built professional experience in publishing and communications. One of her significant roles was at Ouida Books, where she worked as an editor for three years and three months.
At Ouida Books, she worked closely with Nigerian writer and publisher Lola Shoneyin. The experience helped her understand editing, constructive criticism and the process of developing stronger stories.
Solarin-Sodara has described the experience as formative. Working with authors and evaluating manuscripts also influenced how she approaches feedback on her own writing.
Her literary work has appeared in The Kalahari Review. In 2017, she was shortlisted for the Farabale Africa Flash Fiction Prize. She also completed the SprinNG Writing Fellowship in 2023 and graduated from Terra Academy for the Arts.
Omotoke Solarin-Sodara’s Screenwriting Career
Screenwriting became an important part of Solarin-Sodara’s creative development. Although she started writing in 2015, she experienced a break from writing between 2020 and 2023.
She returned to regular writing in 2024, sharing stories and developing her screenwriting practice. Her literary background and editorial experience helped her approach scripts with attention to character development, structure and meaning.
In July 2025, she won the inaugural One Take Script Challenge organised by filmmaker Niyi Akinmolayan. Her winning screenplay was titled The Ministry of the Good People.
The competition attracted more than 200 submissions. Her victory came with a ₦500,000 prize and an opportunity to join the winning project’s production as an associate producer.
The screenplay follows four philanthropists who enter what appears to be a social-impact debate. They discover that they are actually judges in a life-and-death game that challenges their ideas about goodness and morality.
The story examines the difference between public reputation and personal character. It asks whether people will maintain their principles when their own survival becomes uncertain.
Winning the competition brought Solarin-Sodara greater attention within Nollywood. It also created an opportunity to work with Akinmolayan and other industry professionals.
You Are the Problem: Her Directorial Debut
You Are the Problem marked Solarin-Sodara’s first short film as a writer-director and producer. She filmed the project in June 2025.
The decision to direct came from her desire to retain greater creative control over her scripts. She had previously experienced disappointment when she saw another director interpret one of her stories in a way that did not match her vision.
Rather than remain dissatisfied with how her work reached the screen, she decided to learn directing. She sought practical guidance from filmmaker Damilare Bello and applied what she learned to her own production.
The short film takes place in one location and centres on a single scene. Its production required careful coordination, particularly for a lighting effect designed to create tension.
Solarin-Sodara handled the writing, directing and producing responsibilities. The experience also changed how she approaches screenwriting. She now considers the practical demands of filming while developing scenes and visual ideas.
Her directorial debut helped establish her interest in combining writing and directing rather than handing her scripts over without creative involvement.
Omotoke Solarin-Sodara’s Theatre Projects
Solarin-Sodara has expanded her creative work through theatre, particularly with Immersia by Anthill, the stage production arm of Anthill Studios.
Her projects include The Forest of Talking Drums, The Valley of Hidden Treasures, The Princess and the Pirate and Holy Ghosting. Her responsibilities have included writing, producing and directing, depending on the production.
The Forest of Talking Drums was an immersive theatrical production that combined storytelling, live percussion and audience interaction. Solarin-Sodara worked as lead scriptwriter and producer.
She also contributed to The Valley of Hidden Treasures, a production that explored friendship and loyalty through a story set in Northern Nigeria. Her work involved developing the script and coordinating production activities.
For The Princess and the Pirate, she handled production responsibilities, including casting, rehearsals and coordination with the young performers and their guardians.
In June 2026, she developed Holy Ghosting, a comedy stage production about two friends, a church-related scam and the consequences of deception. She worked on the project as writer, director and producer.
The production explored faith, public reputation, fraud and the choices people make under pressure. Its interactive format also reflected her growing interest in involving audiences more directly in theatrical storytelling.
Block57 and Her Independent Creative Work
Solarin-Sodara established Block57 as a platform for her production work. Through the company, she has taken on creative and operational responsibilities across theatre projects.
Her June 2026 production of Holy Ghosting demonstrated this approach. She developed the concept and script, directed the performers and managed the production process.
Building Block57 gives her an independent platform to develop stories and manage productions. It also complements her work with established creative organisations.
Omotoke Solarin-Sodara’s Storytelling Approach
Solarin-Sodara’s work often examines morality, personal responsibility, relationships and the difference between public appearances and private behaviour.
The Ministry of the Good People questions how people respond when their values face a serious test. You Are the Problem reflects her interest in taking creative ownership of a story from script to screen.
Her theatre projects explore similar questions through comedy, family drama, fraud and interactive storytelling.
Her experience as an editor also influences her approach. She understands the value of criticism but distinguishes between feedback that strengthens a story and changes that move it away from its central vision.
As she continues developing her work across film and theatre, she aims to create stories that encourage audiences to think and discuss what they have experienced.
Conclusion
Omotoke Solarin-Sodara is a Nigerian writer, director, editor and producer whose career spans publishing, film and theatre. Her experience at Ouida Books helped develop her storytelling skills, while winning the One Take Script Challenge in 2025 brought wider attention to her screenwriting.
She has since expanded her work through You Are the Problem, her directorial debut, and several theatre productions with Immersia by Anthill. Through Block57, she is also developing an independent platform for her creative projects.
