Bolanle Austen-Peters

Bolanle Austen-Peters (born 4 February 1969), is a Nigerian lawyer, filmmaker, theatre director, producer, and cultural entrepreneur. She is the founder and artistic director of BAP Productions as well as the arts and culture center Terra Kulture in Lagos.

She has been described by the CNN as the "woman pioneering theater in Nigeria", and by others as the "'Tyler Perry' of Nigeria" for her contributions to film and theatre. Austen-Peters was named one of the most influential women in Africa by Forbes Afrique and has received multiple awards in recognition of her contributions to the arts.

Her notable works include the films 93 Days, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Collision Course and House of Ga’a, as well as stage productions such as Saro the Musical, Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, and Moremi the Musical. Several of her productions have gained international recognition, with screenings at global festivals and top rankings on Netflix worldwide.

Her film Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, based on the life of the Nigerian activist, became the highest-grossing biopic in West Africa. In addition, her historical drama House of Ga’a entered the Top 10 Global Chart for Non-English Films during its first week of release, and later ranked among the Top 10 indigenous films on Netflix, reaching No. 7 worldwide.

Beyond film, she established and hosted the Lagos International Theatre Festival (LITF), regarded as the largest theatre festival in West Africa. The festival featured local and several international companies.

Furthermore, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, she founded the Terra Academy for the Arts, which has trained over 44,000 students in creative disciplines. The academy operates in Ogun, Lagos, and Kano States, Nigeria. She had earlier worked with the United Nations.