Born in Los Angeles to a Nigerian father and Mauritian mother, Zuriel Oduwole made her first documentary, The Ghana Revolution, for a school project at age nine — interviewing two former Ghanaian presidents in the process. At 12, her self-produced, self-edited film A Promising Africa screened commercially in five countries, making her the world's youngest filmmaker with a theatrically released work.
Oduwole has since made and screened multiple documentaries on African development and girls' education, and has met with more than twenty heads of state and government — including the leaders of Nigeria, Kenya, Liberia and Jamaica — to advocate directly for girls' access to school.
Her Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up campaign and DUSUSU Foundation extend that advocacy into scholarships and filmmaking training for young people across Africa, and in 2025 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
- World's youngest filmmaker with a commercially released, self-produced documentary
- Youngest person ever profiled by Forbes magazine
- Named to New African Magazine's 100 Most Influential Africans
- Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2025
- Start the project now — a school assignment can become a global platform.. Her first documentary began as a school film project at age nine.
- Take your case directly to the people who can change policy.. She has personally met over twenty heads of state to advocate for girls' education.
- Keep telling positive stories even once the world is watching.. She has maintained the same storytelling philosophy from age nine to today.