Nigerian writer and filmmaker, Arese Ugwu, has opened up about a major setback she experienced when Netflix declined to collaborate with her on an expanded version of her project.
The 39-year-old creator shared that after the success of her 2021 television series, The Smart Money Woman, which aired on both Netflix and Africa Magic, she approached the platform seeking support to scale the production. However, her request was rejected.
She admitted that the refusal was deeply disheartening and nearly shattered her spirit.
Speaking in a recent interview with Afropolitan, Ugwu said, “We were able to produce Season 1 of The Smart Money Woman and got a fantastic reception on Africa Magic and Netflix. We were in the top 10 for 13 weeks on Netflix. I then approached Netflix for sponsorship to make the project bigger and better, and shockingly, they turned me down. That rejection almost broke me.”
Ugwu also spoke about her desire to become an established filmmaker and not just an author whose book was adapted for a film.
“I want to establish myself as a filmmaker. I feel like some people still see me as the girl who wrote a book and the book was turned into a TV series,” she said.
