Tope Oshin’s “Here Love Lies” Earns ReFrame Stamp for Gender-Balanced Hiring at Sundance

Tope Oshin‘s latest project “Here Love Lies” has received its first international recognition at the Sundance Film Festival. The film which is set to premiere in cinemas in 2022 got awarded a ReFrame Stamp for its gender balance in crewing and storytelling.

The ReFrame Stamp which is an initiative by the Sundance Institute, Women In Film, and IMDBpro, goes to shows that meet ReFrame’s criteria for gender-balanced hiring. Per the official website, “The ReFrame TV Stamp is awarded to scripted television and episodic productions that hire women or individuals of other underrepresented gender identities/expressions (including those who are non-binary or gender non-conforming) in four out of eight key roles including writer, director, producer, lead, co-leads, and department heads.”

I’m super excited to share this lovely news!
Our film @HereLoveLies has received the #ReFrameStamp award for gender balance in crewing and storytelling! We #GotStamped 💃

Sight the #ReFrame stamp on our new publicity poster 🤩 and slide left to see the stamp in full. ❤️

Thank you so much @sundanceorg @womeninfilmla @reframe_project

Receiving this honor and recognition for the type of work I like to do, and have done in my filmmaking career, with women and about women, is indeed a huge blessing, and doubly so, to be in the fantastic company of leading filmmakers and films that have made, and are making great impact in the world. With the lovely and encouraging work WIF and Sundance are doing with the ReFrame Project, we can only move forward to do better, in hiring, supporting and continuing to tell resonant and strong gender-balanced stories.

We will keep doing the good work of diversity and inclusion. ✊

With this I celebrate the women of #HereLoveLiesFilm in Nigeria 🇳🇬 and the US 🇺🇸
Thank you for lending your amazing talents 🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

According to IMDB, the film follows the life of a single parent and travel blogger Amanda (Tope Oshin), who embarks on a social media romance with an American tour guide Michael (Tim Shelburne). A trip to the US to meet up for the first time opens up more doors than both anticipated.

The film stars Tim Shelburne, Sam Dede, Tina Mba, Omowunmi Dada, Angel Unigwe, Omozele Gabriel, Barbara Walsh, Daniel Etim Effiong, and Moyo Lawal, to name a few.

Shows that have earned the ReFrame Stamp in the past include “I May Destroy You“, “Lovecraft Country“, “Fleabag,” “Orange Is the New Black“, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Empire“, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and “Killing Eve“, “The Glow“, “When They See Us” and so many others.