DIRECTOR ~ PRODUCER ~ WRITER ~ ACTRESS

A consummate artist on stage, film and television, Adetoro is a graduate of Georgetown University and the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. She began her career as an actress, where her performances received reviews of “excellent” and “compelling” by The New York Times and The Washington Post, respectively. However, disheartened by the continual lack of opportunities as an actress, she expanded her efforts in 2000 and formed the production company Backdoor Films.

In its debut production, she wrote, starred and produced the short film "For Charity’s Sake" (2000). Building on the momentum of her newfound career, the following year, she made the highly successful and award-winning short, "WHOA" (2001). The film went on to screen at over 50 venues including the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, AFI Fest, LA Film Festival and The Sundance Channel.  It screened online at AtomFilms.com and ranked as the #1 Action / #2 Drama film in its first 30 days.

During the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, she also took on the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival: Extreme Filmmaking Challenge, to write, cast, shoot, edit and premiere the short film "Cop Block" (2002) in ten days. The next project was an invitation to participate in a directing mentorship program (Fox Searchlight: Searchlab Program) where the short film "3 Minutes" (2003) was produced.

Going back to her independent roots, she once again wore multiple hats as actress, director, writer and producer on the award-winning short, “In Time” (2005). The story tells of a Nigerian-American bride who struggles to come to terms with the traditions her tribe has inflicted on her, through female circumcision. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and continued to screen world-wide including on HBO and Cinemax. For her performance, Makinde was voted Best International Actress by the Nigerian Entertainment Awards. In her most recent effort, she wrote and directed the short film "Steep" (2007) which premiered at the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival.

The year 2007 also marked the debut of her feature screenplay, "The American Can", which made it to the final rounds at the Sundance Institute, 2007 Screenwriter’s Lab. The screenplay is the true heroic story of John Keller, a New Orleans native and Recon Marine, who risked his life for the safety and rescue of 244 people trapped in his apartment building in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. While the screenplay was not selected, the following statement was made about it:

"It really is a terrific and powerful script Adetoro. The story that you are telling is AMAZING. I'm definitely not just saying that-- we considered it through and through... I was actually very surprised by how moving it was. Not only that-- for being a drama, it sure is action-packed. Very suspenseful... and very well written on the page to show that. And of course, feel free to submit projects to us in the future; we're big fans of yours over here, so the door is always always open."

Her honors include being selected by Kodak, to participate in an emerging filmmaker program at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition, she was selected as a Fellow to the Film Independent Project:Involve program on the Producer track. Makinde is also a recipient of a New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and Blackfilm.com/BMW Filmmaker Grant.

Outside of such creative elements, she has worked in Business Affairs at Paramount Pictures on television shows including "Everybody Hates Chris", "Medium", and "NCIS" and as an Assistant to the Producer on the Fox pilot, "Supreme Courtships". Frequently collaborating with fellow filmmakers, Makinde has served as Producer, Casting Director and/or Production Coordinator on several independent films, including, "A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy" which premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, "The GIft" (Silver Pictures/2008) starring Martin Sheen and Ving Rhames and, Let’s Talk" (BET/2006).

As an artist, Makinde's unique voice is a beguiling breath of fresh air as she aims to entertain, inform and bring about change. Not one to back away from a creative challenge, her passion for storytelling and truth will serve to offer a fresh perspective to the world of cinema.