Branwen Okpako, born in Lagos in 1969, moved to Wales at 16 and studied politics and economics in Bristol. In 1991 she moved to Germany, where she studied at the Deutschen Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (dffb, engl. German Film and Television Academy Berlin). For her graduation film Dreckfresser (2000), she was awarded, among others, the newcomer prize First Steps. Okpako’s work as a screenwriter and director includes numerous short films, including Probe (1992) and the television film Tal der Ahnungslosen (2003). Her multi-award-winning documentary Die Geschichte der Auma Obama (2011) portrays germanist, sociologist, author and filmmaker Auma Obama, half-sister of U.S. President Barack Obama.