On 16 February 2023, Isaac Odeniran graduated with a Masters degree in Film Making with Raindance with Merit from De Montfort University Leicester with the graduation taking place at The Curve Theatre in Leicester. Isaac Odeniran spent the lockdown of the COVID 19 Pandemic as a time of study and completed the Master’s Degree during this time. Isaac previously has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Westminster and this would be Isaac Odeniran’s second Master’s degree. The degree was funded by Arts Council England under the Developing Your Creative Practice Fund and the COVID 19 support fund. The degree involved research, mentoring, online teaching, workshops, one to one tutoring and practical sessions. Elliot Grove (Founder Raindance Film Festival, Founder Raindance Film School and British Independent Film Awards) was Isaac Odeniran’s industry mentor on the course whilst Hollywood Film Producer, Director and Author, Julia Verdin (Producer Merchant of Venice, Stander, 2 Jacks) with more than 36 feature film credits was his academic mentor.
Isaac Odeniran says: “I had made six feature films at the time and it was logical to have some academic training in Film Making considering that I had a catalogue of about 60 stories and 25 scripts in progress. I wanted to be hands on and to be a qualified expert in what I do. The Developing Your Creative Practice grant and COVID 19 support grant from Arts Council England compelled me to use the Raindance Masters degree course as a way to achieve the objective.”
Zoe Films UK focuses on telling stories about the Black British experience. It is important that these stories are told by us rather than for us. Stories such as the Biopic about Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther the first Black Bishop of the Church of England, Farmed Out, Seven Years Seven Months, Angry People of God and planned Biopics about Notable Windrush figures all tell of our Black British experience. We have a duty to preserve these stories for the coming generation and no one can do this better than us. Films by Zoe Films UK such as “I Want Out”, “Child of the Occult”, “Spiritual Warfare”, and “Who Sent You” have been selected and showcased in Film Festivals around the world and have won several awards and have been shown in Cinemas and are available on various online platforms such as Amazon, Vimeo and Bohemia Euphoria and many others.
Zoe Films UK sister imprint Zoe Records UK has a catalogue of about 800 audio tracks and 300 music videos and has a syndicated Radio show (Zoe UK Sound of Gospel Radio show) every weekday which airs in the United Kingdom, United States of America and Canada. Zoe Records organises Zoe Nites it’s bi-monthly artist showcase and Freedom Festival it’s annual music festival. Zoe Records UK also sponsors the Jordan’s Demeanour Exhibition which is about the history of Black British Gospel music since the Windrush.
