From Living in Care to Living the Dream: How Clare Anyiam-Osigwe fought her way through the care system to make her directorial debut with "No Shade"

For the last 6 years Clare Anyiam-Osigwe has been making regular headlines in the skincare industry with her numerous awards (17 in all) including an honour from the Queen in 201​7​. However all that is about to change in 2018 as the 32 year old ​D​ermatologist pursues awards of a different kind in the movie business, ​transferring her many years in the skincare business to write, direct and co-star in "No Shade"- a romantic drama which tackles the issue of skin and colourism head-on.

Anyiam-Osigwe (born Clare Eluka) has been no stranger to dealing with tough issues having been placed in care aged 9 after her father’s death left his widow unable to cope with all five of their children. Despite the tough childhood, Anyiam-Osigwe has made the most of her upbringing and with the support of her husband, film aficionado Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, the Islington-born entrepreneur wrote her first screenplay in 2 days, shot the feature in 6 days, and later this summer, the film will receive its' UK premiere at the British Urban Film Festival​ (BUFF)​.

Starring Adele Oni and Kadeem Pearse, the “No Shade” storyline focuses on colourism and is told through the prism of love, relationships, dating and marriage. Colourism has become a hot topic of conversation thanks to the predominantly dark-skinned cast in Black Panther and recent comments made about Beyonce's skin tone by her father Matthew Knowles, former manager of Destiny's Child. And with movies such as Dear White People and Get Out coming to the fore, BUFF is looking to explore these themes from a Black British perspective.

​"Growing up in care was a gift disguised as a disadvantage. I learnt so much ​about people and was afforded the chance to go to Anna Schers drama school which gave me access writing and performing. This has shaped my passion for storytelling and was a positive way to channel my
​teenage ​frustrations.

There is beauty in struggle and if you can rise above it, you can achieve your goals, whether that is making lotions and potions or penning a script and shooting a movie" says Clare​​.

The cast also features Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, Algie Salmon-Fattahian, Jade Asha, Zephryn Taitte, Sharea Samuels, Fred Lancaster, Shone Romulus, Tenisha White, Lonyo Engele, Veronica Jean Trickett, Chris Preddie OBE, Paula Masterton, Joel Grizzle, Justin Chinyere, Kele Le Roc and Judith Jacob.

BUFF has also revealed that the film will be screened in Cannes ahead of its’ world festival premiere at the Rio Cinema in Dalston on 5 June. Tickets for the premiere have been released today and can be pre-ordered at www.bufforiginals.com