Ifunanya "Funa" Maduka is a Nigerian-American film writer, producer director, and actress. Ifunanya is best known for her work on "Divines" (2016, dir. Houda Benyamina), "Waiting for Hassana" (2017, dir. Ifunanya Maduka), "Deidra & Laney Rob a Train" (2017) and "Burning Sands" (2017). She is Netflix's head of content acquisition (Global Independent Feature Films & Documentaries). "Waiting for Hassana" is her directorial debut.

Ifunanya "Funa" Maduka served as Dean of Students and Director of Leadership Development at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa. At the Academy, her responsibilities included: overseeing student wellbeing & residential life, developing and directing student leadership programming, managing community outreach & partnerships, designing co-curricular activities - including conferences, workshops and enrichment seminars - serving on the Senior Management Team and working on various special projects related to the school's development and general foundation efforts.

Funa began her career as a Wall Street financial analyst on the Goldman Sachs trading floor with the firm's International Sales Desk. Two years later, she accepted an offer to join the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative in the Caribbean. As a regional analyst, she was part of a two-person team managing nine islands. Her myriad responsibilities covered a number of wide-ranging disciplines, including: ARV drug distribution, Global Fund grant preparations, and intensive infrastructure building for the various Ministries of Health.

An alumna of Cornell University, Funa graduated in 2004 with a B.A. in History. Funa served as one of two student-elected representatives on the University's board of trustees.

Ms. Maduka received her Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 2012

Education
MBA @ Harvard Business School
Level 1 Certificate in Intensive French Language Programme @ Université Paris-Sorbonne
Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History @ Cornell University

Filmography (as executive producer / producer)
2017 Burning Sands (executive producer), Director: Gerard McMurray, feature drama, USA
2017 Deidra & Laney Rob a Train (executive producer), Director: Sydney Freeland, feature drama, USA
2017 Waiting for Hassana (producer), Director: Ifunanya Maduka, Documentary short
2016 Divines (executive producer), Director: Houda Benyamina, feature drama, France
2013 Half of a Yellow Sun (assistant to producer - as Funa Maduka), Director: Biyi Bandele, feature drama, Nigeria

Filmography (as Director / Actress)
2017 Waiting for Hassana (Documentary short)
2007 Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy (TV Movie documentary) (assistant to director - as Funa Maduka)
2015 The Youth (Actress, as Funa Maduka), Director: Dehanza Rogers, Short narrative

Source:
* www.linkedin.com/in/funa-maduka-a496284
* www.imdb.com/name/nm5042051/