Nigerian author and filmmaker , Arese Ugwu has opened up on the emotional impact of Netflix’s rejection, detailing how the streaming giant’s refusal to partner with her on a larger scale nearly “broke” her.

The 39-year-old writer shared that she had approached Netflix for sponsorship to expand her 2021 TV show, The Smart Money Woman, after its success on the platform and Africa Magic. However, the streaming giant turned her down.

In a recent interview with Afropolitan, Ugwu shared, “We were able to produce Season 1 of The Smart Money Woman and received a fantastic reception on Africa Magic and Netflix. We were in the top 10 for 13 weeks on Netflix. I then approached Netflix for sponsorship to make the project bigger and better, and shockingly, they turned me down. That rejection almost broke me.”

Ugwu also spoke about her desire to become an established filmmaker and not just an author whose book was adapted for a film.

“I want to establish myself as a filmmaker.

I feel like some people still see me as the girl who wrote a book and the book was turned into a TV series,” she said.