[1] [4] Born in the city of Owerri, the capital city of Imo State, Nigeria, Obasi grew up watching Hammer Horror films, reading Stephen King novels and watching film adaptations of his work.

From the young age of 3, he would watch classic films and his favorite superheroes and villains; recreating them in hand-drawn comic books.

In 2018, Obasi directed the film adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor's africanfuturistic short story "Hello, Moto".

In an interview with CNN, Obasi stated he "wanted to make a hyper-stylised film" with its style rooted in substance, taking inspiration from his favourite filmmakers such as Akira Kurosawa and David Lynch.

Production companies attached to Mami Wata include Obasi's Fiery Film Company, Guguru Studios, Palmwine Media, Swiss Fund Visions Sud Est, and Ifind Pictures of France.

[12] Principal photography took place on location in the rural villages of Benin and wrapped in January 2021.