On the surface, the 17th Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards 2025 was about trophies, red carpets, and spectacle. Look closer, however, and the ceremony offered something more consequential, a snapshot of an industry at a critical inflection point, that’s balancing rising creative ambition with unresolved structural constraints.
Nollywood’s biggest night of rewarding artistic excellence held at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos on Sunday night, against a backdrop of stronger box-office performance, renewed focus on technical craft, and fresh attempts to fix the industry’s most stubborn problem: how filmmakers actually make their money back.
What the big winners tell us
Two projects defined the night – Seven Doors and Farmer’s Pride.
Seven Doors, produced by Femi Adebayo, won the technical categories – ‘Best Production Design’, ‘Best Special Effects’, ‘Best Cinematography’, and ‘Best Series’. Nollywood, long criticised for speed-to-market and star visibility, is increasingly rewarding films that demonstrate meticulous planning, visual coherence, and production discipline.
In parallel, Farmer’s Bride, produced by Kene Okwuosa and Craig Shurn, claimed the night’s, perhaps most prestigious honours: ‘Best Film’ and ‘Director of the Year.’ Its recognition signals a recalibration of prestige within the industry, in which directorial control, narrative clarity, and execution are emerging as markers of serious cinema.
Performance still matters
Acting honours went to Gideon Okeke and Padita Agu for their roles in Blackout. These were performances driven by character depth rather than spectacle. Mercy Aigbe (My Mother Is a Witch) and Taye Ayimoro (Son of the Soil) deservedly won the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ and ‘Best Supporting Actor’, respectively.
The recognition of Abanisete as Best Indigenous Film also mattered. It underscored that culturally grounded storytelling, when done with intent, is not being sidelined in the push toward technical polish.
Box office growth is real, even if uneven
Buttressing the BON Awards 2025 euphoria, this year, Nollywood’s cinema numbers surpassed sceptics’ expectations, but they offer only cautious optimism.
Titles like Ori: The Rebirth crossed the ₦400 million mark, while Reel Love, Iyalode, and Labake Olododo posted strong theatrical runs in the ₦250–₦350 million range. These figures confirm that Nigerian audiences still show up when stories resonate, and marketing is right.
At the top end of the market, legacy and franchise films continue to dominate historical records. But 2025 showed that mid-budget, culturally specific films can still find a commercial footing, particularly when production quality matches audience expectations.
This matters because box office performance remains one of the few transparent revenue streams available to filmmakers.
Funding remains the industry’s weakest link
Despite the awards, optimism, and box-office momentum, the financing reality has not changed materially.
Most Nollywood films are still funded through personal capital, informal investor pools, brand placements, or short-term debt structures.
Institutional funding remains scarce. Bank financing is rare. Equity-style film investment is still underdeveloped. As a result, many producers make creative compromises long before cameras roll.
BON Awards 2025 celebrated excellence, but it also highlighted how much of that excellence is achieved despite the system, not because of it.
The Takeaway
BON Awards 2025 did not pretend that Nollywood has solved its problems. Funding remains tight. Distribution is fragmented. Revenue certainty is still elusive.
But the direction is clearer. Technical excellence is being rewarded. Story discipline is gaining prestige. Box office performance, while uneven, is improving. New distribution models are being tested. Cultural specificity is not being sacrificed for scale.
Nollywood is growing; slowly, unevenly, and sometimes painfully, but it is growing with intention. BON Awards 2025 captured that moment honestly: an industry learning how to mature without losing its voice.
For creators, investors, and cultural observers, that may be the most important signal of all.
Here is the full list of winners at the BON Awards 2025:
Best Child Actor – Ahmed Isa (Finding Mina)
Best Child Actress – Ijelu folajimi Sharon (Son of the soil)
Best Short Film – Egbeji
Best Use of Food – Owambe Thieves
Best Kiss in a movie – Tobi Bakre & Folu Storms (Red Circle)
Best Documentary of the Year – Beyond Olympic Glory
Most Promising Actor- Rasaq Adeoti (son of the soil)
Best Promising Actress – Lina Idoko (I am Anis)
Best Screenplay – My Mother is a Witch
Best Social Message – Mayomi
Best Use of Nigerian Costume – Seven Doors
Best Production Design – Seven Doors
Best Sound Track – Iyalode
Best Sound – Agemo
Best Indigenous Movie – Abanisete
Best Supporting Actor – Bucci Franklin (The Waiter)
Best Supporting Actress – Mercy Aigbe (My Mother is a Witch)
Best Editor of the Year – Reel Love
Best Use of Makeup – Labake Olododo
Best Special Effects – Seven Doors
Best Cinematography – Seven Doors
Best Actor – Gideon Okeke (Blackout)
Best Actress – Padita Agu (Blackout)
Best Series – Seven Doors
Best Film – Farmer’s Bride
Best Director – Adebayo Tijani, Jackenette Opukeme (Farmer’s Bride)
