Olayiwola Matthew
The 17th edition of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards, Lagos edition dazzled at the National Theatre on Saturday, with Seven Doors taking the shine.
While a drama: “Farmers Bride,” claimed the night’s top honours, the movie: “Seven Doors,” emerged as the most prolific winner.
It swept four major technical categories.
The most prestigious movie awards of the night went to “Farmers Bride” in the Movie of the Year and Director of the Year categories.
Seven Doors, Femi Adebayo’s technical masterpiece, proved to be the night’s biggest single film winner, taking home four highly coveted awards.
These were Best Production Design, Best Special Effect, Best Series, and Best Cinematography.
The film’s performance highlights the growing recognition of high-quality production and technical excellence in Nigerian cinema.
Beyond the top prizes, the awards celebrated diverse aspects of filmmaking.
The lead acting awards saw a clean sweep for the film: “Black Out,” with Gideon Okeke and Padita Agu taking home the Best Actor and Best Actress statuettes respectively.
In the supporting roles, veteran actress Mercy Aigbe was recognised for her role in: “My Mother Is a Witch,” while Taye Ayimoro won for: “Son of the Soil.”
The memorable screen chemistry between Tobi Bakre and Folu Storms in: “Red Cycle,” earned them the award for: “Best Kiss.”
“Abanisete” secured the Best Indigenous award, underscoring the importance of cultural storytelling.
The promising future of Nollywood was also highlighted with wins for Razaaq Adoti (Most Promising Actor for: “Son of the Soil”) and Una Idoko (Most Promising Actress for: “I Am Anis”).
The 17th BON Awards was a brilliant testament to Nollywood’s continued growth, celebrating both the established stars and the technical and creative professionals who are raising the bar for Nigerian storytelling globally.
Receiving special recognition awards for the year were the trio of Steve Ayorinde, Funke Akindele, and Dr. Shaibu Husseini
Full list of winners
BEST ACTOR – GIDEON OKEEKE (BLACK OUT)
BEST ACTRESS – PADITA AGU (BLACK OUT)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – TAYE AYIMORO (SON OF THE SOIL)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – MERCY AIGBE (MY MOTHER IS A WITCH)
BEST KISS – TOBI BAKRE & FOLU STORMS (RED CYCLE)
BEST SOCIAL MESSAGE – MAYOMI
BEST SHORT FILM – EGBEJI
BEST COSTUME – SEVEN DOORS
BEST SOUND – AGEMO
BEST SOUNDTRACK – IYALODE
BEST USE OF FOOD – OWAMBE THIEVES
BEST INDIGENOUS – ABANISETE
BEST CHILD ACTOR – AHMED ISA (FINDING NINA)
BEST CHILD ACTRESS – IJELU FOLAJIMI SHARON (SON OF THE SOIL)
MOST PROMISING ACTOR – RAZAQ ADOTI (SON OF THE SOIL)
MOST PROMISING ACTRESS – UNA IDOKO (I AM ANIS)
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN – SEVEN DOORS
BEST SCREENPLAY – MY MOTHER IS A WITCH
BEST USE OF MAKEUP – LABAKE OLODODO
BEST SPECIAL EFFECT – SEVEN DOORS
BEST EDITING – REEL LOVE
BEST DOCUMENTARY – BEYOND FOOTBALL
BEST SERIES – SEVEN DOORS
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SEVEN DOORS
MOVIE OF THE YEAR – FARMERS BRIDE
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR – FARMERS BRIDE