The 2025 Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards nominations are out, with Seven Doors leading with nine nods and Abanisete following with eight. Lagos will host the grand ceremony on December 14, featuring a Guinness World Record attempt for the longest red carpet
Seven Doors,’ ‘Abanisete’ Lead 2025 BON Awards Nominations as Lagos Set for Record-Breaking Red Carpet
The 2025 edition of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards has officially released its nominee list, placing Seven Doors and Abanisete at the forefront as the year’s biggest contenders.
The nominations were unveiled on Monday night during an exclusive ceremony held at Mayami Lagos, reflecting a remarkable year for Nigerian cinema. A total of 25 categories will honour outstanding achievements in both film and television.
Leading the pack, Seven Doors scored nine nominations, followed closely by Abanisete with eight, while Farmer’s Bride and My Mother Is a Witch also earned multiple nods in major categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, and Movie of the Year.
The main awards ceremony is scheduled for December 14 in Lagos and promises to make history with a Guinness World Record attempt for the longest red carpet.
From prestigious titles like Movie of the Year and Best Director to fan favourites such as Best Kiss in a Movie and Best Use of Food in a Movie, this year’s lineup celebrates the creativity, humour, and emotional depth that define Nollywood.
At the heart of the nominations are the standout films Seven Doors and Abanisete, both recognised across major categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Movie of the Year, and Best Production Design.
Other strong contenders, Farmer’s Bride and My Mother Is a Witch, also performed impressively across acting and technical categories.
The Best Actor category features top Nollywood stars Ibrahim Yekini, Femi Adebayo, and Tobi Bakre, while Chioma Chukwuka, Folu Storms, and Gbubemi Ejeye headline the Best Actress race.
Renowned directors Adebayo Tijani, Tope Adebayo, and Niyi Akinmolayan dominate the Best Director category, reflecting a dynamic year of creativity and collaboration in the industry.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, expressed delight at the awards’ return to Lagos.
“Lagos is the home of excellence, the state of aquatic splendour, so I know people are expectant,” she said.
Commenting on the organisers’ Guinness World Record attempt for the longest red carpet, she noted that the newly constructed Coastal Road offers a perfect stage.
“It’s because it is Lagos — that’s the only reason you can have a runway on a highway,” she added.
Also speaking, Yinka Adebayo, Group Executive Director, West and Central Africa at Omnicom Media Group, who unveiled the list alongside the commissioner, praised the BON Awards’ resilience and commitment.
“Seventeen years of consistency is no small feat,” he said, lauding the organisers for continuously celebrating excellence in African filmmaking.
The 2025 BON Awards once again reaffirm Nollywood’s creative spirit, celebrating stories that inspire, entertain, and define the pulse of modern African cinema.
BON AWARDS 2025 NOMINEES
Full List of Nominees
BEST ACTOR
1) Ibrahim Yekini – Abanisete
2) Gideon Okeke – Blackout
3) Femi Adebayo – Seven Doors
4) Razaq Adoti – Son of the Soil
5) Tobi Bakre – Farmer’s Bride
6) Jide Awobona – Inspector Jero
BEST ACTRESS
1) Folu Storms – Red Circle
2) Gbubemi Ejeye – Farmer’s Bride
3) Padita Agu – Blackout
4) Efe Irele – My Mother Is a Witch
5) Chioma Chukwuka – Seven Doors
6) Florence Nwachukwu – Fury
BEST KISS
1) Tobi Bakre & Gbubemi Ejeye – Farmer’s Bride
2) Timini Egbuson & TJ Omusuku – Reel Love
3) Kunle Remi & Tope Olowoniyan – The Party
4) Padita Agu & Demola Adedoyin – Planning Forever
5) Tobi Bakre & Folu Storms – Red Circle
BEST DIRECTOR
1) Niyi Akinmolayan – My Mother Is a Witch
2) Adebayo Tijani & Tope Adebayo – Abanisete
3) Adebayo Tijani & Jack’enneth Opukeme – Farmer’s Bride
4) Tope Adebayo & Adebayo Tijani – Her Excellency
5) Toka McBaror – The Waiter
6) Adebayo Tijani, Tope Adebayo & Femi Adebayo – Seven Doors
MOVIE OF THE YEAR
1) Abanisete
2) My mother Is a Witch
3) Farmer’s Bride
4) The Waiter
5) Her Excellency
6) The Serpent’s Gift
BEST SERIES
1.) The Party
2.) Seven Doors
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1) Stan Nze – Serpent’s Gift
2) Femi Branch – Owambe Thieves
3) Adedimeji Lateef – Red Circle
4) Buchi Franklin – The Waiter
5) Taye Arimoro – Son Of the Soil
6) Neo Akpofure – My Mother Is a Witch
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1) Mercy Aigbe -My Mother Is a Witch
2) Bolaji Ogunmola – Longing
3) Tina Mba – The Serpent’s Gift
4) Mercy Aigbe – Farmer’s Bride
5) Susan Jimah – Take My Breath Away
6) Kehinde Bankole – Iyalode
BEST SOCAL MESSAGE
Out in the Darkness
My Mother Is a Witch
Fury
Longing
Mayomi
Blackout
Single Mother
BEST COSTUME
1) Owambe Thieves
2) Abanisete
3) Iyalode
4) Labake Olododo
5) Seven Doors
6) Olomi
7) The Serpent’s Gift
BEST SOUND
1) Red Circle
2) Agemo
3) Anjola
4) Fury
5) Reel Love
6) Ewu Ife
BEST SOUNDTRACK
1) My Mother Is a Witch
2) Take My Breath Away
3) Olomi
4)Durotimi
5)The Serpent’s Gift
BEST USE OF FOOD
1) Owambe Thieves
2) Longing
3) Alakada: Bad and Boujee
4) 07.03 (The 7th of the 3rd)
5) Farmer’s Bride
6) Owambe Thieves
BEST CHILD ACTOR
1) Ahmad Isa – Finding Nina
2) Yoma Davidson – Den Of Safety
3) Royal Aziomaku – Seven Doors
4) Adeshina Daniel – Telephone
BEST CHILD ACTRESS
1) Ijelu Folajimi – Son of the Soil
2) Darasimi Nadi – Agemo
3) Diva Owoniyi – Den of Safety
4) Kamdi Ugochkwu – A Ride with Forever
5) Angel Unigwe – In My Circle
MOST PROMISING ACTOR
1) Razaaq Adoti – Son of the Soil
2) Yomi Orimadegun – The Boy from the Window
3) Korede Lawal – On Our Skin
4) Abduazeem M. Ibrahim – Finding Nina
MOST PROMISING ACTRESS
1) Dolapo Oyebamiji- Olomi
2) Lila Idoko – I am Anis
3) Sylvia Ebere – Flipside
4) Sunshine Rosman- Son of the Soil
5) Temitope Luqman – Durotimi
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
1) Seven Doors
2) Labake Olododo
3) Abanisete
4) Iyalode
5) Farmer’s Bride
BEST SCREENPLAY
1) Thinline
2) Ewu Ife
3) Owambe Thieves
4) Fixing Others
5) The Serpent’s Gift
6) Blackout
7) Agemo
BEST SPECIAL EFFECT
1) Seven Doors
2) Labake Olododo
3) Son Of The Soil
4) Red Circle
5) The Waiter
6) Abanisete
7) Iyalode
BEST DOCUMENTARY
1) Beyond Olympic Glory
2) Nigeria Laughs
3) Not Addressing This Anymore
BEST EDITING
1) Son Of the Soil
2) The Waiter
3) Reel Love
4) Red Circle
5) Between Silence & Truth
6) Olomi
7) Agemo
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1) 07.03 (7th of The 3rd)
2) My mother Is a Witch
3) Abanisete
4) Agemo
5) Seven Doors
6) The Serpent’s Gift
7) Finding Nina
BEST INDIGENOUS
MOVIE
1) Abanisete
2) Brotherly Love
3) Iyalode
4) The Serpent’s Gift
5) Agemo
6) My mother Is a Witch
6) Olomi
BEST MAKE UP
1) The Waiter
2) Seven Doors
3) Iyalode
4) Abanisete
5) Labake Olododo
6) Iyalode
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