The 2025 edition of the Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards has officially unveiled its nominee list, spotlighting Seven Doors and Abanisete as the year’s dominant contenders.
Unveiled at an exclusive ceremony held at Mayami Lagos on Monday night, the lineup reflects a vibrant year for Nigerian cinema, with 25 categories celebrating excellence across film and television.
Seven Doors leads with nine nominations, followed closely by Abanisete with eight. At the same time, Farmer’s Bride and My Mother Is a Witch also secured multiple nods in major categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, and Movie of the Year. The main awards ceremony will be held in Lagos on 14 December, featuring a Guinness World Record attempt for the longest red carpet.
From major categories such as Movie of the Year and Best Director to light-hearted favourites like Best Kiss in a Movie and Best Use of Food in a Movie, the list captures the diversity and creativity that continue to define Nigerian filmmaking.
Top Contenders
At the centre of the excitement are two standout titles, Seven Doors and Abanisete. Both films earned recognition in headline categories, including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Movie of the Year, and Best Production Design.
Farmer’s Bride closely follows them, and My Mother Is a Witch, which also enjoyed strong showings across the acting and technical categories.
The Best Actor race features Ibrahim Yekini, Femi Adebayo, and Tobi Bakre, while Chioma Chukwuka, Folu Storms, and Gbubemi Ejeye headline the Best Actress nominees.
Renowned directors Adebayo Tijani, Tope Adebayo, and Niyi Akinmolayan dominate the Best Director category, reflecting a year rich in collaboration and craftsmanship.
Lagos returns as host
Speaking at the unveiling, the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, said she was delighted to see the awards return to Lagos.
“Lagos is the home of excellence, the state of aquatic splendour, so I know people are expectant,” she said.
She also commented on the organisers’ Guinness World Record attempt for the Longest Red Carpet, noting that the new Coastal Road provides the perfect backdrop.
“It’s because it is Lagos that’s the only reason you can have a runway on a highway,” she added.
The Group Executive Director, West and Central Africa at Omnicom Media Group, Yinka Adebayo, who unveiled the list alongside the commissioner, described the awards’ 17-year consistency as remarkable.
Nominees
BON AWARDS 2025
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
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3) Iyalode
4) Abanisete
5) Labake Olododo
6) Iyalode
