Zuma Int’l Film Festival 2005… Nominees in awardcategories unveiled

 

NOMINEES for the coveted prize awards of Zuma International Film Festival (ZIFF) 2025, Nigeria’s foremost national film festival has been announced.

In a statement issued on Thursday December 4, 2025 in Abuja and signed by Brian Etuk, Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Film Corporation, organisers of the film festival, the nominees emerged after a rigorous exercise undertaken by the
nine-member festival jury.

According to the statement, Award categories of ZUMA International Film Festival 2025 includes Best Picture Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best
Animation/Cartoon, Best Actress/Supporting Actress, Best Actor/Supporting Actor, Best
Documentary, Best Foreign Film, Best Student Film, Best Sound, Best Costume, Best Indigenous Films (Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo & any other indigenous film), Best Short Film, Best Skit, and Best Music Video, among others.

 

Etuk, in the statement said that winners will be announced at the closing ceremony/awards night of the festival scheduled to take place Friday, December 5, at the Chida Hotels & Events Centre, Abuja, Nigeria.

 

In the statement, the following emerged as nominees:

BEST ANIMATION:

• The Travails of Ajadi (Directed by Adeoye Adetunji – Nigeria
• The Spirit of Dambe (Directed by Mark Eyesan – Nigeria
• Learning Swordmanship (Directed By Meixiao Yang –
  China);

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

• The Street Now My Name (Directed By Eghosa Sarah Ifidon –United Kingdom)
• Re-Activate (Directed By Perekeme W. Odon –Nigeria)
• The Cashew Rain (Directed By Alan Schvarsberg –Brazil)

BEST PICTURE:
* Finding Nina (Directed By Famous Eghosa Sarah Ifidon –United Kingdom)

• The Man Died – (Directed By Awam Amkpa – Nigeria)
• When Wolves Cry (Directed By Emmanuel
  Eyuba – Nigerian)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

• The Man Died – (Directed By Awam
  Ampkpa – Nigeria)
• When Wolves Cry (Directed By Emmanuel Eyuba – (Nigeria)
• Finding Nina (Directed By Famous Eghosa Sarah Ifidon – Nigeria)

BEST SOUND:
* Finding Nina (Directed By Famous Eghosa Sarah Ifidon –Nigeria)

• Don’t Look At Me (Directed By Natasha Atab – Brazil)
• Dubito (Directed By Daniyal Mahmoud –IRAN)

BEST COSTUME:

• The Man Died – (Directed By Awam Ampkpa – Nigeria)
• Lion Dance (Directed By – Taiwan)
• Ìṣẹ́ (Penury) (Directed By Omobolanle Ayankumbi – Nigerian).

Others, the released further stated, are:

BEST ACTOR:

• Abdulazeem M. Ibrahim (Finding Nina – Nigerian)
• Wale Ojo (The Man Died – Nigerian)
• Sadik Ahmed (Kakanda – D Nigeria)

BEST SUPPORNOP ACTOR:

• Ladi Chima – (Kakanda – Nigeria)
• Zara Udofia Ejoh (The Man Died — Nigeria);
• Sydney Emade (When Wolves Cry – Nigeria)

BEST ACTRESS

• Sydney Emade (When Wolves Cry– (Nigeria)
• Ijapari Ben-Hirki (Finding Nina — Nigeria)
• Amina Shehu – (Kak Anda –Nigeria)

BEST YORUBA FILM:

• Ìṣẹ́ (Penury) – Dir. by Omobolanle Ayankumbi – Nigeria)
• Scar – (Dir. by Willams Ajeh Ameh – Nigeria)

BEST HAUSA FILM:

• Kakanda – Dir. By Toa Mc Baror – Nigeria)
• Mountian Of Gold – (Directed By Roland – France)
• Samari – (Directed By Felix Bankole – Nigerian)

BEST IGBO FILM

• Road to Hell (Dir. by Kelechi E. Oritsheti, Nigeria)
• Stage of Life – (Dir. by Kelechi E. Oritsheti, Nigeria)

BEST INDIGENOUS NIGERIAN FILM

• Ìṣẹ́ (Penury) – (Dir, by Omobolanle Ayankumbi – Nigeria)
• Kakanda – Dir. by Toa Mc Baror – Nigeria)
• Samari – (Dir. by Felix Bankole – Nigerian)

BEST Foreign Film:

• Don’t Look At Me (Dir. by Natasha Atab – Brazil/America)
• Carracedo – (Dir. by Manuel Lucas Marino – Spain)
• Flying With Fins – (Dir. by Maria Averina)

BEST DIRECTOR:

• Awam Amkpa – The Man Died – Nigeria
• Famous Odion Iraoya – Finding Nina – Nigeria
• Karimah Omobolanle Ayankunbi – Ise – Nigeria

BEST SHORT FILM:

• Maries Ambition – (Dir. by Manu Fernandez – Spain)
• Dubito –- (Dir. by Daniyal Mahmoudinia– Iran)

INES – Mireia Massague – Spain

BEST MUSIC VIDEO:

• Animals Freedom – Dir. by Nacho Recio – Spain
• Global Cypher – Dir. by Dragos Plesa & Paul Dragos – Romania
• Love War – Dir. by David Woulard & Tyler Parks – USA

BEST SKIT:

• The Girl From Tomorrow – Dir. by Wei Chun Jen – Taiwan
• Lion Dance – Dir. by 禹呈 林yu Chenglin – Taiwan
• Home Away – Dir. by Cheniliang Wang – China

BEST STUDENT FILM:

• Moipone:Marriage by Abduction – Dir. by Albert Khama – Lesotho
• Bird To Be Alive – Dir. by Mathieu Andre Anais Besost Francos Fontaire Rowan Rosencourt & Valentin Rosset – France
• Pass – Dir. by Noushin Safari – Iran

BEST CHILDREN FILM:

• Burial – Dir. by Mohammad Rezaei & Mohammad Moradi – Iran
• Beula — Dir. by B Suresh Kumar – Iran
• Gary The Great — Dir. by Eva V. Komarov — (USA)-