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.
In the statement, the following emerged as nominees:
BEST ANIMATION:
THE TRAVAILS
OF AJADI (Directed by Adeoye Adetunji – Nigerian,
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 Ampkpa – 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 SUPPORTNG ACTOR:
LADI CHIMA – (Kakanda – Nigeria)
ZARA UDOFIA EJOH (The Man Died);
SYDNEY EMADE (When Wolves Cry – Nigeria)
BEST ACTRESS
SYDNEY EMADE (When Wolves Cry– (Nigeria)
IJAPARI BEN-HIRKI
(Finding Nina)
AMINA SHEHU – (Kak Anda –Nigerian)
BEST YORUBA FILM:
ÌṢẸ́(PENURY) – Directed By Omobolanle Ayankumbi – Nigerian
SCAR – (Directed By Willams Ajeh Ameh – Nigeria)
BEST HAUSA FILM:
KAKANDA – Directed By Toa Mc Baror – Nigeria)
MOUNTIAN OF GOLD – (Directed By Roland – France)
SAMARI – (Directed By Felix Bankole – Nigerian)
BEST IGBO FILM
ROAD TO HELL (Directed By Kelechi Emmanuel Oritsheti)
STAGE OF LIFE – (Directed By Emmanuel Oritsheti)
BEST INDIGENOUS NIGERIAN FILM
ÌṢẸ́ (PENURY) – (Directed By Omobolanle Ayankumbi – Nigerian)
KAKANDA – Directed By Toa Mc Baror – Nigeria)
SAMARI – (Directed By Felix Bankole – Nigerian)
BEST FOREIGN FILM:
DON’T LOOK AT ME (Directed By Natasha Atab – Brazil)America
CARRACEDO – (Directed By Manuel Lucas Marino – Spain)
FLYING WITH FINS – (Directed By Maria Averina)
BEST DIRECTOR:
AWAM AMKPA – THE MAN DIED –- Nigeria
FAMOUS ODION IRAOYA – FINDING NINA – Nigerian
KARIMAH OMOBOLANLE AYANKUNBI – ISE – Nigeria
BEST SHORT FILM:
MARIES AMBITION – (Directed By Manu Fernandez – Spain)
DUBITO –- (Directed By Daniyal Mahmoudinia- Iran)
INES – Mireia Massague – Spain
BEST MUSIC VIDEO:
ANIMALS FREEDOM – Directed By Nacho Recio – Spain
GLOBAL CYPHER – Directed By Dragos Plesa And Paul Dragos – Romania
LOVE:WAR – Directed By David Woulard And Tyler Parks – United States of America
BEST SKIT:
THE GIRL FROM TOMORROW – Directed By Wei Chun Jen – Taiwan
LION DANCE – Directed By 禹呈 林yu Chenglin – Taiwan
HOME AWAY – Directed By Cheniliang Wang – ChinaChina
BEST STUDENT FILM:
MOIPONE:MARRIAGE BY ABDUCTION LESOTHO – Directed By Albert Khama
BIRD TO BE ALIVE – Directed By Mathieu Andre Anais Besost Francos Fontaire Rowan Rosencourt And Valentin Rosset – France
PASS – Directed By Noushin Safari – Iran
BEST CHILDREN FILM:
BURIAL (Iran) -Directed by Mohammad Rezaei & Mohammad Moradi
BEULA (India) Directed by B Suresh Kumar
GARY THE GREAT (USA)- Directed by Eva V. Komarov.
Etuk, in the statement said that winners will be announced at the closing ceremony/awards night of the festival scheduled to take place tomorrow December 5th, 2025 at the Chida Hotels & Events Centre, Abuja, Nigeria.
