Farmer’s Bride won big at the 17th Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards, taking home the event’s most prestigious honors which are the Movie of the Year and Director of the Year categories for directors Jack’enneth Opukeme and Adebayo Tijani.
The event which was held on December 14 in Lagos to celebrate the best of Nollywood also saw Femi Adebayo’s Seven Doors emerge as the biggest single film winner, claiming four awards from ten nominations, including Best Production Design, Best Special Effects, Best Series, and Best Cinematography, solidifying its reputation as a technical masterpiece.
In the acting accolades, Gideon Okeke and Padita Agu were named Best Actor and Actress for their thriller film, Black Out. Bucci Franklin earned Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Waiter, while Mercy Aigbe was honored as Best Supporting Actress for My Mother Is a Witch winning one of out her two nominations.
Other highlights included Best Kiss awarded to Tobi Bakre and Folu Storms for Red Circle, Best Social Message to Habeeb Olatunji’s Mayomi, Best Short Film to Samuel Olasehinde’s Egbeji, Best Sound to Moshood Abiola’s Agemo, and Best Soundtrack to Toyin Abraham’s Iyalode.
Owambe Thieves won Best Use of Food, Abanisete took Best Indigenous Film, while child actors Ahmed Isa (Finding Nina) and Ijelu Folajimi Sharon (Son of the Soil) were recognized for their performances. Razaq Adoti (Son of the Soil) and Una Idoko (I Am Anis) were named Most Promising Actor and Actress respectively.
Additional honors went to Shedrack Salami’s Beyond Olympic Glory in the documentary category, Niyi Akinmolayan’s My Mother Is a Witch for Best Screenplay, Iyabo Ojo’s Labake Olododo for Best Makeup, and Timini Egbuson’s Reel Love for Best Editing.
Hosted by KieKie and VJ Adams, the 17th BON Awards stood as a vibrant testament to Nollywood’s continued growth while celebrating established actors and actresses alongside the technical and creative professionals driving Nollywood forward.