Eko International Film Festival Gears Up for its Annual Showcase in May

The Eko International Film Festival (EIFF) will return for its 15th edition in the city of Lagos from May 5 to May 9, 2025.

Hosted at Viva Cinemas, Ikeja, the film festival aims to promote cinematic storytelling and cross-cultural networking by bringing together filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and industry professionals for a wide range of events.

Founded by Hope Obioma Opara, CEO of Supple Communications Limited, EIFF was created as an initiative to promote tourism in Nigeria while celebrating arts and culture. Over the past fifteen years, the festival has established itself as a platform for showcasing diverse voices in global cinema.

This year’s program features a diverse selection of films, including Feature Films, Short Films, Fiction, Documentaries, Indigenous Films, and Animation.

Although entries are now closed, selected films have already been notified ahead of the event.

Awards will be presented in various categories, including; Best Feature Film, Best Nigerian Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Feature Documentary Film, Best Short Documentary Film, Best Indigenous Film, Best Short Film, Best Nigeria Short Film, Best Film Animation, Best Actor Short Film, and Best Actress Short Film.

Selected Feature Films for the 2025 edition include: “The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos”, “No Way Home,” “Against Creation,” and “Some Kind of Justice.”

In the Short Films category, highlights include “Eloho,” “Shattered Stars,” “Toxic,” and “Paper Boat.” “Mayomi,” “Adunni Ogidan’Birin” and “The Kukus of Ijebu-Ode” are the only films selected in the Indigenous Films category.

Six animated films will be screened, with entries by animators from Cameroon (“Dawn”), Canada (“If the Dogs Don’t Speak”), Ukraine (“Vita Nova”), Japan (“BRIDGE-My Little Friends”), Taiwan (“Space Station Village Ep8”), and Czech Republic (“Badwoods”). Curiously, no Nigerian animation made it to the selection stage.

Past editions of EIFF have featured acclaimed works such as “Echoes of War” by Fisayo John Ogunmodede, “Africa, Cradle of Human Kind, and Modern Civilizations” by Benita Jacques, “Yesterday is Today” by Ken Sagoes, and “Good Night, Lily” by Peter Vulchev.

For more information on EIFF, click here.