The 4th edition of the Ibadan Indie Film Awards took place from November 27 to 30 in Ibadan, continuing its focus on celebrating and supporting independent filmmakers across Nigeria.
With the theme “IFA is Home,” the festival highlighted Ibadan’s growing role as a hub for independent storytelling, offering a platform for filmmakers to share their work.
This year’s program featured a children’s section with screenings of Dusty Dreams and In Our Dreams We Fly, special screenings of Chukwu Martin’s We Danced & Danced and Ema Edosio Deelen’s When Nigeria Happens, alongside poetry and musical performances, including a set by Tega Ethan.
The standout of the festival was Fimisinuola Adejonwo’s short film Telephone, which explores the concept of time through the story of Asiko, a young boy whose day takes a strange turn after receiving a call from a man claiming to be his future self. The film earned five nominations and secured three wins: Best Director for Adejonwo, Best Performance for lead actor Daniel Adeshina, and Best Production Design for Praise Iruka.
Adejonwo expressed gratitude to the audience and jury, emphasizing the importance of presence and feedback at festivals like IFA. “My film isn’t a cinema film, so screening here gives you an avenue where you can be present with the audience to watch your film, which is most important to me. More importantly, I can engage and understand people’s thoughts and feedback about my work, which is why festivals like IFA exist,” he said.
Another standout filmmaker was Damilare Williams-Shire, whose short film Together Apart won Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Other winners included Shederack Salami’s Beyond Olympic Glory for Best Inspirational Film, Festus Obehi Destiny’s In Our Dreams We Fly for Best Promising Indie Filmmaker, King James Dandy’s First Blood for Best Experimental Film, and Blue Adekunle, who won Best Indie Film Poster for Ranti Ronu.