The Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) 2025 concluded in Lagos on November 8 with the Globe Awards, where the night’s highest honor, Best Feature Film, went to Nwamaka Chikezie’s To Adaego With Love.
The film, set in the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, tells the story of Adaego, a schoolteacher whose love for a soldier is tested by tradition, family, and a nation still healing. It also won Best Screenplay, cementing its place as the crown jewel of the festival.
Oscar-winning director Ben Proudfoot’s Eyes of Ghana was another standout, taking home both the Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Film and Best Documentary for its moving portrait of 93-year-old documentarian Chris Hesse, who worked as a personal cinematographer to forgotten African icon Kwame Nkrumah.
Other winners included Chee Keong Cheung’s Son of the Soil, which claimed the Audience Choice Award, and Kalu Oji’s Pasa Faho, which won Best International Film Feature. Zoey Martinson was named Best Director for her debut feature film, The Fisherman, while teenage actors Richard Bamboye and Michelle Lemuya earned Best Actor and Best Actress respectively for their remarkable performances in Al Janna and Nawi.
Adeoye Adetunji’s Travails of Ajadi won Best Animation with a grant of 2 million, and Peter Fada Osiughwu’s Beyond The Screen was awarded Best Short Documentary. The closing film, Tukki: From Roots to Bayou, won Best International Documentary for its exploration of jazz’s origins.
The Herbert Wigwe Award of Excellence was presented to Flavor, David Oyelowo, Akeem Muri-Okunola, and Enugu State Governor Peter Ubah for their contributions to cultural excellence. Flavor also made history with the premiere of his short film Afro Culture, the first short ever screened at AFRIFF’s closing ceremony, a documentary directed by Adaora Tom-Nwafor which takes viewers behind the scenes of the creative journey that birthed Flavour’s groundbreaking song of the same name.
Now in its 14th year, AFRIFF has grown into a trailblazer for African cinema under the leadership of founder Chioma Ude.
This year’s edition, sponsored by MTN, Martell, Lagos State Government, screened 108 films from around the world and under the theme “Rhythms of the Continent: The Afrobeats Film Movement.”
For the first time, music was woven deeply into the programming, with music-related films, masterclasses, and collaborations between filmmakers and musicians. Hosted by comedian Bovi and actress Venita Akpofure, the festival highlighted how film and music can merge to tell Africa’s stories.
