Seven Doors Leads 2025 BON Awards Nominations as Nollywood Celebrates Growth
The Best of Nollywood (BON) Awards has announced the nomination list for its 2025 edition, showcasing some of the most remarkable films and talents in the Nigerian movie industry. The announcement took place during a ceremony in Victoria Island, Lagos, attended by producers, actors, directors, and major industry stakeholders. This year’s nominations reflect Nollywood’s growth, especially the increasing embrace of high-quality storytelling and cinematic production.
At the top of the list is Seven Doors, which received nine nominations, making it the most nominated project of the year. Close behind is Abanisete, which secured eight nominations. Both productions are featured in major award categories such as Best Director, Best Actor, and Movie of the Year, confirming their popularity among both critics and audiences. Following closely are Farmer’s Bride and My Mother Is a Witch, which also received recognition across several creative and technical categories.
The award categories highlight outstanding performances, and the Best Actor category is especially competitive. Nominees include Ibrahim Yekini for Abanisete, Gideon Okeke for Blackout, Femi Adebayo for Seven Doors, Razaq Adoti for Son of the Soil, Tobi Bakre for Farmer’s Bride, and Jide Awobona for Inspector Jero. Meanwhile, the Best Actress category includes Folu Storms (Red Circle), Gbubemi Ejeye (Farmer’s Bride), Padita Agu (Blackout), Efe Irele (My Mother Is a Witch), Chioma Chukwuka (Seven Doors), and Florence Nwachukwu (Fury).
Another category that drew attention is the Best Series category, newly introduced this year. The nominees are The Party and Seven Doors, showing that Nollywood is now expanding more confidently into long-form storytelling. The inclusion of this category marks a new chapter for Nigerian filmmakers exploring episodic content and streaming platforms.
Technical and creative excellence were also highlighted across categories such as Best Costume, Best Sound, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Production Design, and Best Special Effects. Films such as Red Circle, Agemo, Owambe Thieves, Labake Olododo, and The Serpent’s Gift received nominations in these areas, showing the growing investment in production quality. The Best Social Message category also recognised films that explore themes of justice, identity, and empathy.
Younger talents were celebrated through the Most Promising Actor and Actress categories, as well as Best Child Actor and Best Child Actress, showing the industry’s commitment to nurturing new talent. This year’s nominees include rising stars such as Razaaq Adoti, Sunshine Rosman, Ahmad Isa, and Angel Unigwe.
The highlight of the ceremony will take place on December 14, 2025, in Lagos, where the winners will be announced. This year’s event will also attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the longest red carpet, adding excitement and international attention to the ceremony. The 2025 BON Awards is set to be a major celebration of Nollywood’s creativity, growth, and cultural influence.
