Every industry conversation this year was dominated by the twin topics of distribution and funding, issues that are, in many ways, inseparable. In Nigeria, where financing largely depends on private investment, the doors to funding tend to open only when there’s a clear distribution pathway and a realistic plan for recouping costs.
But this is not an article about those challenges. Instead, we’re looking back at our best films of 2025, during a year when the gates opened to more theatrical releases and far fewer Netflix or Prime Video titles, due to the streaming slowdown.
Our films of the year include four theatrical titles and one direct-to-streaming release.
Across these films, characters grapple with battles of varying intensity: against their inner selves, their families, their country, or an enemy determined to push the fight to its limits. In many ways, the year itself felt like a battle.
As for short films, these selections are based on what we were able to see at festivals or via filmmaker requests, since those are the contexts in which we typically review short-form work.
For feature films, we are only considering titles released to the general public between December 2024 and November 2025.
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Nigerian Feature Films of the Year
My Mother is a Witch
Director: Niyi Akinmolayan
Writer: Niyi Akinmolayan
Production company: Anthill Studios and FrameFlix HQ
“What makes this film work mostly is the screenplay’s cleverness to employ restraint in its narrative, depending on visuals and the strong performances of Mercy Aigbe and Efe Irele to carry the weight of the story and they both don’t disappoint.” Read more…
My Mother is a Witch premiered in cinemas on May 23.
The Fire and The Moth
Director: Taiwo Egunjobi
Writer: Isaac Ayodeji
Production company: Nemsia Studios and Sable Productions.
“The Fire and The Moth is proof that Taiwo has an eye for a shot. So many frames stop you in your tracks, and you see the way he has gotten more comfortable behind the camera and the creative risks he takes, especially with the lighting” Read more...
The Fire and The Moth premiered on Prime Video on June 3.
Freedom Way
Director: Olalekan Afolabi
Writer: Blessing Uzzi
Production company: Bluhouse Studios
“Freedom Way serves some of Nigeria’s most contemporary issues with a measured lens in a way many films of this reactive genre have failed to do.” Read more…
Freedom Way opened in cinemas on July 18.
Over the Bridge
Director: Tolu Ajayi
Writer: Tosin Otudeko
Production company: The Garden Theatre
“Over the Bridge is less about answers than about atmospheres, which on its own, earns the film just enough stars for its sustenance of a mood and of stillness—in story and atmosphere.” Read more…
Over the Bridge premiered in cinemas on September 5.
My Father’s Shadow
Director: Akinola Davies Jr.
Writer: Wale Davies and Akinola Davies Jr.
Production company: Element Pictures and Fatherland Productions.
“There is a distinctly ineffable quality to being Nigerian, especially at the point in history when the film is set, and Davies’s directorial style reflects this.” Read more…
My Father’s Shadow premiered in cinemas on September 19.
Nigeria Short Films of The Year
God’s Wife
Director: Dika Ofoma
Writer: Dika Ofoma
Production company: Omaka Films and Clan Yujo
“In this film, writer-director Dika Ofoma is in expert control of the rhythm of the narrative. He understands that a short film must hold its breath before moments of release and plays with silence, dialogue and the lack of it to curate a sort of cinematic reflection of a homily” Read more…
Saint Simeon
Director: Olubunmi Ogunsola
Writer: Olubunmi Ogunsola
Production company: Ensemble Cine
“Mostly playing out in the dark (lit by lanterns and light filtering to cross-shaped stained glass windows), Saint Simeon requires viewers to lean in—both literally and emotionally—to discover its secrets, pacing revelations that draw us deeper rather than pushing us away.” Read more…
Beyond Olympic Glory
Director: Shedrack Salami
Writer: Shedrack Salami
Production company: Xtrovarts Visual Studios
“What stands out most in Beyond Olympic Glory is Salami’s human gaze. He isn’t filming a “hero”; he’s observing a person trying to make meaning out of difficulty.” Read more…
The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí
Director: Abbesi Akhamie
Writer: Abbesi Akhamie
Production company: Omosi & Company LLC, CeeWave Productions, and Action On Blood.
“…The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí, a work so unique in its styling that it is, among other things, a herald of a major talent.” Read more…
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