| Location: | Lagos |
| Country: | Nigeria |
| Years Active: | 2010 - present |
| Founded: | 2009 |
| Founders: | Hope Obioma Opara |
The annual Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) is an international film festival held in Lagos, Nigeria. The Eko International Film Festival was founded and established in 2009 by Hope Obioma Opara,[1] the CEO of Supple Communications Limited, under which the festival is held. He is also the publisher of Supple magazine, an African cinema and culture journal that features film previews, reviews, and interviews. The purpose of the Eko International Film Festival is to develop tourism in Nigeria by promoting appreciation of the arts and culture through the motion picture arts and sciences.
The first edition took place in the summer of 2010 in the megacity of Lagos, with filmmakers from Nigeria, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and the United States. The subsequent editions took place in the Silverbird Galleria's Silverbird Cinemas on Victoria Island, Lagos. until now[2]
The festival accepts films in the 6 categories listed below:
Feature Film, Short Film, Fiction, Documentaries, Short Documentaries and Indigenous Film.
The Inaugural Edition
The maiden edition was held between the 7th and 12 July in 2010 at the Genesis Deluxe Cinemas of The Palms in Lekki, Lagos
2011 Eko International Film festival
The second edition of Eko International Film festival (EKOIFF), was held from July 9 through 14, 2011. This edition of Eko International film Festival was themed ‘‘Nollywood -maximizing the Nigerian Film Industry”.[3]
2015 Eko International Film festival
| Best feature film | God forgive us by Michael Bachochin (USA) | |
| Best Nigerian Film | Heavens Hell by Katung Direkta Aduwak (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actor | Jeffery Kissoon from the film Ham & The Piper (Uk) | |
| Best Actress | Bimbo Akintola from the film Heavens Hell (Nigeria) | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Chumani Pan from the film Silverain (Ghana) | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Nse Ikpe Etim from the film Heavens Hell (Nigeria) |
| Winner | ||
| Best Documentary | Under the Palaver Tree by Clair Savary (France) |
| Winner | ||
| Best Indigenous Film | Bogiri Olanu by Taiwo Samuel (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actor Indigenous | Tayo Afolayan from the film Alaaru (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actress Indigenous | Fatia Balogun from the film Bogiri Olanu (Nigeria) |
| Winner | ||
| Best Short Film | Awaiting Lazarus by Duke Orok (UK/Nigeria) | |
| Best Nigeria Short Film | Zyra by Douglas Enogieru (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actor Short Film | Michael Peters from the film Awaiting Lazarus (UK/Nigeria) | |
| Best Actress Short Film | Abigail Ocheiri from the short film Deranged (Nigeria) |
| Winner | ||
| Best Student Film Animation | Tatiana by Sadiq Sadiq (Nigeria) | |
| Outstanding Young Actor | Somadina Adinma from the film Miss Teacher (Nigeria) | |
| Outstanding Young Actress | Treasure Obasi from the film Heavens Hell (Nigeria) |
2018 Eko International Film Festival
Filmmakers, cinema aficionados, and students from Nigeria and beyond attended daily film screenings, masterclasses, and panel discussions at the 8th edition, which took place from March 5 to 10, 2018.
2019 Eko International Film festival
The festivals ninth edition, featured over 208 films from around the world, with the United States of America topping the list with 58 films. Nigeria has 43, Canada has 30, the United Kingdom has 19, Germany has 13, France has 11, India has ten, Russia has seven, Australia and Italy each have six, and Brazil has only five. Short narratives, feature films, documentaries, and African indigenous films make up this collection.[4]
2020 Eko International Film festival[5]
| Winner | ||
| Best Student Film Animation | Tatiana by Sadiq Sadiq (Nigeria) | |
| Outstanding Young Actor | Somadina Adinma from the film Miss Teacher (Nigeria) | |
| Outstanding Young Actress | Treasure Obasi from the film Heavens Hell (Nigeria) | |
| Best Feature Film | The Real Exorcist (Japan | |
| Best Nigerian Film | SEVEN by Tosin Igho | |
| Best Actor | Richard Mofe Damijo in SEVEN (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actress | Elvina Ibru in Bling Lagosians (Nigeria) | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Daddy Showkey from the movie SEVEN 9nigeria) | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Rin Kijima from the movie The real Exorcist (Japan) | |
| Best Feature Documentary Film | Metroplastic Madness by Atsuko Quirk, Debby Lee Cohen (USA) | |
| Best Short Documentary Film | Road Trip Sao Tome by Andreas & Leah Rohner (CAlgary, Canada), Bastian Caspar (Cologne, Germany), Christian Fausel (Munich, Germany), Denis Trumbach (Moschheim, Germany | |
| Best indigenous Film | IBI: The Birth by Seyi Alabi (Nigerian) | |
| Best Nigeria Short Film | Arabida by Olumense Omonjahio (Nigeria) |
2021 Eko International Film Festival[6] [7]
Celebrating a decade the festival was celebrated in glam style and received entries from over 55 countries around the world for the period of March 8 to 12, 2021. The United States Consulate in Nigeria, Makido Film Austria, the Polish Embassy in Nigeria, the Niger State Government (Niger State Book and other Intellectual Resources Development Agency, Multichoice Nigeria Ltd, Nexim Bank and Bank of Industry (BOI), the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), and the Silverbird Group (Silverb) have all contributed to the film festival.[8]
| Winner | ||
| Best Feature Film | The Loft House by Ferdinand Gernandt (South Africa) | |
| Best Nigerian film | Utonwa (bonded by blood) by Johnpaul Nwanganga (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actor Feature Film | Eugene Jensen from the movie The Loft House (South Africa) | |
| Best Actress Feature Film | Clarion Chukwura from the Movie Efunsetan Aniwura (Nigeria) | |
| Best Supporting Actor Feature Film | Christian Leger Dah from the movie The Republic of the Corruption (Burkina Faso) | |
| Best Supporting Actress Feature Film | Mary Igwe from the movie Utonwa (bonded by blood) (Nigeria) | |
| Best Feature Documentary Film | Sky Blossom: Diaries of the Next Greatest Generation by Richard Lui (USA) | |
| Best Short Documentary Film | Poland: Europes Garbage Dump by Maciej Kuciel and Patrycja Dziecio-mokwa (Poland) | |
| Best Indigenous Film | Efunsetan Aniwura by Joshua Ojo (Nigeria) | |
| Best Short Film | Dark Moon by Michael "Micl Snr" Norman (South Africa) | |
| Best Nigeria Short Film | Brotherly by Best Okoduwa (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actor Short Film | Duke Elvis from the movie Brotherly (Nigeria) | |
| Best Actress Short Film | Zera Udofia from the movie Omowunmi (Nigeria) | |
| Best Animation Film | The Last Page of Summer by Tim Ross (USA) | |
| Best Short Animation Film | Bolero Station by Rolf Bronnimann (Switzerland) |