Nigerian filmmakers have secured multiple honours at the 17th Durban FilmMart in South Africa, with Cheyi Okoaye’s sci-fi comedy, Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequence? , and the Agbajowo Collective’s The Boy Who Spoke Static among the award-winning projects.
Okoaye won the El Gouna Emerge Award for his project, which he created, wrote, directed and starred in. The award provides logistical support, accommodation and festival accreditation for attendance at the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt.
The film follows a man named Cheyi who becomes trapped in a room with two other versions of himself: his idealistic past self and his success-driven future self.
Okoaye said the story grew out of his interest in the contradictions of self-reflection, with the science-fiction element allowing him to explore the idea further.
“The idea of pitting two iterations of the same person in a room got so interesting to me, the story thread became infinite the moment I added the sci-fi element,” he said.
He plans to release the short film before the end of 2026 while continuing to develop it into a full fiction series.
The Agbajowo Collective’s The Boy Who Spoke Static also earned significant recognition, winning the National Film and Video Foundation’s Best Fiction Grant, the Red Sea Film Fund Award for fiction and a Sørfond Award.
The Nigerian project was among the standout works at the four-day film industry gathering, which brought together 1,131 film professionals and delegates from 56 countries to pitch feature films, documentaries, series and animation projects to international partners.
The event, held under the theme “Shifting Worlds: Turning Towards Ourselves”, concluded with the presentation of 39 awards from 30 partners, valued at more than R2m.
Durban FilmMart Institute director Magdalene Reddy said the event provided a platform for filmmakers to explore alternative funding opportunities, equitable co-production arrangements and international partnerships.
“The talent showcased in this year’s programme and film projects exemplify the strength of African cinema,” she said.
Other Nigerian projects recognised included Pülö: Bloodstream of the Kirike , by Christina Ifubaraboye, which shared the Sunshine Cinema UCT Impact Development Award with the Palestinian project On the Sea Road .
The awards also highlighted projects from across Africa and beyond, reflecting the forum’s role in connecting filmmakers with funding, production and distribution opportunities.
Full list of winners
JustFilms Documentary Award: The Thread and the Wall (Algeria) — Mouni Bouallam.
Al Jazeera Co-production Award: On the Sea Road (Palestine) — Fitnat Waked, with Nour Obaid.
Climate Story Labs Award: The Birth of Derna (Libya) — Hussein Eddeb.
NFVF Best Fiction Grant: The Boy Who Spoke Static (Nigeria) — Agbajowo Collective: Temitope Ogungbamila, Samuel Okechukwu, Mat Cerf and Bisola Akinmuyiwa.
NFVF Best Non-fiction Grant: The Ones With the Tempered Flowers (Kenya) — Ivy Kiru and Neema Ngelime.
NFVF Best Animation Grant: Sunday Morning (Ethiopia) — Nahom Abiy and Minasie Terefe.
Inkaba Award: Daddies (South Africa) — Catharina Weinek and Sean Mongie.
NEWF Natural World Storytelling Grant: A Touch of Paradise (Tunisia) — Sarra Ben Hassen and Houcem Slouli.
Red Sea Film Fund Award – Fiction: Heirs of No Regret (Kenya) — Mumo Liku and Saitabao Kaiyare; The Boy Who Spoke Static (Nigeria) — Agbajowo Collective.
Docubox Award: Where Do I Belong? (Sudan) — Talal Afifi and Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmad.
TRT Award: On the Sea Road (Palestine) — Fitnat Waked, with Nour Obaid.
RRImpact Pitch Prize (DocA): My Djomélé Night (Burkina Faso) — Cinema Salama and Barkima Nafissatou Laguempedo.
Sundance Institute Documentary Fund New Voices Award: Where Do I Belong? (Sudan) — Talal Afifi and Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmad.
The Whickers Bursary Award: Green Island Girls (Egypt) — Amrosh Badr and Rogena Tarek.
Sunshine Cinema UCT Impact Development Award: Pülö: Bloodstream of the Kirike (Nigeria) — Christina Ifubaraboye; On the Sea Road (Palestine) — Fitnat Waked, with Nour Obaid.
DFMI Talents Durban Award: The Basement (Democratic Republic of Congo) — Mélanie K. Zawadi.
Sørfond Award: The Boy Who Spoke Static (Nigeria) — Agbajowo Collective; Where Do I Belong? (Sudan) — Talal Afifi and Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmad.
Rotterdam Lab Award: Four Months and Ten Days (Sudan) — Samo Hussein, Anna Stylińska and Alyaa Musa.
DOK Leipzig Award: The Ones With the Tempered Flowers (Kenya) — Ivy Kiru and Neema Ngelime.
FIDADOC Award: The Birth of Derna (Libya) — Hussein Eddeb; Fitampoha, the Return of the King of Menabe (Madagascar) — Ramaroson Anatole.
Movies that Matter Award: The Ones With the Tempered Flowers (Kenya) — Ivy Kiru and Neema Ngelime.
Animation Production Days Award: Sunday Morning (Ethiopia) — Nahom Abiy and Minasie Terefe.
DOK.fest München Award: Where Do I Belong? (Sudan) — Talal Afifi and Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmad.
Sheffield DocFest Award: The Ones With the Tempered Flowers (Kenya) — Ivy Kiru and Neema Ngelime.
NEWF Post-production Residency Award: The Birth of Derna (Libya) — Hussein Eddeb.
NEWF Summit Attendance Award: Second Bloom (Zimbabwe) — Tendaiishe Chitima.
El Gouna Emerge Award: The Birth of Derna (Libya) — Hussein Eddeb; Cause, Effect & Maybe Consequence? (Nigeria) — Cheyi Okoaye.
Talents Press Award (CIFF and FIPRESCI): Neya Harouna (Burkina Faso).
TFL x IEFTF Next Award: Four Months and Ten Days (Sudan) — Samo Hussein and Alyaa Musa.
Visions du Réel Award: The Ones With the Tempered Flowers (Kenya) — Ivy Kiru and Neema Ngelime.
Women Make Movies Award: On the Sea Road (Palestine) — Fitnat Waked, with Nour Obaid.
Impronta Films Consultancy Award: Waiting for Evolution (South Africa) — Karin Slater; Designing Divide (South Africa) — Jessie Ayles.
The Wrapped App Award: Second Bloom (Zimbabwe) — Tendaiishe Chitima.
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