The Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (ENIFF) is an annual international film festival that was launched in Enugu State, Nigeria in 2020. The film festival was founded by Ujuaku Akukwe and Chris Odili.
The film festival has attracted over 4000 submissions from filmmakers from all over the globe. The Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival since inception, has collaborated with The Film Lab Africa, European Union, United States Mission, Afia TV and Viva Cinema.
History and founding In 2020, a filmmaker, Ujuaku Akukwe and Chris Odili founded the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival in Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria. As of 2025, the festival has been held for five consecutive years since its maiden edition. Nigerian radio host, actor, and filmmaker Lorenzo Menakaya has been the Festival Manager of ENIFF since 2020.
The festival premiered with award categories for Best Animation, Best Documentary Feature, Best Narrative Short, Best Nigerian Film, Best Narrative Feature, Best Female Performance, Best Male Performance, Best Director, Best Film and Special Jury Prize.
Despite being planned as an in-person event, the maiden edition of the festival resorted to a virtual event due to the COVID-19 restrictions on public gathering. Forty films were screened at the maiden edition, including the 91st Academy Awards Best Live Action Short Film winner, Skin.
The second edition of the festival was held in 2021, showcasing 50 films from 15 countries from across the world. The 2022 edition of ENIFF opened with Black Mail, a film by the Nollywood filmmaker, Obi Emelonye.
In 2023, the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival marked its fourth edition, opening with the Oscar-nominated Mami Wata by Nigerian filmmaker C.J Obasi, and showcasing 35 other films from 20 countries across the globe. The edition, themed "Reshaping the South East Creative Economy" was attended by the Consulate General of the United States in Nigeria. The sessions at the 2023 festival were facilitated by some industry executives like Femi Odugbemi, Ego Boyo, Emeka Mba, Jahman Anikulapo, Frank Nweke Jnr, Chiege Alisigwe, and Ujuaku Akukwe.
The 2024 edition of the festival was the fifth iteration of it, which screened The Man Died, a film inspired by Wole Soyinka's memoir, The Man Died. The 2024 festival featured a new category, the Best Film Shot in the Southeast award, as well as a special partnership with the European Union to promote short films and documentaries.
To build on the success of the Storytelling With AI workshop at the 2024 festival, the 2025 ENIFF promises a new award category dedicated to AI-generated films.
Events
2020 Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival The maiden edition of the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival was held online, from Wednesday, 4 November to Saturday, 7 November 2020, in Enugu State, Nigeria.
Award winners +AwardWinnerCountryBest AnimationGon, the Little FoxJapanBest Documentary ShortSunset in MakokoNigeriaBest Documentary FeatureBasill'oraItalyBest Narrative ShortSkinUnited StatesBest Nigerian FIlmBlueNigeriaBest Narrative FeatureAnyaMexicoBest Female PerformanceMaría Fernanda Tovar (Anya)MexicoBest Male PerformanceAnish Gosavi (Tak-Tak)IndiaBest DirectorMika Johnson (Confessions of a Box Man)Czech RepublicBest FilmSkinUnited StatesSpecial Jury PrizeTwo Autumns in ParisVenezuelaAudience Choice AwardJourney to KenyaSudan
2021 Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival The second edition of the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival was held in-person, from Wednesday, 3 November to Saturday, 6 November 2021, in Enugu State, Nigeria, featuring winners like Ultimate Ink, a Moroccan movie and Yahoo+, a Nigerian movie.
Award winners +AwardWinnerCountryBest Female PerformanceEchelon Mbadiwe for Yahoo+NigeriaBest Male PerformanceJerry Williams for Katakata (Chaos)NigeriaBest Documentary FeatureA Portrait On The Search For Happiness by Benny RostGermanyBest DirectorRam Ally Kasongo for NyaraTanzaniaSpecial MentionVerona by Ane SidarmanBrazilSpecial Jury PrizeListen by Udoka OyekaNigeriaBest Narrative FeatureYahoo+ by Ebuka Njoku and Lorenzo MenakayaNigeriaBest Narrator ShortUltimate Ink by Yazid ElkadiriMoroccoBest Documentary ShortI Won't Kneel by Hilda AworiUgandaBest Animation Artifact by Durotimi AkinkugbeNigeriaBest Experimental FIlmThe First Call by Angela OnuoraCanada
2022 Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival The 2024 edition of the Easter Nigeria International Film Festival was held in-person, from Tuesday, 29 November to Friday, 2 December 2022, in Enugu State, Nigeria.
Award winners +AwardWinnerCountryBest FilmBlack Mail by Obi EmelonyeNigeriaBest DirectorObi Emelonye for Black MailNigeriaAudience Choice AwardAway by Victor Okechukwu Onwudiwe and Goodnews Erico IsikaNigeriaBest Narrative ShortTales Of The Browbeaten by Sebastien UkwaNigeriaLifetime Achievement AwardPete EdochieNigeriaBest International ShortIn The Stillness by Naira AdedejiUnited StatesBest Documentary FeatureThe Africologist:Chronicles Of Africa by Valerio LopesCape VerdeBest Documentary ShortBarry The Beekeeper by Ikram AhmedUnited KingdomBest AnimationScale by Joseph PierceFranceSpecial Jury PrizeOperation Lights Out by Angela OnuoraCanada
2023 Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival The fourth iteration of the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival was held in Enugu State, Nigeria, from Tuesday, 21 November to Saturday, 25 November 2023.
Award winners +AwardWinnerCountryRefBest FilmMami WataNigeriaBest AnimationHekima Ya Usawa by Telly Gary JeannotCameroonBest DirectorC.J Obasi for Mami WataNigeriaBest International Documentary FeatureThe JourneyMoroccoBest CinematographyLilis Soares for Mami WataNigeriaGrand Jury AwardJigeen Ni - The Way Of The Women by Zribiaa SaidFranceBest Diaspora Narrative ShortAda Ani (The Awakening) by Andrea R. CiobanuUnited KingdomAudience Choice AwardIfediche by Brown EneNigeriaBest Documentary ShortOn Your Own by Daniel Omokhagbo ItegbojeNigeriaSpecial Jury AwardOso AfiaNigeriaBest Documentary FeatureThe Soul Of Oja by Chiamaka Keren-happuch OdinenuNigeriaBest Narrative ShortMan And Masquerades by Adekunle BlueNigeriaENIFF Honorary AwardThe Delectable Azeezah SamaNigeriaLegend Award (Posthumous)Amaka IgweNigeria
2024 Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival The 2024 edition and the 5th iteration of the Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival was held in Enugu State, Nigeria, from Wednesday, 27 November to Saturday, 30 November 2024.
Award winners +AwardWinnerCountryRefAudience Choice AwardThe Man DiedNigeriaBest Short FilmI Too, Crave Death by Uchenna UgwuNigeriaBest Film Shot in the SoutheastWomen of Salt by Chinyere EnehNigeriaBest Screenplay awardThe Man DiedNigeriaBest Feature FilmMakula by Nisha KalemaUganda
References
External links
Official website ENIFF on IMDb