Announcement of the 2025 FAME Shorts Film Festival Award Recipients
The 2025 FAME Shorts Film Festival Awards took place on 3 September at the Radisson Red in Cape Town, marking the beginning of the official festival which runs from 4 September until 6 September at The Labia Cinema. This year's event reaffirmed the festival's commitment to elevating African perspectives and pushing the boundaries of independent filmmaking.
Lerato Bokako, the Creative Director of the FAME Shorts Film Festival, spoke at the awards ceremony and urged the public to come and see the talent coming out of Africa. The festival curated the films into four themes: Night Terrors, In Family We Trust, Here for the Underdog, and Tender Riot, ensuring a diverse and engaging programme for audiences.
The Best Supporting Actress award went to Belinda, played by Annie Robinson Grealy. Bassma Farah Nancy directed the Best Student Film, V'S SECRET. In the animation category, Isaac Kannigan won for Pal. Miselwa "Missy" Ngamlana won the Best LGBTQI+ Film category for Blind Spots.
The festival included films in various genres such as horror, comedy, documentary, and sci-fi. Onthou vi Fredo? won the Best Documentary award with Cleveland Hopp as the writer and director. The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí was named the Best Short Film, with Abbesi Akhamie as the director.
TikTok's Vivian Machuene Chuene presented the Contribution to African Cinema Award to Cindy Lee. The winners of the awards were selected from the programme of 31 short films. The winners in other categories included Belinda (Best Screenplay), Ecstatic Exit (Best Score/song), JIMBI (Best Make-up and hair styling), The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí (Best Production Design), King George (Best Director), Brent Palmer as George (Best Actor), Muadi Ilung (Best Actress), and Punter (Best Supporting Actor).
The Best Costume Design award was given to Yety Akinola for The Incredible Sensational Fiancée of Sèyí Àjàyí. The winners of the 2025 FAME Shorts Film Festival Awards will be screened at The Labia Cinema from 4 September until 6 September. Tickets can be purchased for R50 per session on Quicket and at The Labia Theatre.
In addition to the awards ceremony, the FAME Shorts Film Festival partnered with the conservation organization SANCCOB (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) to conduct an awareness campaign about endangered African penguins in 2025.
For more information about the FAME Shorts Film Festival and the awards, visit the festival's website. The FAME Shorts Film Festival continues to be a platform for showcasing the diverse and vibrant talent in African filmmaking.
