The British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) today unveils the nominations for its 2025 Awards ceremony, marking the festival’s 20th anniversary.
The event will take place on Friday 24 October 2025 at the Genesis Cinema, Stepney Green, London.
This year’s festival will feature the UK premiere of The Professional Parent, which has also qualified for consideration in the 98th Academy Awards’ Best Live Action Short Film category. Last year, Rock, Paper, Scissors, which premiered at BUFF, went on to win Best Short Film at the BAFTA Film Awards, highlighting the festival’s ongoing role in showcasing films that achieve national and international recognition.
The ceremony will be hosted by Linda E (This is My House), with guest presenters Lisa Maffia (So Solid Crew) and Producer Teddy Nygh (Rocket Fuel, Pru), plus a special guest appearance by actor Aml Ameen (Rustin, A Man in Full).
BUFF continues its mission to spotlight underrepresented voices in film, with nominees spanning UK and international short films, features, documentaries, animation, and performance.
Among those nominated are several high-profile names well-known to UK and international audiences, including:
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Nicholas Pinnock (Heavyweight) – star of Criminal: UK (Netflix), This Town (BBC), and For Life (ABC/Disney).
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Karl Collins (The Last Dance) – household name from The Bill, Doctor Who, and Hollyoaks.
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Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (The Launch) – acclaimed stage and screen actress (Dreamers).
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Oliver Samuels (Sugar Dumplin) – Caribbean cultural icon, often referred to as the “King of Comedy.”
Full list of nominations
Best UK Short Film
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The Launch (Steven Olugbenga Eniraiyetan)
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Sunshine (Manu Kurewa)
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Softy (Joshua Reeves)
Best International Short Film
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Rise (Jessica J. Rowlands)
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The Untying (Meagan Noel Fulps)
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Lola (Grace Hanna)
Best Actress in a Short
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Titana Muthui (Sunshine)
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Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (The Launch)
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Diém Camille (No Place for a Kid)
Best Actress in a Feature (The Blessing Anyiam-Osigwe Award)
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Sitsofe Tsikor (Letters to Goddo)
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Endurance Dedzo (The Fisherman)
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Stella Damasus (Water Girl)
Best Actor in a Short
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Joseph Obasohan (Softy)
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Oliver Samuels (Sugar Dumplin)
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Karl Collins (The Last Dance)
Best Actor in a Feature (The Anthony Adjekum Award)
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Solomon Fixon Owoo (Letters to Goddo)
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Nicholas Pinnock (Heavyweight)
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Elijah Baker (Tapped)
Best International Feature
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Letters to Goddo (Harry Bentil)
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Water Girl (Nnamdi Kanaga)
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The Fisherman (Zoey Martinson)
Best UK Feature (The Victor Adebodun Award)
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Heavyweight (Christopher M. Anthony)
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Tapped (Teoman Sayin)
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An Enemy Within (John Kennedy)
Best Documentary
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Inmates With Talent (Johnny Collins, Joel Jerome Dant)
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Shoot The People (Andy Mundy-Castle)
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Skategoat (Van Alpert)
Best Soundtrack
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Sunshine (Giles Lamb)
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Lola (Johan Macaraeg)
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Fight or Flight (Tessa White)
Best Animation
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Bubble Boy (Cameron Carr)
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The 12 Inch Pianist (Lucas Ansel)
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Two Black Boys in Paradise (Baz Sells)
Best Script Supervision (Winning recipient)
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Tapped (Teoman Sayin)
Best Live Scripts (Winning recipients)
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Mailman (Robin Scovill)
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Blood Enough (Saeid Ghasemi)
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The Town (Al Mertens)
Honorary Recipient
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Femi Oyeniran
Quotes
“As BUFF turns 20, these nominations reflect the bold storytelling and diverse voices that define our festival. From rising stars to established icons, the BUFF Awards shine a light on talent shaping the future of cinema.”
– [Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, BUFF Founder / Festival Director]
Event Details
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Ceremony Date: Friday 24 October 2025
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Venue: Genesis Cinema, Stepney Green, London
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Host: Linda E
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Guest Presenters: Lisa Maffia, Teddy Nygh
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Special Guest Presenter: Aml Ameen