Tapped emerged as one of the night’s biggest winners at the British Urban Film Festival Awards 2025, taking home two major honours.
Elijah Baker won Best Actor in a Feature for his moving portrayal of Ross, a young autistic man navigating love and trauma in South London, while director Teoman Sayin received the award for Best Script Supervision sponsored by Lime Pictures.
The South London–based drama was praised for its authenticity, emotional depth, and nuanced exploration of resilience and connection in the face of adversity.
It was the biggest night in the British Urban Film Festival Awards calendar and some of the biggest names and rising stars in the industry graced the red carpet to find out who took home the most coveted prizes from this year’s BUFF Awards. The ceremony, which took place at London’s Genesis Cinema, underscored BUFF’s commitment to diverse storytelling, celebrating talent from short films to international features, and showcasing the power of independent and urban cinema.
Heavyweight, directed by Christopher M. Anthony, won Best UK Feature (The Victor Adebodun Award) for its powerful depiction of masculinity, identity, and redemption, cementing its place as one of the standout British dramas of the year.
Skategoat, co-executive produced by Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk, won Best Documentary for its exhilarating and heartfelt exploration of skate culture, creativity, and personal freedom. Other winners included Ronke Adekoluejo for best actress in a short (The Launch), Karl Collins for best actor in a short (The Last Dance) and Stella Damasus for best actress in a feature (Water Girl).
Aml Ameen took to the stage to present the Honorary Award to Femi Oyeniran, recognising his outstanding contribution to film and television and his enduring impact on British screen culture.
Here are all the 2025 winners:
- Best UK Short Film
The Launch (Steven Olugbenga Eniraiyetan)
Sunshine (Manu Kurewa)
Softy (Joshua Reeves) – WINNER - Best International Short Film
Rise (Jessica J. Rowlands) – WINNER
Two Breaths (Kateryna Kurganska)
Lola (Grace Hanna) - Best Actress in a Short
Titana Muthui (Sunshine)
Ronkẹ Adékọluẹ́jọ́ (The Launch) – WINNER
Diém Camille (No Place for a Kid) - Best Actress in a Feature (The Blessing Anyiam-Osigwe Award)
Sitsofe Tsikor (Letters to Goddo)
Endurance Dedzo (The Fisherman)
Stella Damasus (Water Girl) – WINNER - Best Actor in a Short
Joseph Obasohan (Softy)
Oliver Samuels (Sugar Dumplin)
Karl Collins (The Last Dance) – WINNER - Best Actor in a Feature (The Anthony Adjekum Award)
Solomon Fixon Owoo (Letters to Goddo)
Nicholas Pinnock (Heavyweight)
Elijah Baker (Tapped) – WINNER - Best International Feature
Letters to Goddo (Harry Bentil) – WINNER
Water Girl (Nnamdi Kanaga)
The Fisherman (Zoey Martinson) - Best UK Feature (The Victor Adebodun Award)
Heavyweight (Christopher M. Anthony) – WINNER
Tapped (Teoman Sayin)
An Enemy Within (John Kennedy) - Best Documentary
Inmates With Talent (Johnny Collins, Joel Jerome Dant)
Shoot The People (Andy Mundy-Castle)
Skategoat (Van Alpert) – WINNER - Best Soundtrack
Sunshine (Giles Lamb)
Lola (Johan Macaraeg) – WINNER
Fight or Flight (Tessa White) - Best Animation
Bubble Boy (Cameron Carr) – WINNER
The 12 Inch Pianist (Lucas Ansel)
Two Black Boys in Paradise (Baz Sells) - Best Script Supervision – WINNING RECIPIENT
Tapped (Teoman Sayin) - Best Live Scripts – WINNING RECIPIENTS
Mailman (Robin Scovill)
Blood Enough (Saeid Ghasemi)
The Town (Al Mertens) - Honorary Award – RECIPIENT
Femi Oyeniran
Photo credits: Artistiqali