The Universal Movie Awards (UNIMA) is a reputable annual international award. The event is based in the western state of Africa, Nigeria.

Our vision is based on enriching the entertainment industry through the promotion of excellent creative works by Motion Picture practitioners.

The mission of Universal Movie Awards is: "the celebration of professional excellence in the global film/Television industry." It will also promote the appreciation of Arts and Culture through motion picture arts and sciences around the globe.

UNIMA also runs a movie academy designated for the development of contemporary talents in the motion picture industry.

This award is founded and established by Hope Obioma Opara in 2020. He is also the President/ CEO of Supple Communications Limited under which the Awards platform is Holden. He is the publisher of Supple Magazine, a film festivals/awards and culture magazine in Africa www.supplemagazine.org. He is also the founder of Eko International Film Festival. (www.ekoiff.org)

The winners will receive UNIVERSAL MOVIE AWARDS STATUTES on individual categories.

The inaugural edition was held in Nigeria in October 22, 2021, at Silverbird Cinemas Galleria, Victoria Island Lagos 133 Ahmadu Bello Way Lagos, Lagos Nigeria (https://silverbirdcinemas.com/)

Awards & Prizes

UNIVERSAL MOVIE AWARDS CATEGORIES

Best Picture
Best Actor Male
Best Actor Female
Best Supporting Actor Male
Best Supporting Actor Female
Best Director
Best Animated Feature
Best Animated Short
Best Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Story
Best Documentary Feature
Best Documentary Short
Best Action Short Film
Best Foreign Language Film
Best Nigerian Indigenous Film
Best Cast Director
Best Child Actor Female
Best Child Actor Male
Legend Award of the year
Best Film Edit
Best Sound
Best Production Design
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Makeup
Best Costume
Best Visual Effects
Best TV Commercial Award

All winners will receive Universal Movie Awards (UNIMA) Statuette

Rules & Terms


Entries must be submitted under the following regulations to Universal Movie Awards.

- Films must be in cinematography and directing standards.
- All categories "Project must have a runtime between 5 and 120 minutes to be eligible for the category."
- You can submit from all the countries as being filmmaker or distributor; there are no country based restrictions.
- There is no age limitation, any range can participate.
- Films which undermine the rights of men, women, people and all kinds of living things will be disqualified.
- Submissions in languages other than English must contain English subtitles.
- There is no genre limitation.
- Any situation related to music and copyrights belongs to the sender.
- By submitting, you agree that we can publish your film's trailers & images and you agree that sharing your data for only promotional purposes. (Just for discounts.)
- All received movies will be screened by a pre-selection committee in order to participate in the main competition.
- The shipping fees of the award winning films belong to themselves.
- Poster and film frames should be added to the project (for promotion), press materials will not be returned under any circumstances.
- All entries must be watermarked in a way that does not impair viewing during the screening process and should be in these forms and media-formats:. It is preferred that your film is provided in Mp4 format, and must be at least High Definition quality and nothing less. Officially it is video with a resolution of 1280×720 (720p) or 1920×1080 (1080i or 1080p).
All of the formats are widescreen 16:9 and display between 24 and 60 frames per second.
- The author has reserved all rights of the video. He/She has the full responsibility in the case of a copyright infringement.
- Submission fee is $10
19 Reviews
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  • Creative Drew

    Thank you for selecting my film for your festival. I truly appreciate it!

    January 2025
    Helpful
  • Toma Enache

    Great festival! I highly recommande it! ❤️

    December 2024
    Helpful
  • BENSOUDA MOHAMMED AHED

    this s honnor to be winner at this prestigieous film festival ; it will be a deperture for a new live of the film in africa

    February 2024
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  • Karl Livingstone

    We applied as it barely cost anything. But despite being selected and numerous attempts of trying to get in touch with them, we only received one word, seemingly automated responses. Despite being quite cheap it was a waste of money.

    January 2024
    Helpful
    Logo
    Response from festival:

    We actually sent you a notice via Filmfreeway that your film WAKE was officially nominated and we requested a permission to download your film which you denied (Download: Your request to download this file has been denied by the submitter)
    We don’t have anything else to do than to move on with other submitters that complied with the notification. and approved request to download their films. Please try next time

  • Natasha C Smith

    It's an incredible honor to have my film, 'Color of Love,' showcased at the Universal Movie Awards and recognized by such a prestigious platform. While I couldn't be there in person, this experience is a dream come true. It's an exhilarating and motivating push for my creative spirit and storytelling aspirations. This recognition encourages me deeply, motivating me to continue learning and growing as a storyteller. A heartfelt thank you to the Universal Movie Awards for this incredible encouragement and acknowledgment of my work.

    January 2024
    Helpful