Moses Ipadeola’s “Ekún Ìyàwó: A Tale of a Runaway Bride” gets Acquired by Homi TV

Moses Ipadeola’s Ekún Ìyàwó: A Tale of a Runaway Bride gets acquired by Homi TV, a global streaming platform. The acquisition follows an extensive festival run in which the short film received multiple honors across Africa, Europe, and North America, including Best Short Film at Quramo Fest 2024, Audience Cheese at TAFM 2024, Best Production Design at Accra Indie Film Fest 2025, Best Picture, Best African Film, Best Indigenous Film (Nigeria), Best Production Design at the FilmJoint Awards 2025 and more. 

Written, directed, and produced by Ipadeola, Ekún Ìyàwó: A Tale of a Runaway Bride is  a 12-minute romance-drama set against a richly imagined historical backdrop. Led by Ugoh Amanda, the film follows Omolewa, a bride forced into a “Bridal Tears” ceremony under threat, must choose between an arranged marriage steeped in dark rumour and a desperate escape with her secret lover, David (Soledayo Adegbite). 

The film screened at local and international film festivals while attracting coveted awards. In Nigeria, it screened at the 2024 Nigerian International Film & TV Summit  (NIFS), African International Film Festival (AFRIFF), Afropolis, The Annual Film Mischief (TAFM) (2024), Ibadan Indie Film Awards (IFÁ) (2024), TSWA Film Festival (2024), Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (ENIFF), and others. Outside Nigeria, it screened at the 2025 NOW Nollywood Film Festival in Paris, Barbados Indie Film Festival, RTF Realtime International Film Festival in London (2025), the Accra Indie Film Festival (2025), 2024 Film Africa, London, and others. 

The film, according to its director, was born out of a desire to tell unique stories that honours African culture while asking timeless questions about duty, courage, and self-determination. Amidst cultural and familial pressure, Omolewa must choose between sacrificing herself for generational tradition or choosing herself. “I’m excited that the film is now streaming on Homi TV where audiences everywhere can discover this Trado-Fiction and connect with its message,” the director said. Its availability on Homi TV doesn’t just open doors for Ekun Iyawo but also for more beautiful Nigerian indie films to be discovered, regardless of their form and length. “Prior to now, it has proven difficult getting distribution for many beautiful short films from this part of the world even with multiple festival runs. And I am hopeful that with Homi TV’s entrance into the streaming space, myself and various indie filmmakers can keep making great and niche films without the fear of distribution or profit-making,” Ipadeola concluded. 

The streaming platform has a catalogue of award-winning African movies, documentaries, lifestyle shows, and originals. It features content from over 40 African countries, available in major ethnic languages like Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Swahili, and Akan. The film is currently available for rent at a fee of $2.99.