Ibadan, Nigeria – Six months after her shocking death, Nollywood has given Allwell Ademola one last standing ovation.
The late actress and filmmaker’s final project, Kilanko: The Invincible Child, has been nominated for Best Film by a Female Filmmaker (Nollywood) at the 2026 Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF), marking a major win for Yoruba female filmmakers on the global stage.
And the person taking her legacy to Canada is the man she called family — award-winning actor Rotimi Salami.
“Shuga Boo See O”: Rotimi Salami’s Tearful Tribute
On Monday, Salami posted the news to Instagram, mixing pride with heartbreak.
“SHUGA BOO SEE O CONGRATULATIONS. KILANKO GOT YOU A NOMINATION IN TORONTO, CANADA. ✅BEST FILM BY A FEMALE FILMMAKER (NOLLYWOOD). SO I WILL REPRESENT US ALONE ABI. ALL IS WELL sha. Thanks for the recognition @tinffestival.”
For fans in Lagos and Ibadan who grew up watching Allwell as Eniobanke in Owowunmi and Omoge Lekki, the post hit hard. This isn’t gossip. This is a brother honoring his sister.
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“She Was Not My Girlfriend. She Was My Bloodline”
Rotimi has spent months shutting down rumors about his relationship with Allwell. His answer has never changed:
“Allwell Ademola is ‘bloodline’ to me; she is my sister… If anyone wants to insist on the ‘girlfriend’ narrative, that is their business”.
Their bond was pure Nollywood loyalty. When Salami struggled to cross from Yoruba to English films, Allwell stood by him.
“I suffered a lot in the English movie industry, and God used Allwell to give me hope again. She singlehandedly, with the help of God, picked me up, and all my suffering became a thing of the past”.
That’s why her death on December 27, 2025, from cardiac arrest at age 49, left him — and the entire Yoruba movie industry — shaken. Her Service of Songs on January 8, 2026, saw Iyabo Ojo, Odunlade Adekola, Wumi Toriola, and Saidi Balogun in attendance.
Why the TINFF 2026 Nomination Matters for Western Nigeria
Kilanko: The Invincible Child isn’t just Allwell’s last film. It’s proof that Yoruba stories travel.
TINFF is Canada’s biggest platform for Nollywood, and a Best Female Filmmaker nod puts Ibadan-born Allwell in front of global distributors, streamers, and diaspora audiences. For every young female director in Oshogbo or Abeokuta, this nomination kicks doors open.
The film will premiere in Nigerian cinemas nationwide on March 6, 2026 — a date Rotimi now calls “her final gift to us”.
What Rotimi Salami Wants You To Do
At her funeral, Salami made one request to fans across Western Nigeria:
“This was her last gift to us… Let’s show up for her one last time”.
On March 6, 2026, when Kilanko hits screens in Lagos, Ibadan, and Akure, Allwell won’t be there. But her bloodline will. And so will her legacy.
Have you seen the Kilanko trailer? Will you be watching on March 6 to honor Allwell Ademola? Drop your tribute in the comments.
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