AMAA 2026: Nigeria fields two contenders for Africa’s Best Film

Nigerian films To Adaego With Love, The Herd and Colours of Fire have emerged as the country’s leading contenders at the 22nd Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), securing 11, 10 and nine nominations, respectively.

The nominations were announced on Saturday, ahead of the awards ceremony scheduled for 15 November 2026.

Nwamaka Chikezie’s To Adaego With Love leads the Nigerian entries with 11 nominations, followed by Daniel Etim-Effiong’s The Herd with 10, while Colours of Fire received nine nominations.

The three productions feature across several categories, including Best Film, acting and technical achievements, highlighting Nigeria’s strong presence on this year’s nominees’ list.

Beyond the Nigerian contenders, Uganda’s Slum Bomber and Kenya’s One Woman, One Bra lead the overall nominations with 14 each. South Africa’s Theen Made It and Côte d’Ivoire’s Colours of Exile received 10 nominations apiece.

‘Raising the bar’

Speaking at the announcement, AMAA chief executive Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe said the nominated films reflected Africa’s diverse cultures, shared struggles and creative excellence.

“The films nominated this year remind us that African stories are global stories, possessing the power to captivate, challenge, and inspire audiences anywhere in the world,” he said.

The CEO added that the nominees have raised the standard of filmmaking across the continent, saying, “You have raised the bar for African cinema and for that entire continent.”

Mr Anyiam-Osigwe also announced that the 2026 ceremony would be held at the Lagos Marriott Hotel.

Representing the jury, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr Shaibu Husseini, praised the awards and expressed confidence in the process.

Nollywood stars earn acting nominations

Several Nollywood actors received nominations in the leading and supporting acting categories.

Toyin Abraham was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Oversabi Aunty, alongside Osas Ighodaro for Colours of Fire and Faithia Balogun for Efunroye (The Unicorn).

Chisom Agoawuike earned a nomination for To Adaego With Love. At the same time, other contenders include Sarah Karel for One Woman, One Bra, Deborah Kabongo for Rusambo, Jackline Nafula for Slum Bomber and Naku Sy Savane for Colours of Exile.

In the Best Actor in a Leading Role category, Etim-Effiong was nominated for The Herd, alongside Wale Ojo for Light Out and Uzor Arukwe for Colours of Fire.

Other nominees include Maurice Carpede for The Trek, Ricky Adelayitar for The Fisherman, Marcus Mabusela for Ben Made It, Abdoulaziz Sall for Colours of Exile and Kang Quintus for Mabanda.

The supporting acting categories also feature several Nigerian performers. Linda Ejiofor earned a nomination for The Herd, Mercy Aigbe for Colours of Fire, Omowunmi Dada for Evi and Patience Ozokwo for Onobiren.

Dele Odule was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Iwe Ala. At the same time, Femi Branch received recognition for Colours of Fire, Bucci Franklin for The Creek and Bob-Manuel Udokwu for To Adaego With Love.

Major awards

Nigeria’s representation extends to the Best Film category, where To Adaego With Love and The Herd will compete against seven other productions from across Africa.

The nominees include South Africa’s The Trek and Ben Made It, Ghana’s The Fisherman, Côte d’Ivoire’s Colours of Exile, Uganda’s Slum Bomber, Kenya’s One Woman, One Bra and Cameroon’s Mabanda.

In the Best Director category, Chikezie is nominated for To Adaego With Love, while Etim-Effiong earns recognition for The Herd. They will compete against filmmakers including Meekaaeel Adam for The Trek, Maureen Nankya for Slum Bomber and Zoey Martinson for The Fisherman.

Both Nigerian filmmakers are also nominated for Best Debut Feature Film by a Director.

The National Film and Video Censors Board Award for Best Nigerian Film features nine productions: Iwe Ala, To Adaego With Love, Colours of Fire, Suky, Efunroye (The Unicorn), The Herd, Cordelia, The Creek and Oversabi Aunty.

Meanwhile, the Ousmane Sembène Award for Best Film in an African Language includes Nigerian entries Iwe Ala and Efunroye (The Unicorn), alongside films from Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa.

Other Nigerian entries appear in the documentary, short film and animation categories. They include Asaba Massacre, The Rhythm of Ancestors, Hurriyah, The Spectacular Death of Prisca, A Night With The Queen, The Plot and The Lion of Gwoza.

Additional Nigerian films recognised across the awards include Evi, Idia, Suky, Cordelia, The Creek and Oversabi Aunty.

Technical and international categories

African productions also feature prominently in technical categories, including cinematography, editing, production design, costume design, make-up, soundtrack, sound, visual effects, and screenplay.
To Adaego With Love, for instance, is nominated for achievement in production design, costume design, soundtrack, sound and screenplay, among other categories.

The documentary category includes Nigeria’s Asaba Massacre and The Rhythm of Ancestors, alongside productions from Kenya, South Africa, Burkina Faso and Uganda.

Nigerian entries also feature in the short film and animation categories. These include Hurriyah, The Spectacular Death of Prisca, A Night With The Queen, The Plot and The Lion of Gwoza.

The awards’ diaspora categories recognise narrative features, documentaries and short films, reflecting the competition’s reach beyond the continent.

The Africa Movie Academy Awards, organised by the Africa Film Academy, recognise achievements in African cinema and filmmaking by Africans and people of African descent.

The November ceremony is expected to announce the winners of the 22nd edition.

FULL LIST OF AMAA NOMINATIONS 2026

EFERE OZAKO AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM

The Last Miracle – Egypt/Germany/Sudan

Demm – Senegal/Switzerland

Taxi Moto – Rwanda/Switzerland

Hurriyah – Nigeria

Ashes of Accra – Ghana

The Spectacular Death of Prisca – Nigeria/USA

The Man, The Cliff and The Dog – South Africa

A Night With The Queen – Nigeria/UK

God Sleeps On Sunday – Zimbabwe

Emanya – Namibia

JUBRIL MALAFIA AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATION

The Plot – Nigeria/UK

Ananse and The Divine Journey – Ghana/USA

Sundrud – Mali/France/Belgium/Iceland

Ana Fein W Geit Menein – Egypt

The Lion of Gwoza – Nigeria

The Shadow of a Griot (L’ombre d’un Griot) – Côte d’Ivoire

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY

Truck Mama – Kenya

The Greatest Soul on Earth – South Africa

Djeyha, Memory of Django – Burkina Faso

Fosta – South Africa

Asaba Massacre – Nigeria

Chichen Ghetto – Uganda

The Rhythm of Ancestors – Nigeria

Ekitibiwa ky’olugbobo – Uganda

OUSMANE SEMBENE AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST FILM IN AN AFRICAN LANGUAGE

Slum Bomber – Uganda

Iwe Ala – Nigeria

Mabanda – Cameroon

One Woman, One Bra – Kenya

Ben Made It – South Africa

Efunroye (The Unicorn) – Nigeria

MICHAEL ANYIAM OSIGWE AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST FILM BY AN AFRICAN LIVING ABROAD

Hanami

A Tribe Called Love

The Man Who Never Was

Boys Wear Pink Too

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA SHORT

Till Death – USA

Jamari’s Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes

The Things We Carry

River Mama

Cross Roads

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA DOCUMENTARY

Nashville Soul – USA

Reclaiming The Past – USA

Sisters in Destiny: Angela Davis & Getty Archimède – Guadeloupe

Stolen – USA

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA NARRATIVE FEATURE

A Tribe Called Love

Montmartre

Heirloom

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN

To Adaego With Love

Slum Bomber

The Herd

Light Out

Colours of Fire

One Woman, One Bra

Cordelia

The Creek

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

The Fisherman

One Woman, One Bra

Iwe Ala

Idia

To Adaego With Love

The Trek

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP

Efunroye (The Unicorn)

Colours of Fire

Slum Bomber

Mabanda

The Herd

Suky

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUNDTRACK

Slum Bomber

To Adaego With Love

Black Burn Fast

Evi

Idia

One Woman, One Bra

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

The Creek

Colours of Fire

The Fisherman

Suky

The Herd

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND

The Trek

Suky

To Adaego With Love

Colours of Fire

Slum Bomber

Colours of Exile

Black Burn Fast

One Woman, One Bra

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Trek

Colours of Exile

One Woman, One Bra

Slum Bomber

Hanami

Cordelia

Ben Made It

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

Colours of Exile

Slum Bomber

Ben Made It

The Trek

Suky

Evi

One Woman, One Bra

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREENPLAY

To Adaego With Love

Slum Bomber

Colours of Exile

One Woman, One Bra

Onobiren

The Herd

Ben Made It

AMAA 2026 – NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) AWARD FOR BEST NIGERIAN FILM

Iwe Ala

To Adaego With Love

Colours of Fire

Suky

Efunroye (The Unicorn)

The Herd

Cordelia

The Creek

Oversabi Aunty

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG/PROMISING ACTOR

Muntaha Mohammed – A Tribe Called Love

Abdou Aziz Dabak Salis – Colours of Exile

James Solomon Damilare – Suky

Osas Okonyon – Evi

Dailma Mendes (Young Nana) – Hanami

Leah Lindeque – The Trek

Onyinye Odokoro – Oblation

Ocen Daniel – Slum Bomber

Azania Thella – Ben Made It

Gbubemi Ejeye – Idia

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Amos Leuka – One Woman, One Bra

Dele Odule – Iwe Ala

Samuel Kabugo – Slum Bomber

Femi Branch – Colours of Fire

Bucci Franklin – The Creek

Bob-Manuel Udokwu – To Adaego With Love

Maurice Carpede – The Trek

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLELE

Norng’aruani Kipuker – One Woman, One Bra

Precious Nana – Mabanda

Linda Ejiofor – The Herd

Mercy Aigbe – Colours of Fire

Zahra Elhawawi – Colours of Exile

Omowunmi Dada – Evi

Phumzile Kubheka – Ben Made It

Patience Ozokwo – Onobiren

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Maurice Carpede – The Trek

Wale Ojo – Light Out

Daniel Etim-Effiong – The Herd

Ricky Adelayitar – The Fisherman

Uzor Arukwe – Colours of Fire

Marcus Mabusela – Ben Made It

Abdoulaziz Sall – Colours of Exile

Kang Quintus – Mabanda

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Chisom Agoawuike – To Adaego With Love

Sarah Karel – One Woman, One Bra

Deborah Kabongo – Rusambo

Faithia Balogun – Efunroye (The Unicorn)

Jackline Nafula – Slum Bomber

Osas Ighodaro – Colours of Fire

Naku Sy Savane – Colours of Exile

Toyin Abraham – Oversabi Aunty

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT FEATURE FILM BY A DIRECTOR

Daniel Etim-Effiong – The Herd

Maureen Jolly Nankya – Slum Bomber

Vincho Nchogu – One Woman, One Bra

Meekaaeel Adam – The Trek

Zoey Martinson – The Fisherman

Angela Zivo Gapa – Rusambo

Pheello Makosholo – Ben Made It

Nwamaka Chikezie – To Adaego With Love

Mohamed Ahmed – A Tribe Called Love

Chinazaekpere Chukwu – Her Daughters’ Mother

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR

Meekaaeel Adam – The Trek (South Africa)

Nwamaka Chikezie – To Adaego With Love (Nigeria)

Azlorabe Alaoui – Colours of Exile (Côte d’Ivoire)

Maureen Nankya – Slum Bomber (Uganda)

Vincho Nchogu – One Woman, One Bra (Kenya)

Daniel Etim-Effiong – The Herd (Nigeria)

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Pheello Makosholo – Ben Made It (South Africa)

Kang Quintus – Mabanda (Cameroon)

Zoey Martinson – The Fisherman (Ghana)

AMAA 2026 AWARD FOR BEST FILM

The Trek – South Africa

To Adaego With Love – Nigeria

The Fisherman – Ghana

Colours of Exile – Côte d’Ivoire

Slum Bomber – Uganda

One Woman, One Bra – Kenya

The Herd – Nigeria

Ben Made It – South Africa

Mabanda – Cameroon