‘Why some films, actors missed AMVCA nominations’

Weeks after being appointed as Head Judge for the 2026 edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA), veteran Nollywood actress Joke Silva has explained why some actors and films did not make this year’s nomination list.

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In March, Multichoice unveiled the nominees list for the 12th edition of the awards.

The unveiling saw titles like ‘Gingerrr’ and ‘The Herd’ emerging as the frontrunners, securing nine nominations each.

Other top contenders include ‘To Kill A Monkey,’ which earned eight nominations, and ‘My Father’s Shadow,’ with seven nominations.

Organisers described the event on 9 May as a strong year for African film and television, marked by compelling storytelling, technical excellence, and diverse narratives.

Upsets

While the nominees list captures the general tone of the 2025 movie year, Silva admitted that the awards could be subjective.

In an interview with Guardian Life, the veteran actress said the non-voting categories were judged by professionals who understood film, craft and performance.

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“Well, there’s the panel of judges, people who are highly skilled, and they are people who understand film,” she said.

She also spoke on the criticisms that follow award nominations in Nollywood.

According to her, the entries were graded by judges before the final list emerged.

“Well, I think awards, a lot of times, again, I will always say it, are subjective. And that is why we have a panel of judges. We have two sets of judges, so, as much as possible, it is an aggregation of marks, since every film is graded. Hopefully, the prayer is always: may the best man win.

Omissions

Speaking further, Silva said she was alarmed that some projects she knew of did not get the nod.

Recall that shortly after the nominees list was unveiled, actress Lilian Afegbai expressed disappointment over her exclusion from the Best Supporting Actress category at the upcoming Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) for her role in ‘To Kill a Monkey’.

“And yet, you see the quality of work. But it depends on the aggregate of scores that work got,” Silva said.

She noted that an award-winning performance goes beyond acting well.

“It is how far, how much you have become the character. It is the character’s becoming. It is in the believability of the character.

“You believe the character so much that you portray the character in such a way that those watching you believe it,” she said.

Proud moments

Despite misgivings from certain quarters, the veteran actress said the volume and quality of work reviewed by the judges made her immensely proud of Nollywood.

Speaking at the AMVCA 12 Icons Night held on Thursday, Silva noted that if the rest of the world truly understood the limitations under which Nigerian filmmakers create, they would salute us a million times over.

READ ALSO: Joke Silva named head judge as AMVCA unveils 12th Edition

“Watching our films, watching our stories, I became deeply heartbroken that there are still not enough platforms and spaces to showcase the incredible work we are producing properly.”

Silva also used the occasion to challenge the widely held belief that Nollywood’s distribution problem is tied to local affordability, arguing instead that the industry has been thinking too small about who its audience actually is.