Continental Contenders Headline 22nd AMAA Nominations

Nigeria, South Africa, and Ghana will compete for the Best Film award at the 22nd edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), as Nollywood productions To Adaego With Love and The Herd emerged among the leading contenders in the nominations unveiled ahead of the ceremony.

The two Nigerian films face competition from South Africa's The Trek and Ben Made It, Ghana's The Fisherman, Uganda's Slum Bomber, Kenya's One Woman, One Bra, Côte d'Ivoire's The Color of Exile, and Cameroon's Mabanda in the Best Film category. The nominations, announced by the Africa Film Academy (AFA), organisers of the continental awards, highlighted the growing presence of African cinema across national boundaries, with productions from different countries competing in several technical and performance categories.

Uganda's Slum Bomber and Kenya's One Woman, One Bra emerged as joint leaders of the nomination list, securing 14 nominations each. Nigeria's To Adaego With Love followed with 11 nominations, while Daniel Etim-Effiong's The Herd secured 10, and Colours of Fire received nine.

The nomination list was unveiled on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at a gathering of stakeholders and African film practitioners at the Radisson Blu, Ikeja GRA, Lagos. The Chief Operating Officer of AMAA, Dr Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe, announced that the 22nd edition of the awards ceremony will hold on November 15, 2026. Members of the jury present at the unveiling included the Head of the College of Screeners, Dr Shaibu Husseini, and Hon Steve Ayorinde, alongside fellow jury members June Givanni, John Akomfrah, Hyginus Ekwuazi, Ayuko Babu, and Asantewa Olatunji.

Daniel Etim-Effiong and Nollywood Stars Secure Key Acting Slots

Beyond the Best Film category, Nigerian productions secured nominations across several categories, including directing, acting, cinematography, screenplay, production design, costume design, sound, and editing. Nigerian actor and filmmaker Daniel Etim-Effiong emerged as one of the prominent personalities on the list, earning triple recognition for Best Director, Best Debut Feature Film by a Director, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for The Herd.

In the Best Actor in a Leading Role category, Etim-Effiong will compete against fellow Nigerians Wale Ojo (Lights Out) and Uzor Arukwe (Colours of Fire). Other continental contenders in the category include Maurice Carpede (The Trek), Ricky Adelayitar (The Fisherman), Marcus Mabusela (Ben Made It), Abdoulaziz Sall (The Colors of Exile), and Kang Quintus (Mabanda).

The Best Actress in a Leading Role category features four Nigerian nominees: Chisom Agoawuike (To Adaego With Love), Osas Ighodaro (Colours of Fire), Toyin Abraham (Oversabi Auntie), and Faithia Balogun (Efunroye: The Unicorn). They will contest the honour alongside Sarah Karel (One Woman, One Bra), Deborah Kabongo (Rusambo), Jackline Nafula (Slum Bomber), and Naku Sy Savane (The Color of Exile).

Supporting performance categories also feature significant Nigerian representation:

• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Linda Ejiofor (The Herd), Mercy Aigbe (Colours of Fire), Omowunmi Dada (Evi), and Patience Ozokwo (Onobiren: A Woman's Story), competing with Norng'aruani Kipuker (One Woman, One Bra), Precious Nana (Mabanda), Zahra Elhawawi (The Color of Exile), and Phumzile Kubheka (Ben Made It).
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Dele Odule (Iwé àlá: An Ojúde Oba Story), Femi Branch (Colours of Fire), and Bob Manuel Udokwu (To Adaego With Love), contesting against Amos Leuka (One Woman, One Bra), Samuel Kabugo (Slum Bomber), Bucci Franklin (The Creek), and Maurice Carpede (The Trek).
• Best Young/Promising Actor: Osas Okonyon (Evi), James Solomon Damilare (Suky), and Gbubemi Ejiye (Idia), alongside other emerging performers across the continent.

Directing Categories and National Honors

Nigerian filmmakers are similarly prominent in the directing fields. In the Best Director category, Nwamaka Chikezie (To Adaego With Love) and Daniel Etim-Effiong (The Herd) received nominations. They face Maakaaeel Adam (The Trek, South Africa), Azlorabe Alaoui (The Color of Exile, Côte d'Ivoire), Maureen Nankya (Slum Bomber, Uganda), Vincho Nchongu (One Woman, One Bra, Kenya), Pheello Makosholo (Ben Made It, South Africa), Kang Quintus (Mabanda, Cameroon), and Zoey Martinson (The Fisherman, Ghana).

Both Chikezie and Etim-Effiong also earned nominations for Best Debut Feature Film by a Director. They appear alongside Maureen Jolly Nankya (Slum Bomber), Vincho Nchongu (One Woman, One Bra), Meekaaeel Adam (The Trek), Zoey Martinson (The Fisherman), Angela Zivo Gapa (Rusambo), Pheello Makosholo (Ben Made It), Mohamed Ahmed (A Tribe Called Love), and Chinazaekpere Chukwu (Her Mothers Daughter).

Nigeria's presence also extends to the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Award for Best Nigerian Film, which provides a dedicated platform for domestic productions. Nine films were shortlisted for the national honour: Iwé àlá: An Ojúde Oba Story, To Adaego With Love, Colours of Fire, Suky, Efunroye: The Unicorn, The Herd, Cordelia, The Creek, and Oversabi Auntie.

Technical Categories, Documentaries, and Diaspora Entries

The AMAA 2026 nominations also highlighted achievements across several technical areas, including production design, costume design, make-up, soundtrack, visual effects, sound, cinematography, editing, and screenplay. Contenders in these categories include productions from across the continent, with The Trek, Slum Bomber, One Woman, One Bra, The Color of Exile, To Adaego With Love, and The Herd securing broad technical recognition.

Beyond feature-length fiction, the awards recognised non-fiction, animation, and short formats across Africa and its diaspora:

• Efere Ozako Award for Best Short Film: Nominees include The Last Miracle (Egypt/Germany/Sudan), Demm (Senegal/Switzerland), Taxi Moto (Rwanda/Switzerland), Nigeria's Hurriyah and The Spectacular Death of Prisca, Ghana's Ashes of Accra, South Africa's The Man, The Cliff and The Dog, A Night With The Queen (Nigeria/United Kingdom), Zimbabwe's God Sleeps On Sundays, and Namibia's Emanya.
• Jubril Malafia Award for Best Animation: Contenders feature The Plot (Nigeria/United Kingdom), Ananse And The Divine Journey (Ghana/United States), Sundrud (Mali/France/Belgium/Iceland), Egypt's Ana Fein W Geit Menein, Nigeria's The Lion of Gwoza, and Côte d'Ivoire's The Shadow of A Griot (L'ombre D'un Griot).
• Best Documentary: Shortlisted films include Nigerian entries Asaba Massacre: October 7, 1967 and The Rhythm of Ancestors - Yoruba Bata, alongside Kenya's Truck Mama, South Africa's The Greatest Soul on Earth and Fosta, Burkina Faso's Djeliya, Memory of Mandingo, and Uganda's Chicken Ghetto and Ekitiibwa ky'olubuyo.

Dedicated diaspora categories were also unveiled, including the Best Diaspora Short category, which features United States productions Till Death, Jamarcus Rose & Da 5 Bullet Holes, The Things We Carry, River Mama, and Cross Roads. In the Best Diaspora Narrative Feature category, the nominees are A Tribe Called Love, Montmartre, and Heirloom. With the nominations public, attention shifts toward the main gala scheduled for November 15.