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
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