Nigerian films To Adaego With Love, The Herd and Colours of Fire are leading the way at the 22nd Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). They have received 11, 10 and nine nominations, respectively.
The nominations were revealed on Saturday. The awards ceremony will take place on 15 November 2026.
Nwamaka Chikezie’s To Adaego With Love tops the Nigerian entries with 11 nominations. Daniel Etim-Effiong’s The Herd follows closely with 10 nominations, while Colours of Fire has nine nominations.
These three films are competing in several categories, including Best Film, acting and technical achievements. This shows Nigeria’s strong presence in this year’s nominees.
In addition to Nigeria’s entries, 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 have both received 10 nominations.
‘Raising the bar’
At the announcement, AMAA chief executive Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe said the nominated films showcase Africa’s diverse cultures and creative talents.
“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 stated.
He added that the nominees have raised filmmaking standards across Africa. “You have raised the bar for African cinema and for that entire continent,” he said.
Mr Anyiam-Osigwe also shared that the 2026 ceremony will take place at the Lagos Marriott Hotel.
The Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr Shaibu Husseini, praised the awards. He expressed confidence in the nomination process.
Nollywood actors get acting nominations
Many Nollywood actors received nominations in both leading and supporting acting categories.
Toyin Abraham was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Oversabi Aunty. She will compete against Osas Ighodaro for Colours of Fire and Faithia Balogun for Efunroye (The Unicorn).
Chisom Agoawuike is nominated for To Adaego With Love. 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 is nominated for The Herd. He faces 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 include several Nigerian stars. Linda Ejiofor earned a nomination for The Herd, while Mercy Aigbe was nominated for Colours of Fire. Omowunmi Dada is nominated for Evi and Patience Ozokwo for Onobiren.
Dele Odule was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Iwe Ala. Femi Branch also received a nod for Colours of Fire, along with Bucci Franklin for The Creek and Bob-Manuel Udokwu for To Adaego With Love.
Major awards
Nigeria’s representation goes further into the Best Film category. To Adaego With Love and The Herd are competing against seven other films from 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. Etim-Effiong is recognized for The Herd. They are up against Meekaaeel Adam for The Trek, Maureen Nankya for Slum Bomber and Zoey Martinson for The Fisherman.
Both Nigerian directors are also nominated for Best Debut Feature Film by a Director.
The National Film and Video Censors Board Award for Best Nigerian Film has nine productions in the running: Iwe Ala, To Adaego With Love, Colours of Fire, Suky, Efunroye (The Unicorn), The Herd, Cordelia, The Creek and Oversabi Aunty.
The Ousmane Sembène Award for Best Film in an African Language includes Nigerian films Iwe Ala and Efunroye (The Unicorn), along with films from Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya and South Africa.
Other Nigerian films are 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.
More Nigerian films recognized across the awards include Evi, Idia, Suky, Cordelia, The Creek and Oversabi Aunty.
Technical and international categories
African films also shine in technical categories like cinematography, editing, production design and more.
To Adaego With Love is nominated for achievement in production design, costume design, soundtrack, sound and screenplay.
The documentary category includes Nigeria’s Asaba Massacre and The Rhythm of Ancestors, alongside films from Kenya, South Africa, Burkina Faso and Uganda.
Nigerian films are also 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 recognize narrative features, documentaries and short films. This reflects the competition’s reach beyond Africa.
The Africa Movie Academy Awards, organized by the Africa Film Academy, celebrate achievements in African cinema and filmmaking by Africans and people of African descent.
The November ceremony will announce the winners of the 22nd edition.
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