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

Both films will compete against seven productions from across the continent

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.