Uganda's Slum Bomber and Kenya's One Woman, One Bra lead the full list with 14 nominations each.
The Africa Film Academy has announced the nominees for the 22nd Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), and Nigeria's To Adaego With Love leads the country's entries with 11 nominations. Filmmaker Nwamaka Chikezie's film was among the Nigerian productions named when the list was released on Saturday, 17 October, in a livestream on the AMAA YouTube channel. The ceremony is scheduled for 15 November 2026.
Daniel Etim-Effiong's The Herd follows with 10 nominations, and Colours of Fire has nine. Etim-Effiong is nominated three times: for Best Director, Best Debut Feature Film by a Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Overall, Uganda's Slum Bomber and Kenya's One Woman, One Bra lead the full list with 14 nominations each. Côte d'Ivoire's Colours of Exile has 10.
At the announcement, AMAA chief executive Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe said the nominated films reflected Africa's diverse cultures, shared struggles and creative excellence. He made the case for the stories themselves:
"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 added that the nominees had raised the standard of filmmaking across the continent, saying: "You have raised the bar for African cinema and for that entire continent."
Nigeria has two entries in the Best Film category, To Adaego With Love and The Herd. In Best Film, the two Nigerian entries will face seven other titles from elsewhere in Africa: Ben Made It and The Trek from South Africa, The Fisherman from Ghana, Colours of Exile from Côte d'Ivoire, Slum Bomber from Uganda, One Woman, One Bra from Kenya and Mabanda from Cameroon.
Several Nollywood actors also received nods. Toyin Abraham is nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Oversabi Aunty, Osas Ighodaro for Colours of Fire and Chisom Agoawuike for To Adaego With Love. Uzor Arukwe and Wale Ojo are up for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Mercy Aigbe, Linda Ejiofor, Omowunmi Dada and Patience Ozokwo are among the supporting actress nominees.
The National Film and Video Censors Board Award for Best Nigerian Film has nine contenders, among them Iwe Ala, To Adaego With Love, Colours of Fire, The Herd and Oversabi Aunty. Representing the jury, Dr Shaibu Husseini, Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board, praised the awards and expressed confidence in the process.
The ceremony will be held at the Lagos Marriott Hotel on 15 November 2026, when the winners of the 22nd edition are expected to be announced.
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