The Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has unveiled the list of nominees for its 21st edition, honouring outstanding achievements in African cinema. The nominations were revealed last weekend during a press event held at BON Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.
The ceremony was graced by notable personalities from the film and media industry, including actors Lilian Aluko, Emeka Ossai, Charles Inojie, and Adaora Anyanwu.
Also in attendance were media figure Chris Nwandu, Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board, Shaibu Husseini, and former Lagos Commissioner, Steve Ayorinde—both serving as representatives of the AMAA jury.
The announcement event, hosted by veteran actor and singer Segun Arinze, was attended by members of the AMAA board, including Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe, George Anyiam-Osigwe, Tony Anih, Teco Benson, and Lancelot Imasuen.
Burkina Faso’s “Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions” topped the nominations with ten categories, followed closely by Nigeria’s “Lisabi: The Uprising,” which received seven nominations.
In the Best Actress in a Leading Role category, Nigeria’s Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Osas Ighodaro, and Shaffy Bello will compete alongside Rwanda’s Analisa Munyana, South Africa’s Danica De La Ray Jones, Ethiopia’s Getahun Hailu, Florence Mariserena, and Algeria’s Meriem Medjkane.
The Best Actor in a Leading Role category features strong contenders such as Keenan Arrison (“The Heart is a Muscle”), Debebe Eshetu (“For Love, For Land, For Power”), Adjetey Anang (“Last Stop”), Lateef Adedimeji (“Lisabi: The Uprising”), Ayden Croy (“Old Righteous Blues”), Bizimana Hussain (“Small Gods”), Mahamadi Nana (“Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions”), and Nabil Asli (“Algiers”).
For the Best Film category, eight countries will compete for the top prize—“Algiers” (Algeria), “3 Cold Dishes” (Nigeria), “The Heart is a Muscle” (South Africa), “Small Gods” (Uganda), “For Love, For Land, For Power” (Ethiopia), “Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions” (Burkina Faso), “Last Stop” (Ghana), and “Lisabi: The Uprising” (Nigeria).
