The 21st Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) nominations have been announced, spotlighting the continent’s finest cinematic achievements as filmmakers from eight nations vie for glory in the Best Film category.
Burkina Faso’s epic drama Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions leads the pack with an impressive 10 nominations, underscoring the rising influence of West African storytelling on the global stage.
Close behind is Nigeria’s historical actioner Lisabi: The Uprising, which secured seven nominations, affirming Nollywood’s enduring dominance in African cinema.
The nominations, revealed during a star-studded virtual ceremony hosted by actors of Nigerian descent, including Lilian Aluko, Emeka Ossai, Charles Inojie, and Adaora Anyanwu, celebrate innovation, cultural depth, and technical prowess across 26 categories.
From Burkina Faso’s gripping tale of rebellion to Uganda’s poignant Small Gods and South Africa’s introspective The Heart is a Muscle, the list reflects Africa’s diverse narrative voices.
Other strong contenders include Ethiopia’s For Love, For Land, For Power and Ghana’s Last Stop, each earning multiple nods in technical and performance fields.
Nollywood enthusiasts will be thrilled by Nigeria’s robust showing in the major categories, with homegrown talents poised for potential sweeps.
In the race for Best Film, two Nigerian entries stand out: 3 Cold Dishes, a pan-African thriller blending suspense and social commentary, and Lisabi: The Uprising, directed by Niyi Akinmolayan and chronicling the legendary Yoruba hero’s fight against colonial oppression. These films are up against international heavyweights like Katanga and Algeria’s Algiers.
For Best Director, Nigeria claims two of the eight slots: Niyi Akinmolayan for Lisabi: The Uprising, praised for his visceral action sequences and historical fidelity, and Asurf Oluseyi for 3 Cold Dishes, noted for its taut pacing and ensemble dynamics.
They will face stiff competition from Burkina Faso’s Dany Kouyaté (Katanga), South Africa’s Imran Hamdulay (The Heart is a Muscle), and Ethiopia’s Theodros Teshome.
In the acting arenas, Nigerian stars are bringing star power. Lateef Adedimeji earns a nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role as the titular warrior in Lisabi: The Uprising, delivering a tour-de-force performance that captures raw defiance and vulnerability.
He joins nominees like Burkina Faso’s Mahamadi Nana (Katanga) and South Africa’s Ayden Croy (Old Righteous Blues).
In the Best Actress pot, a trio of Nigerian powerhouses: Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman for her nuanced portrayal in The Serpent Gift, Shaffy Bello in the regal lead of The Masked King, and Osas Ighodaro as part of the ensemble in 3 Cold Dishes—a film that also nods to cross-cultural collaborations with Fat Toure and Maud Guerard. This category promises fierce rivalry with entries from Ethiopia, Uganda, and Algeria.
Beyond the majors, Nigeria’s footprint is evident elsewhere: Lisabi snagged nods for Achievement in Visual Effects and Make-Up, while 3 Cold Dishes contends in Cinematography and Editing. The National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Award for Best Nigerian Film pits Lisabi against fellow locals like Recall, Freedom Way, and The Serpent Gift.
See full list of nominations below:
EFERE OZAKO AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST
SHORT FILM
- The Missing Piece – Kenya
- Vandals – Mozambique
- Echoes From The Past- Nigeria/UK
- Abu Judy -Egypt
- Chikha-Queen – Morrocco
- MIA – Burkina Faso
- Stigma – Tunisia
- LEES WAXUL – Senegal
- The last Harvest – Cape Verde
JUBRIL MALAFIA AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST
ANIMATION
- Dawn – Cameroun
- My Brother, My Brother- Egypt/France/Germany
- The Travails of Ajadi – Nigeria
- Nkizzi’s First Day – Uganda
- Amara and the Spirit of Nyamagunda – Uganda
- Monologue – Nigeria/UK
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
- The Journey East – DRC
- Double Minority – Nigeria
- The Empty Grave – Tanzania/UK
- Khartoum – Sudan/UK
- Ancestral Visions of the Future -Lesotho/France/Germany
OUSMANE SEMBENE AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR
BEST FILM IN AN AFRICAN LANGUAGE
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
- Small Gods – Uganda/UK
- Lukas: Namibia
- Lobola Man – South Africa
- Lisabi: The Uprising
- The Heart is a Muscle: South Africa
MICHAEL ANYIAM OSIGWE AMAA 2025 AWARD
FOR BEST FILM BY AN AFRICAN LIVING
ABROAD
- Lemohang Jeremiah – Ancestral Visions of the
- Future – Lesotho/France/Germany
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions – Dany Kouyate (B/Faso)
- Khartoum – Ibrahim Snoopy – Sudan
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA SHORT
- Cartes – USA
- Superman Doesn’t steal – USA
- Harvest – USA
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA
DOCUMENTARY
- The Billy Preston Story – USA
- Carnival: ‘They Cant Steal Our Joy – Canada
- Missing Rio Doce – Brazil/France
- Rediscovering Fenon – USA/Algeria/Martinique
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA
NARRATIVE FEATURE
- Sisters Maid – Brazil
- Romeo N Juliet 4EVA – Jamaica
- The Model, The Mannequin and Me – USA
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN
PRODUCTION DESIGN
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions
- The Heart is a Muscle
- 3 Cold Dishes
- Last Stop
- Red Circle
AMAA 2025 ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions
- The Lost Days
- The Masked King
- The Serpent Gift
- Hunting Jessica Brok
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
- Spelonk
- Lisabi: The Uprising
- Amanayanbo
- The Masked King
The Heart is a Muscle
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN
SOUNDTRACK
- Recall
- Freedom Way
- Old Righteous Blues
- Kites
- Le Point- The Bridge
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN
VISUAL EFFECT
- For Land, For Love, For Power
- Lisabi
- Spelonk
- Hunting Jessica Brok
- Amanayanbo: The Eagle King
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
- Algiers
- Old Righteous Blues
- Le Point – The Bridge
- Hunting Jessica Brok
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 3 cold dishes
- Old Righteous Blues
- Spelonk
- Small gods
- For love, for land, for power
- The Heart is a muscle
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN
EDITING
- For Love, For Land, For power
- Spelonk
- The Heart is a Muscle
- 3 Cold Dishes
- Algiers
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN
SCREEN PLAY
- Old Righteous Blues
- Le Point – The Bridge
- For Love, For Land, For Power
- Small Gods
- Red circle
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
AMAA 2025 – NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) AWARD FOR BEST NIGERIAN FILM
- Lisabi: The Uprising
- Recall
- Freedom Way
- The Serpent Gift
- Amanayanbo
- 3 Cold Dishes
- Red Circle
- The Masked King
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG/ PROMISING ACTOR
- Alejandro Cooper- Lukas
- Turinayo Jatham – Small gods
- Tiwalola Adebola-Walter – Freedom Way
- Kisi Ogborueche – Kill Boro
- Ruby Akubueze – 3 Cold Dishes
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Kojo Boakye – Two of a Kind
- Femi Jacobs – Freedom Way
- Clemento Ashietey – Last Stop
- Abdulai Saidu Kamara – Code of Honor
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Zohra Chetioui – Le Point- The Bridge
- Tina Mba – The Serpent Gift
- Fadela Brown – Old Righteous Blues
- Bukky Wright – Red Circle
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
- Keenan Arrison – The Heart is a Muscle
- KalkidanTessema – 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 -B/Faso
- Nabil Asli – Algiers
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman – The Serpent Gift
- Analisa Munyana – Mucoma: The Battle of the Couple
- Shaffy Bello – The Masked King
- Danica De La Ray Jones- Hunting Jessica Brok
- Tsigereda Bekele – For Love, For Land, For Power
- Florence Mariserena – Small gods
- Meriem Medjkane – Algiers
- Osas Ighodaro, Fat Toure and Maud Guerard – 3 Cold Dishes
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT FEATURE FILM BY A DIRECTOR
- The Lost Days – Wingonia Ikpi
- Small Gods- Asher Rosen
- Algiers- Chakib Taleb-Bendiab
- Kill Boro- Obayuwana Courage
- The Heart is a Muscle – Imran Hamdulay
- Freedom Way – Afolabi Olalekan
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR
- Niyi Akinmolayan- Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
- The Heart is a Muscle – Imran Hamdulay (South Africa)
- Asurf Oluseyi – 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)
- Asher Rosen- Small Gods – (Uganda)
- Theodros Teshome -For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
- Dany Kouyate – Katanga:
- Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
- Kwabena Gwansah – Last Stop (Ghana)
- Chakib Taleb-Bendiab – Algiers (Algeria)
AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST FILM
Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
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 -B/Faso
Last Stop – Ghana
