AMAA: Lisabi, Katunga, Freedom Way Lead Nominations At 21st edition

The nominations for the 21st Africa Movies Academy Awards, AMAA have been announced on Saturday evening, October 11, 2025 ahead of the 2025 edition.

The nominations were announced by African actors of Nigerian descent including Lilian Aluko, Emeka Ossai, Charles Inojie, and Adaora Anyanwu.

Other dignitaries that announced the nominees include Nigerian media personality Chris Kehinde Nwandu, Executive Director of the National Film and Videos Censors Board, Dr Shaibu Husseini and former Lagos commissioner, Steve Ayorinde.

Both Husseini and Ayorinde represented the AMAA jury at the event.

The award nomination was announced to the media and the general public at the BON Hotel Ikeja Residence situated in Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The nominations streamed live worldwide on AMAA online platforms, as well as the film academy’s digital platforms (Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X).

Also gathered at the nominees unveil, which was anchored by veteran Nollywood actor cum singer, Segun Arinze, include the AMAA board led by Dr Raymond Anyiam-Osigwe, Mr George Anyiam-Osigwe, COO AMAA, Tony Anih, Teco Benson, Lancelot Imasuen and several others.

Burkina Faso’s ‘Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions’ dominated with 10 nominations while Nigeria’s ‘Lisabi’ earned seven (7) nominations.

For the highly anticipated AMAA for Best Actress in a Leading role, Nigeria’s Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, Osas Ighodaro, and Shaffy Bello will slug it out with Rwandan actress Analisa Munyana, South African actress Danica De La Ray Jones, Ethiopian actress Getahun Hailu, Florence Mariserena, and Algiers actress Meriem Medjkane.

The AMAA 2025 award for best actor in a leading role also features some of the best in Africa including Keenan Arrison for ‘The Heart is a Muscle,’ Debebe Eshetu for ‘For love, for land, for power,’ Adjetey Anang for ‘Last Stop,’ Lateef Adedimeji for ‘Lisabi: The Uprising,’ Ayden Croy for ‘Old Righteous Blues,’ Bizimana Hussain for ‘Small Gods,’ Mahamadi Nana for Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions and Nabil Asli for ‘Algiers.’

The AMAA 2025 award for best film has eight African countries competing for the award.

The nominees as announced include ‘Algiers’ from Algeria, ‘3 Cold Dishes’ from Nigeria, ‘The Heart is a Muscle,’ from South Africa, ‘Small Gods,’ from Uganda, ‘For Love, For Land, For Power’ from Ethiopia, ‘Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions’ from Burkina Faso, ‘Last Stop’ from Ghana, and ‘Lisabi: The Uprising’ representing Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, popular Nigerian actor and filmmaker, Charles Inojie and Teco Benson took turns to express confidence in the jury and award organisers as well as delight with the nominations.

Teco Benson, a multiple AMAA winner, noted that the 21st edition of AMAA will further raise the bar in not only the Nigerian film industry but the African film industry as a whole after proving itself as one of the most laudable reward platforms for African film practitioners.

The 21st Africa Movie Academy Awards will be presented on November 9 at the Balmoral Convention Centre Ikeja – Sheraton in Ikeja GRA, Lagos, Nigeria.

The full nominees

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA SHORT

Cartes – USA

Superman Doesn’t steal – USA

Harvest – USA

7. 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

8. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA

NARRATIVE FEATURE

Sisters Maid – Brazil

Romeo N Juliet 4EVA – Jamaica

The Model, The Mannequin and Me – USA

9. 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

10. AMAA 2025 ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions

The Lost Days

The Masked King

The Serpent Gift

Hunting Jessica Brok

11. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-

UP

Spelonk

Lisabi: The Uprising

Amanayanbo

The Masked King

The Heart is a Muscle

12. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN

SOUNDTRACK

Recall

Freedom Way

Old Righteous Blues

Kites

Le Point- The Bridge

13. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN

VISUAL EFFECT

For Land, For Love, For Power

Lisabi

Spelonk

Hunting Jessica Brok

Amanayanbo: The Eagle King

14. 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

15. 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

16. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN

EDITING

For Love, For Land, For power

Spelonk

The Heart is a Muscle

3 Cold Dishes

Algiers

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A

SUPPORTING ROLE

1. Kojo Boakye – Two of a Kind

2. Femi Jacobs – Freedom Way

3. Clemento Ashietey – Last Stop

4. Abdulai Saidu Kamara – Code of Honor

21. 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

22. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A

LEADING ROLE

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 -B/Faso

Nabil Asli – Algiers

23. 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

Getahun Hailu – For Love, For Land, For Power

Florence Mariserena – Small gods

Meriem Medjkane – Algiers

Osas Ighodaro, Fat Toure and Maud Guerard – 3 Cold Dishes

24. 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

25. 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)

26. AMAA 2025 AWARD FOR BEST FILM

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

Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)