The nominations for the 21st Africa Movies Academy Awards (AMAA 2025), AMAA have been announced on Saturday evening, October 11, 2025 ahead of the 2025 edition. Since 2005, the AMAA’s have recognized excellence in cinematic achievements.

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.

Oluseyi Asurf’s 3 Cold Dishes and Niyi Akinmolayan’s Lisabi: The Uprising leads the nomination list for Nigeria with nods for best film and best director.

The award nomination was announced to the media and the general public at the BON Hotel Ikeja Residence situated in Ikeja GRA, Lagos. Below is a list of the categories and their nominees:

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
• 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

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

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

• 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)

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