The 21st Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) Nominations Unveiled
The 21st edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has revealed its list of nominees, celebrating the finest achievements in African cinema. This year’s ceremony promises to be a showcase of creativity, talent, and storytelling from across the continent and the African diaspora.
Burkina Faso’s “Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions” leads the nominations with an impressive 10 nods, followed closely by Nigeria’s “Lisabi: The Uprising,” which has received 7 nominations. These films are among the top contenders for the prestigious Best Film award, alongside several other notable entries.
Best Film Nominees
The competition for Best Film is fierce, with the following films up for consideration:
- Algiers
- 3 Cold Dishes
- The Heart is a Muscle
- Small Gods
- For Love, For Land, For Power
- Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions
- Last Stop
- Lisabi: The Uprising
Best Director Category
The Best Director category features a diverse group of filmmakers, including:
- Niyi Akinmolayan for Lisabi: The Uprising
- Imran Hamdulay for The Heart is a Muscle
- Asurf Oluseyi for 3 Cold Dishes
- Other notable names include Asher Rosen for Small Gods and Dany Kouyate for Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions.
Acting Categories
The acting categories are particularly competitive, with numerous talented actors and actresses vying for recognition. Some standout names include:
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Keenan Arrison (The Heart is a Muscle), Lateef Adedimeji (Lisabi: The Uprising), and Mahamadi Nana (Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions).
- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman (The Serpent Gift), Shaffy Bello (The Masked King), and Meriem Medjkane (Algiers).
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Kojo Boakye (Two of a Kind) and Femi Jacobs (Freedom Way).
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Zohra Chetioui (Le Point – The Bridge) and Tina Mba (The Serpent Gift).
Special Awards and Categories
In addition to the main awards, the AMAA recognizes excellence in various specialized fields:
Best Short Film
- The Missing Piece (Kenya)
- Vandals (Mozambique)
- Echoes From The Past (Nigeria/UK)
- Abu Judy (Egypt)
- Chikha-Queen (Morocco)
- MIA (Burkina Faso)
- Stigma (Tunisia)
- Lees Waxul (Senegal)
- The Last Harvest (Cape Verde)
- Jubril Malafia (Nigeria)
Best Animation
- Dawn (Cameroon)
- 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)
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)
Best Film in an African Language
- Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)
- Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
- Lukas (Namibia)
- Lobola Man (South Africa)
- Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
- The Heart is a Muscle (South Africa)
Best Film by an African Living Abroad
- Ancestral Visions of the Future (Lesotho/France/Germany)
- Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)
- Khartoum (Sudan)
Best Diaspora Short
- Cartes (USA)
- Superman Doesn’t Steal (USA)
- Harvest (USA)
Best Diaspora Documentary
- The Billy Preston Story (USA)
- Carnival: ‘They Can’t Steal Our Joy (Canada)
- Missing Rio Doce (Brazil/France)
- Rediscovering Fenon (USA/Algeria/Martinique)
Best Diaspora Narrative Feature
- Sisters Maid (Brazil)
- Romeo & Juliet 4EVA (Jamaica)
- The Model, The Mannequin and Me (USA)
Technical Awards
The technical categories highlight the behind-the-scenes brilliance of African cinema:
Achievement in Production Design
- Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions
- The Heart is a Muscle
- 3 Cold Dishes
- Last Stop
- Red Circle
Achievement in Costume Design
- Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions
- The Lost Days
- The Masked King
- The Serpent Gift
- Hunting Jessica Brok
Achievement in Makeup
- Spelonk
- Lisabi: The Uprising
- Amanayanbo
- The Masked King
- The Heart is a Muscle
Achievement in Soundtrack
- Recall
- Freedom Way
- Old Righteous Blues
- Kites
- Le Point – The Bridge
Achievement in Visual Effects
- For Love, For Land, For Power
- Lisabi
- Spelonk
- Hunting Jessica Brok
- Amanayanbo: The Eagle King
Achievement in Sound
- Algiers
- Old Righteous Blues
- Le Point – The Bridge
- Hunting Jessica Brok
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
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
Achievement in Editing
- For Love, For Land, For Power
- Spelonk
- The Heart is a Muscle
- 3 Cold Dishes
- Algiers
Achievement in Screenplay
- Old Righteous Blues
- Le Point – The Bridge
- For Love, For Land, For Power
- Small Gods
- Red Circle
- Katanga: Dance of The Scorpions -B/Faso
Best Nigerian Film
- Lisabi: The Uprising
- Recall
- Freedom Way
- The Serpent Gift
- Amanayanbo
- 3 Cold Dishes
- Red Circle
- The Masked King
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)
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)
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)
Best Actor in a Leading Role
- Keenan Arrison (The Heart is a Muscle)
- Kalkidan Tessema (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)
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)
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)
Best Director
- Niyi Akinmolayan (Lisabi: The Uprising)
- Imran Hamdulay (The Heart is a Muscle)
- Asurf Oluseyi (3 Cold Dishes)
- Asher Rosen (Small Gods)
- Theodros Teshome (For Love, For Land, For Power)
- Dany Kouyate (Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions)
- Kwabena Gwansah (Last Stop)
- Chakib Taleb-Bendiab (Algiers)
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 (Burkina Faso)
- Last Stop (Ghana)
- Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
The winners will be announced at the 2025 AMAA ceremony on November 9 at the Balmoral Convention Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The event is a celebration of African cinema, highlighting the continent’s rich storytelling traditions and the growing influence of African filmmakers both locally and globally.
