Young Stars, Veteran Icons Shine as AMVCA 2026 Celebrates African Cinema
Africa’s biggest celebration of film, television, and digital storytelling came alive in grand fashion on Saturday, May 9, 2026, as the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards gathered the continent’s biggest entertainers, filmmakers, and rising talents in Lagos.
The glamorous ceremony, held at Eko Hotels & Suites, once again placed African storytelling on the global spotlight as actors, producers, directors, and digital creators battled for top honours in one of the continent’s most prestigious entertainment platforms.
Hosted by Bovi and Nomzamo Mbatha, the night delivered emotional victories, career-defining moments, and loud cheers from industry stakeholders who described the event as another major milestone for African cinema.
One of the biggest highlights of the night was the dominance of My Father’s Shadow, which emerged as the winner of the highly coveted Best Movie category.
The film’s director, Akinola Davies Jr., also walked away with the Best Director award, further cementing the production’s impact at the ceremony.
In the acting categories, Uzor Arukwe won Best Lead Actor for his role in Colours of Fire, while Linda Ejiofor clinched the Best Lead Actress award for her performance in The Serpent’s Gift.
Cultural storytelling also received strong recognition during the ceremony as Lisabi: A Legend Is Born won the Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa) category for its portrayal of African heritage and indigenous storytelling.
The technical categories equally produced major talking points.
To Kill A Monkey secured the Best Editing award for its post-production quality, while costume designer Valerie Okeke won Best Costume Design for her work on Colours of Fire.
Popular makeup artist Hakeem Onilogbo, widely known as Hakeem Effect, won Best Makeup for his contribution to Warlord.
The digital content space also received major attention as “Leave To Live” won Best Digital Content Creator, highlighting the increasing influence of online creators in Africa’s entertainment industry.
One of the emotional moments of the evening came when fast-rising actress Uche Montana received the Trailblazer Award for her growing influence and rapid rise in the industry.
The recognition immediately sparked conversations across social media platforms, with fans celebrating what many described as a deserved moment for one of Nollywood’s most promising young stars.
Veteran actors Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo were also honoured with the Industry Merit Award for their decades-long contributions to African film and television.
The 2026 edition further expanded regional representation with indigenous language categories covering different parts of Africa.
Industry stakeholders noted that the development reflected the AMVCA’s growing commitment to promoting African culture, identity, and storytelling beyond Nollywood.
According to official information released after the ceremony, the 2026 edition featured 32 award categories, including jury-decided honours, audience-voted categories, and special recognition awards.
Veteran actress Joke Silva served as Head Judge for the edition.
Beyond the awards, the red carpet once again dominated online conversations as celebrities arrived in elaborate fashion pieces that quickly trended across entertainment blogs and social media platforms.
Since its establishment by MultiChoice in 2012, the AMVCA has continued to grow into Africa’s most recognized entertainment award platform, rewarding excellence in film, television, and digital storytelling while creating international visibility for African cinema.
