My Father's Shadow Dominates AMVCA 2026: Full Winners List and African Cinema Triumph

My Father’s Shadow Dominates Lagos Ceremony As Indigenous Stories And Screen Talent Take Centre Stage

LAGOS, Nigeria (Topping Africa) — May 11, 2026: My Father’s Shadow emerged as the biggest winner at the 2026 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards after claiming Best Movie and several major craft prizes at the ceremony held Saturday at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.

The film led the night with five wins: Best Movie, Best Director for Akinola Davies Jr., Best Writing in a Movie for Wale Davies, Best Score/Music, and Best Sound/Sound Design. The result placed the drama at the centre of one of Africa’s biggest awards nights.

The 12th AMVCA celebrated work across film, television, and digital storytelling, with awards spanning performance, directing, writing, technical craft, indigenous-language film, and online content. The ceremony was broadcast across Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv, with streaming also available through DStv Stream and GOtv Stream.

Beyond the top prize, the acting categories produced major wins for Uzor Arukwe, Linda Ejiofor, and Bucci Franklin. Arukwe won Best Lead Actor for Colours of Fire, while Ejiofor took Best Lead Actress for The Serpent’s Gift and Best Supporting Actress for The Herd. Franklin won Best Supporting Actor for To Kill A Monkey.

The night also honoured veteran screen figures. Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo received the Industry Merit Award, while Uche Montana was named Trailblazer, marking a generational bridge between established African screen icons and rising performers.

Indigenous-language categories gave the ceremony a broader continental frame. Lisabi: A Legend Is Born won Best Indigenous Language Film for West Africa, Addis Fikir won for East Africa, Mabanda won for Central Africa, Artal Alhanin: Our Memories won for North Africa, and Tlhaho Ya Mosadi won for Southern Africa.

That spread matters. African screen power is no longer measured only by Lagos box office dominance or red-carpet reach. It is increasingly measured by how well the continent’s languages, histories, and regional markets can travel across platforms.

The technical categories also showed a more mature industry. To Kill A Monkey won Best Cinematography and Best Editing, while Colours of Fire took Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. These wins point to rising investment in production quality, not just star power.

For Nollywood and the wider African screen economy, the message from Lagos was direct: craft is now competing with celebrity. The AMVCA’s biggest winners were not only actors and producers, but writers, editors, composers, sound designers, makeup artists,s and cinematographers shaping the continent’s visual identity.

The next test is distribution. African films are winning continental prestige, but the industry still needs stronger theatrical networks, deeper streaming access, better financing models,  and more cross-border audience development.

The 2026 AMVCA gave My Father’s Shadow the night’s headline. It also gave African cinema a wider signal: the continent’s stories are becoming more technically ambitious, more multilingual, and harder to ignore.

COMPLETE WINNERS LIST

Best Movie: My Father’s Shadow — Funmbi Ogunbanwo and Rachel Dargavel.

Best Director: My Father’s Shadow — Akinola Davies Jr.

Best Lead Actor: Uzor Arukwe — Colours of Fire.

Best Lead Actress: Linda Ejiofor — The Serpent’s Gift.

Best Supporting Actor: Bucci Franklin — To Kill A Monkey.

Best Supporting Actress: Linda Ejiofor — The Herd.

Best Writing — Movie: My Father’s Shadow — Wale Davies.

Best Writing — TV Series: MTV Shuga Mashariki — Annette Shadeya, Natasha Likimani, Mkamzee Mwatela, Arnold Mwanjila, and Makgano Mamabolo.

Best Sound/Sound Design: My Father’s Shadow — Pius Fatoke and CJ Mirra.

Best Score/Music: My Father’s Shadow — Duval Timothy and CJ Mirra.

Best Cinematography: To Kill A Monkey — Kabelo Thathe.

Best Editing: To Kill A Monkey — Daniel Anyiam.

Best Costume Design: Colours of Fire — Valerie Okeke.

Best Art Direction: Colours of Fire — Ajamolaya Bunmi.

Best Makeup: Warlord — Hakeem Onilogbo.

Best Digital Content Creator: Leave To Live — Emmanuel Kanaga and Sophia Chisom.

Best Indigenous Language Film — West Africa: Lisabi: A Legend Is Born — Lateef Adedimeji.

Best Indigenous Language Film — East Africa: Addis Fikir — Leul Shoaferaw.

Best Indigenous Language Film — Central Africa: Mabanda — Kang Quintus.

Best Indigenous Language Film — North Africa: Artal Alhanin: Our Memories — Mohamed Awad and Mohamed Abdulraham Eldouma.

Best Indigenous Language Film — Southern Africa: Tlhaho Ya Mosadi — Naledi Galane, Promise Ramoroka, Ernest Ramorok, and Modipadi Mokgohioa.

Best Indigenous M-Net Original: Inimba — Siphosethu Tshapu, Thandi Ramathese, le and Yolanda Ndhlovu.

Best Scripted M-Net Original: The Low Priest — Femi D. Ogunsanwo.

Best Unscripted M-Net Original: Nigerian Idol Season 10 — Sulaiman Kassim and Anneke De Ridder.

Best Scripted Series: Inimba — Siphosethu Tshapu, Thandi Ramathesele, and Yolanda Ndhlovu.

Best Series — Unscripted: Out N’ About (Harar) — Bruk Yibrah.

Best Documentary: Beyond Olympic Glory — Shedrack Salami.

Best Short Film: Hussainin — Orire Nwani and Josh Olaoluwa.

Trailblazer Award: Uche Montana.

Industry Merit Award: Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo.