The 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2026 delivered glamour, emotional moments and major surprises as Africa’s biggest stars in film and television gathered at Eko Hotel & Suites on Saturday night.
The prestigious ceremony, which celebrated excellence in African cinema, television and digital storytelling, began at 7 p.m. and featured standout victories across acting, directing, production and indigenous filmmaking categories.
The biggest winner of the night was My Father’s Shadow, which secured multiple awards including Best Movie, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Sound Design and Best Score/Music.
My Father’s Shadow Leads the Pack
The critically acclaimed production emerged as the star of the evening after winning the highly coveted Best Movie award.
Its director, Akinola Davies Jr, also claimed the Best Director prize, while Wale Davies earned recognition for Best Writing – Movie.
The film further dominated technical categories with wins for Best Sound Design and Best Score/Music.
Major Acting Wins
Actor Uzor Arukwe took home the Best Lead Actor award for his performance in Colours of Fire, beating strong competition from notable stars including Lateef Adedimeji and Femi Branch.
In the female category, Linda Ejiofor won Best Lead Actress for her role in The Serpent’s Gift.
She also doubled her success at the ceremony by winning Best Supporting Actress for The Herd.
Meanwhile, Bucci Franklin secured the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in To Kill a Monkey.
Indigenous Films Shine Across Africa
The AMVCA once again highlighted Africa’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity through its regional indigenous film categories.
Lisabi: A Legend Is Born, produced by Lateef Adedimeji, won Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa), while Mabanda triumphed in Central Africa.
Other regional winners included:
Artal Alhanin: Our Memories — North Africa
Addis Fikir — East Africa
Tlhaho Ya Mosadi — Southern Africa
Technical and Creative Excellence Recognised
Several productions stood out in technical categories during the night.
Colours of Fire won both Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction, while To Kill a Monkey impressed with victories for Best Cinematography and Best Editing.
In the makeup category, Warlord emerged victorious thanks to the work of Hakeem Onilogbo.
Digital Creators and TV Productions Also Honoured
The awards also recognised achievements in digital and television content creation.
Leave To Live won Best Digital Content Creator, while Nigerian Idol Season 10 secured Best Unscripted Series.
In the scripted television category, Inimba claimed Best Scripted Series and also won Best Indigenous M-Net Original.
Special Recognition Awards
Actress Uche Montana received the prestigious Trailblazer Award for her growing impact in the entertainment industry.
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Veteran stars Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo were honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of their longstanding contributions to African cinema.
Selected Winners at the 2026 AMVCA
Best Movie
My Father’s Shadow — Winner
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 Indigenous Language Film (West Africa)
Lisabi: A Legend Is Born
Best Scripted Series
Inimba
Trailblazer Award
Uche Montana
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sola Sobowale
Kanayo O. Kanayo