From My Father’s Shadow to The Serpent’s Gift: A Look at AMVCA 2026’s Best Movie Nominees

From My Father’s Shadow to The Serpent’s Gift: A Look at AMVCA 2026’s Best Movie Nominees

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The official poster for Kayode Kasum’s ‘The Serpent’s Gift’, a 12th AMVCA Best Movie nominee. The image displays the lead cast in ceremonial Igbo dress, representing the film’s themes of Eastern Nigerian heritage, family inheritance battles, and mysticism.
Of all the categories at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, Best Movie is the one that carries the most weight. It is the category that says, of everything African cinema produced this year, this is what the very best looks like. It is a verdict on storytelling, craft, performance, and cultural resonance — all at once.
This year’s Best Movie race at the 12th AMVCA is one of the most genuinely competitive in the ceremony’s history. All six nominated films had cinema runs, which reflects the growing strength of the theatrical market in Nigerian and African filmmaking. Together they represent a remarkable range of genres, ambitions, and stories — from a sun-drenched Lagos family drama shot on 16mm film and celebrated at Cannes, to a female-driven heist comedy that crossed ₦500 million at the box office, to a pan-African revenge thriller executive produced by Burna Boy. The ceremony takes place on 9th May 2026 at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos, hosted by Bovi Ugboma and Nomzamo Mbatha, with Joke Silva serving as Head Judge.
Here is a closer look at each film in the running.
The Herd
Written by Lani Aisida and directed by Daniel Etim Effiong in his feature directorial debut, “The Herd” begins when a post-wedding convoy is ambushed by armed bandits disguised as cattle herdsmen and guests are taken captive. Meanwhile, Adamma, wife of one of the captives, must raise a ₦50 million ransom alone while battling an uncooperative bank, hidden financial secrets, and in-laws who will only help on the condition she agrees to a divorce.
Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman portrays Adamma in The Herd, a role exploring the survival of a woman fighting for her kidnapped husband from the outside.
Starring Daniel Etim Effiong, Linda Ejiofor, Kunle Remi, Genoveva Umeh, Mercy Aigbe, Deyemi Okanlawon, Tina Mba, Lateef Adedimeji, Adam Garba, Amal Umar, and Blessing Jessica Obasi, the film uses a kidnapping thriller as a framework for a larger conversation about Nigeria’s insecurity crisis, classism, and tribalism. Tied with “Gingerrr” for the most nominations at AMVCA 12 with nine nods, it is also the feature directorial debut of its lead actor — making a potential win one of the most remarkable debut-to-winner stories in the ceremony’s history.

Behind the Scenes
Directed and produced by Funke Akindele and written by Uche Mordi, “Behind the Scenes” follows Aderonke “Ronky-Fella” Faniran, a successful real estate entrepreneur whose extraordinary generosity toward family and friends has quietly consumed her — until there is nothing left for herself.
Scarlet Gomez as Aderonke “Ronky-Fella” Faniran and Tobi Bakre on the set of the record-breaking “Behind The Scenes.” The film became the first Nollywood production to surpass ₦2 billion at the box office in 2025.
Starring Funke Akindele, Uzor Arukwe, Ini Dima–Okojie, Tobi Bakare and more, the film became the first Nollywood production in history to cross the ₦2 billion mark at the West African box office within 19 days of release — making Funke Akindele the only filmmaker to break the Nollywood box office record three consecutive years in a row. It earned five AMVCA nominations including Best Movie, Best Director, and acting nominations for both Akindele and Gomez.

My Father’s Shadow
On 12th June 1993, election day in Nigeria, two young brothers spend the day with their largely absent father as he travels from their village into Lagos to collect six months of unpaid wages. Over the course of one day, navigating a city on the edge of political unrest, the boys discover more about their father than they ever expected.
Directed by Akinola Davies Jr. in his feature debut, written by Akinola and his brother Wale Davies, produced by Rachel Dargavel and Funmbi Ogunbanwo, and starring Sope Dirisu alongside real-life brothers Godwin and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, the film was shot entirely on 16mm. It is the first Nigerian film in the Official Selection at Cannes, where it won the Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or, won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, received 12 nominations at the British Independent Film Awards, and earned wins at the Gotham Awards for both its director and lead actor. The BBC named it one of the best films of 2026.

3 Cold Dishes
In 2002, three teenage girls from Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin are sold into sex trafficking. Nearly two decades later, they reunite and execute a calculated cross-border mission of revenge against every man who destroyed their early lives.
Directed by Oluseyi Asurf Amuwa and Apolline Traoré, written by Tomi Adesina, produced by Bose Ogulu, Osas Ighodaro, and others, with Burna Boy as executive producer, and starring Osas Ighodaro, Fat Touré, Maud Guérard, Wale Ojo, Bambadjan Bamba, and Femi Jacobs, the film is spoken in English, French, and Yoruba and shot across four countries. It is the most pan-African production in this year’s race, and its subject matter — human trafficking and the systems that enable it — gives it a social urgency few films in the category match.

The Serpent’s Gift
When a revered businessman in Eastern Nigeria dies suddenly, his young widow Ijeoma finds herself not just grieving but fighting for survival against his family, who mobilise to strip her of everything her husband left behind. As the inheritance battle escalates, spiritual secrets buried within the family begin to surface.
Directed by Kayode Kasum, written by Stephen Okonkwo and Ufuoma Metitiri, produced by Winifred Nkiru Mena–Ajakpovi, and starring Linda Ejiofor, Stan Nze, Tina Mba, Beverly Osu, Daniel Etim Effiong, and Ric Hassani, the film is deeply rooted in Igbo culture, traditions, and mysticism. It received nominations for Best African Film and Best African Actor at the 2025 Septimius Awards in Amsterdam and earned six AMVCA nominations including Best Movie, Best Director, and Best Lead Actress.

Gingerrr
Directed by Yemi Morafa and written by Xavier Ighorodje, “Gingerrr” follows Omotola “Lala,” who relocates to Lagos after the death of her estranged father and discovers he has left behind a box of gold — fortified with traditional charms that only she can access. To claim it before dangerous men get there first, she calls on three childhood friends and they plan a heist. As it unfolds, hidden agendas fracture their alliance entirely.
The film stars Bisola Aiyeola, Bukunmi “KieKie” Adeaga–Ilori, Bolaji Ogunmola, Wumi Toriola who serve as executive producers and lead actresses simultaneously, the film also stars Shaffy Bello, Odunlade Adekola, Lateef Adedimeji, Timini Egbuson, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Faithia Williams, and Mr Macaroni. It grossed over ₦510 million at the Nigerian box office and leads AMVCA 12 with nine nominations.

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