The best of African cinema reflects glowingly in the top categories as the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) on Wednesday releases the list of nominees for this year’s awards.

The main award ceremony holds in Lagos on Sunday October 30, 2022.

For the Best Picture and Best Director prizes, it will be a straight fight for Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda as the five countries lead with the most nominations.

Bolanle Austen-Peters’ flick, ‘Man Of God’ snagged nine nominations for the 18th edition of the awards ceremony globally acknowledged as African Oscars.

The 2022 film which is now streaming on Netflix picked up nominations for Best Film, Best Director, NFVCB Award for Best Nigerian Film, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Achievement in Editing, Achievement in Soundtrack and Achievement in Costume Design.

Tanzanian 2021 film ‘Tug of War’ got the most nominations in 14 categories; followed by South African coming-of-age film ‘Surviving Gaza’ which had 13 while Ghana’s ‘Borga’ and Uganda’s ‘Tembele’ clinched 10 nominations each.

Organisers of the award had shared that 362 films were submitted, but the list was screened down to 100.

The list, which was made available to TCN, also saw Josh2Funny, Nse Ikpe-Etim, Daniel Etim Effiong, Deyemi Okanlawon, Osas Ighodaro, Akah Nnani, and Dorcas Shola-Fapson, among other African actors, clinch nominations.

Founded in 2005 and mostly held annually in Nigeria, the primary aim of the AMAA is to facilitate the development and showcase of African film and cinema and reward excellence.

See full list of nominees below:

Efere Ozako Award for BEST SHORT FILM
1. Enroute -Burkina Faso
2. Al-Sit -Sudan
3. Astel -Senegal
4. A Lisbon Affair- Angola
5. Mamadou – Equatorial Guinea
6. Houminvi – Benin
7. Men-tally- Nigeria
8. Tender Threads – Morocco

Jubril Malaifia Award for
On the Surface – Iceland
Opal – Martinique
Kenda – Cote D’Ivoire
No Way Out – Uganda
Skin Like Mine –USA
PTD – Nigeria

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Taamaden – Mali
No Simple Way Home -Sudan
The Last Shelter – Mali
No U Turn – Nigeria
Transaction – Zimbabwe
Lobola, a Bride’s True Price?- South Africa
Africa Moot – South Africa
When a Farm Goes Aflame- Nigeria/Germany

Ousmane Sembene Award for BEST FILM IN AN AFRICAN LANGUAGE
Borga – Ghana
Tug of War – Tanzania
Tembele – Uganda
Surviving Gaza – South Africa
Alaise – Nigeria
Medicine Man – Kenya

Michael Anyiam-Osigwe Award for BEST FILM BY AN AFRICAN BORN DIRECTOR
LIVING ABROAD
Tope Oshin – Here Love Lies
Obi Emelonye – Money Miss Road
York Fabian Raabe- Borga
Ogo Okpue – A song From the Dark
Robert Peters – The Scar

BEST DIASPORA SHORT FILM
Contraband – USA
Slow Pulse – USA
Skin Like Mine – USA

BEST DIASPORA DOCUMENTARY
The Rumba King – Peru
Wade in the Water – USA
The Sun Rises in the East – USA

BEST DIASPORA NARRATIVE FEATURE
Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story – USA
The Sleeping Negro – USA
Not To Forget – USA

ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN
Tug Of War
Underbelly
Surviving Gaza
Borga
Swallow

ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Swallow
Underbelly
Tug of War
Tembele
Man of God

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
Jolly Roger
A Song from The Dark
Surviving Gaza
Underbelly
Angeliena

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUNDTRACK
Tembele
Ayaanle
Man of God
Surviving Gaza
Tug of War
Almajiri

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
Koi-Koi: the Myth
Tug of War
Borga
Tinka’s Story
Surviving Gaza
Alaise

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND
The Wave
Surviving Gaza
Swallow
Tug of War
Borga
Tembele

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tug of War
Tembele
Ayaanle
Surviving Gaza
Borga
Road To My Father’s Compound

ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING
Jolly Roger
Angeliena
Tug of War
Borga
Almajiri
Man of God

ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREENPLAY
Road to My Father’s Compound
Surviving Gaza
Jolly Roger
Tug of War
Borga
Tembele

National Film & Video Censors Board Award for BEST NIGERIAN FILM
Man of God
Alaise
Swallow
Jolly Roger
Almajiri
Money Miss Road

BEST YOUNG /PROMISING ACTOR
Emmanuel Afffadzi – Borga
Kebirungi Agnes Knight – Tinka’s Story
Amina Mohammed – Ayaanle
Maryam Waziri Salihu – Almajiri
Samke Makhaba – Surviving Gaza
Emmanuel Kuye – Ba Ni (Mud Clan)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Aphiwe Mkefe – Surviving Gaza
Wale Ojo – A Song from the dark
Adjetey Annag – Borga
Tshamano Sebe – Angeliene
Toyin Osinaike – Jolly Roger
Segun Arinze – Almajiri
Josh2Funny – Money Miss Road

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Lydia Forson – Borga
Samke Makhoba Surviving Gaza
Ijeoma Grace Agu – Swallow
Siti Amina -Tug of War
Maryam S Wazari – Ba Ni (Mud Clan)
Dorcas Shola Fapson – Man of God
Nse Ikpe Etim – A Song From The Dark

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Patrick Nkakalukanyi -Tembele
Daniel Etim Effiong – Jolly Roger
Gudrun Colombus Mwanyika – Tug of War
Botlhale Mahlangu – Surviving Gaza
Eugene Boateng – Borga
Deyemi Okanlanwo – Swallow
Akah Nnani- Man of God
Aaron Adatsi – Road to My Father’s compound

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Euodia Samson – Angeliena
Bless Fortune – Road to My Fathers
Compound
Osas Ighodaro – Man of God
Ronah Ninsiima – Tembele
Ikhlas Gafur Vora – Tug of War
Vanessa Vanderpuye – A song from the dark
Nanfuna Sharon – The Wave
Eniola Akinbo – Swallow

BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM BY A DIRECTOR
Uga Carlini – Angeliena
York Fabian Raabe – Borga
Ogo Okpue – A Song from The Dark
Benedict Yeboah – Road to My Father’s Compound

BEST DIRECTOR
Amil Sivji –Tug of War
York-Fabian Raabe – Borga
Bolanle Austen- Peters – Man of God
Vusi’Africa Sindane – Surviving Gaza
Uga Carlini – Angeliena
Walter Banger – Jolly Roger
Ahmed Farah – Ayaanle
Morris Mugisha – Tembele

BEST FILM
Ayaanle – Somalia
Jolly Roger – Nigeria
Borga – Ghana
Angeliena – South Africa
Tug of War – Tanzania
Man of God – Nigeria
Surviving Gaza – South Africa
Tembele – Uganda

Source: TCN