2021 AMAA Nominations List: ‘Omo Ghetto’, ‘Eyimofe’, ‘Ayinla’ and ‘La Femme Anjola’ Nab Multiple Nominations

The nominations for the 2021 African Movie Academy Awards were announced on October 29, 2021, an award that recognizes outstanding African films, actors, and actresses in the previous year. The announcement for the 17th edition was anchored by Steve Ayorinde, the head jury of AMAA.

The 2020 AMAA award for best film was awarded to Nigerian drama, The Milkmaid, which was also Nigeria’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93^rd Academy Awards. In this year’s category for best film, Nigeria’s Eyimofe will be representing Nigeria. Ayinla (the story of renowned singer, Ayinla Omowura), while competing in multiple categories, is Nigeria’s entry into the best film in an African language, an award that was also bagged by a Nigerian movie, The Milkmaid, in 2020. 

With Funke Akindele’s Omo Ghetto making the cut in the editing category, the director-actress will also be competing in the leading role category. Lateef Adedimeji, Jude Akuwudike and Nonso Bassey are pitted in the best actor in a leading role category for their performances in Ayinla, Eyimofe and La Femme Anjola respectively. Moreover, Faith Fidel will be another young actor to be on the lookout for after she won the award for the best promising actor at the 2020 AMAA for her role as Ekah in The Fisherman’s Diary. Will she bag the award again in this year’s category? 

The AMAA award ceremony will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja on Sunday, November 28, 2021.

See the complete 2021 AMAA nominations in 25 categories below:

EFERE OZAKO AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM

1. Meat – Uganda 
2. Enroute – Burkina Faso
3. A Better Friend – Ghana 
4. Find Me By The River – South Africa 
5. In Extremis – DRC 
6. Portrait of Princess Tutu – Côte d’Ivoire 
7. The Long Night In Abuja – Nigeria 

JUBRIL MALAFIA AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ANIMATION

1. Room 5 – Ghana 
2. Shaka-Inkosi Yamakhosi – South Africa 
3. The Pyramid – Egypt 
4. Mofiala – Togo
5. Lady Buckit & the Motley Mopster – Nigeria 
6. A Thousand Fate – Uganda 
7. White Nights – Algeria 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY 

1. Softie – Kenya 
2. The Sacred Woods – Tunisia 
3. Postcard – Morocco 
4. Unmasked: Leadership, Trust & the Pandemic – Nigeria 
5. Linda Under Lockdown – South Africa 
6. Bulembu: History of a Culture – DRC 
7. Noboth – Uganda 
8. Zindet – Niger 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA SHORT FILM

1. Three Leaves (Haiti)
2. In Other News (Canada)
3. Blue (US)
4. The Berne Identity (Switzerland)
5. No Comprendo (UK) 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA DOCUMENTARY

1. Akwaaba – The Awakening (US)
2. African Redemption: the Life of Marcus Garvey (US)
3. Race Today Documentary (UK)

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST DIASPORA NARRATIVE FEATURE

1. RideShare (US)
2. Hal King (US)
3. Residue (US) 

MICHAEL ANYIAM OSIGWE AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST FILM BY AN AFRICAN LIVING ABROAD

1. Blackmail – Obi Emelonye (Nigeria/UK)
2. First Call – Angela Onuora (Nigeria/Canada)
3. K.I.A.B – Eric Zoa & Oleksii Osyka (Cameroon/USA)
4. Gone – Daniel Ademinokan (Nigeria/US) 

AMAA 2021 ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

1. African American 
2. Buried
3. Oba Bi Olorun 
4. Tecora 
5. Eagles Wing 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKE-UP

1. Fried Barry
2. Tecora
3. The Gravedigger’s Wife
4. The Takers 
5. Mission To Rescue 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECT

1. Nneka: The Pretty Serpent 
2. Stain
3. Fried Barry 
4. The Takers 
5. Mission to Rescue 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUNDTRACK 

1. Citation 
2. Nyara (The Kidnapper) 
3. The Gravedigger’s Wife
4. This Lady Called Life
5. Hotel on the Koppies

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND

1. Hairareb 
2. African American 
3. The Gravedigger’s Wife 
4. Eyimofe 
5. La Femme Anjola 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN

1. Tecora 
2. The Takers
3. Nyara (The Kidnapping) 
4. The Gravedigger’s Wife
5. Shadow Parties

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

1. Ayinla 
2. Black Medusa 
3. Stain
4. Nyara (The Kidnapping) 
5. The Gravedigger’s Wife

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

1. Mission to Rescue
2. Omo Ghetto: The Saga
3. Nyala (The Kidnapping)
4. Fried Barry
5. Eyimofe
   

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN SCREENPLAY 

1. Chasing Lullaby 
2. Where I Come From 
3. Stain
4. Collision Course 
5. Hairareb

AMAA 2021- NATIONAL FILM AND VIDEO CENSORS BOARD (NFVCB) AWARD FOR BEST NIGERIAN FILM

1. Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story 
2. Ayinla
3. Eyimofe
4. Citation
5. Omo Ghetto: The Saga
6. La Femme Anjola 
7. Collision Course 
8. Shadow Parties

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG/ PROMISING ACTOR

1. Wilmah Muremera – Shaina 
2. Oluwabamike Olawunmi-Adenibuyan – Collision Course 
3. Faith Fidel – Where I Come From 
4. David Weda – Bangarang 
5. Bertha Abdallah – Nyara (The Kidnapping)
6. Hannah Sukali – Fatsani: A Tale Of Survival 

---

Related:

In Praise of Criticism

---

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1. Mulshid Mugabire – Monica 
2. Kelechi Udegbe – Collision Course 
3. Mehdi Hajri – Black Medusa 
4. Cameron Scott – Hotel on the Koppies 
5. Bimbo Manuel – Gone

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

1. Gloria Anozie-Young- Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story 
2. Naana Hayford – Chasing Lullaby 
3. Tumi Morake – Seriously Single 
4. Hazel Hinda – Hairareb 
5. Ini Edo – Citation

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

1. Gary Green – Fried Barry
2. Lateef Adedimeji – Ayinla
3. Melvin Alusa – Mission To Rescue
4. Jude Akuwudike – Eyimofe
5. Omar Abdi – The Gravedigger’s Wife
6. David Njavera – Hairareb
7. Nonso Bassey – La Femme Anjola

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

1. Lucie Memba Bois- Buried 
2. Funke Akindele – Omo Ghetto: The Saga
3. Sarah Alina Grosz – Black Medusa 
4. Joan Agaba – Stain 
5. Phumi Mthembu – African American 
6. Rita Dominic – La Femme Anjola 
7. Claudine de Groot – Hairareb 

AWARD FOR BEST FILM IN AN AFRICAN LANGUAGE

1. Bangarang – Robin Odongo (Kenya)
2. Ayinla – Tunde Kelani (Nigeria)
3. The Golddigger’s Wife – Khadar Ahmed (Somalia)
4. Hotel on the Koppies – Charlie Vundler (S/Africa)
5. Nyara – Ram Ally Kasongo (Tanzania)
6. Stain – Morris Mugisha (Uganda) 

AMAA 2021 AWARD FOR BEST FILM

1. Mission To Rescue (Kenya) 
2. Fried Barry (South Africa)
3. The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia)
4. Stain (Uganda)
5. Eyimofe (Nigeria)
6. Hairareb (Namibia)
7. Nyara:The Kidnapping (Tanzania)
8. Black Medusa (Tunisia)

BEST FIRST FEATURE FILM BY A DIRECTOR 

1. Shaina– Beatrice Masvaure Alf (Zimbabwe)
2. African American– Muzi Mthembu (South Africa)
3. Eyimofe– Chuko & Ayie Esiri (Nigeria)
4. The Gravedigger’s Wife– Khadar Ahmed (Somalia)
5. Fried Berry– Ryan Kruger (South Africa)
6. Black Medusa–Youssef Chebbi & Ismael (Tunisia)

AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR

1. Gilbert Lukalia– Mission to Rescue
2. Ryan Kruger– Fried Barry
3. Khadar Ahmed– The Gravedigger’s Wife
4. Morris Mugisha– Stain
5. Chuko & Ayie Esiri– Eyimofe
6. Oshoveli Shipoh– Hairareb
7. Ram Ally Kasongo– Nyara (The Kidnapping)
8. Youssef Chebbi & Ismael– Black Medusa

You can share your thoughts in the comments section or on our social media accounts.

---

Keep track of upcoming films and TV shows with our calendar tool.