As part of our countdown coverage ahead of this year’s AMVCA on May 9, our predictions return as we try to get into the mind of the AMVCA. In other words, these are the winners we believe the AMVCA will award based on history and current industry workings, not necessarily the films or individuals we believe should win based on craft. There is a difference. As usual, some members of our audience also have their say in our poll.

Once again, leading this year’s nominations are Gingerrr and The Herd with nine nominations each, closely followed by To Kill a Monkey and My Father’s Shadow with eight and seven nominations respectively.

The AMVCA is divided into two categories: one voted by the public (M-Net, short film and digital content creator categories) and the other decided by a jury, now headed by Joke Silva. Special awards for Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer will also be presented on the night.

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Below are both the audience’s and editors’ picks across select categories.

Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa)

Looking back at the previous two editions shows that a Nigerian title took home the top prize, more specifically, Yoruba-language films: Lisabi Part 1 in 2025 and Jagun Jagun in 2024. Based on this precedent, a Yoruba film is likely to win again, which narrows the field to three titles.

We believe the jury won’t be inclined to reward the Lisabi sequel (audience pick) due to the previous win, so we think the award could go to Labake Olododo. It stands out as one of the first woman-led epics since the recent resurgence of the genre in cinemas, and with Joke Silva serving as head judge, that distinction could carry weight.

The Serpent’s Gift – Winifred Mena-Ajakpovi
Lisabi: A Legend Is Born – Lateef Adedimeji- Audience’s pick
Labake Olododo – Alice Iyabo Ojo, Olukanmi Abayomi, Alaba Onaolapo, Kene Okwuosa, Ladun Awobokun- WKMUp’s pick
Aljana – Grace Yachat Yakubu
Olorisha – Abiola Adeshina

Best Supporting Actor

We know that the AMVCA often recognises films that generate the most buzz. One of the most talked-about projects in 2025 was To Kill a Monkey, and one of its most widely discussed characters was Bucci Franklin’s Oboz. The performance clearly resonated, driven by Franklin’s ability to bring the role to life and elevate the material.

The audience appears to agree with us. At this point, a loss for Bucci Franklin would come as an industry-wide shock.

Simileoluwa Hassan – The Yard
Lateef Adedimeji – Gingerrr 
Gabriel Afolayan – Colours Of Fire 
Bucci Franklin – To Kill A Monkey– WKMUp’s & Audience’s Pic
Femi Adebayo – Agesinkole (King Of Thieves) 2
Lateef Adedimeji – Red Circle 
Femi Branch – Owambe Thieves
Uzor Arukwe – Behind The Scenes 

Best Supporting Actress

Another film that generated significant conversation last year was The Herd. We were torn between the two nominated actresses from the film, but have gone with Linda Ejiofor as the one the AMVCA is most likely to recognise. Nominated in two categories, she seems well-positioned to win at least one, and this category appears the more likely of the two. Again, the audience agrees.

Linda Ejiofor – The Herd– WKMUp’s & Audience’s Pick
Olamide Kidbaby – Oversabi Aunty 
Bisola Aiyeola – Gingerrr 
Sola Sobowale – The Covenant Series 
Nadia Dutch – Aljana
Amal Umar – The Herd 
Juliebrenda Nyambura – MTV Shuga Mashariki 
Funke Ayotunde Akindele – Behind The Scenes 

Best Lead Actor

Still riding on the dominance of To Kill a Monkey as one of the most widely discussed projects of last year, it becomes easier to see its cast carrying the individual categories. For that reason, we are predicting William Benson here for his lead role in the Netflix series.

AMVCA, please separate television from film.

Mike Ezuruonye – Oversabi Aunty 
Lateef Adedimeji – Lisabi A Legend Is Born 
William Benson – To Kill A Monkey- WKMUp’s & Audience’s Pick
Kanayo O. Kanayo – Grandpa Must Obey
Khumbuza Meyiwa – Bet I Love You 
Uzor Arukwe – Colours of Fire 
Wale Ojo – 3 Cold Dishes 
Femi Branch – Red Circle

Best Lead Actress

The audience diverges from our pick here, and we understand why. Once again, To Kill a Monkey was likely the more widely seen project in 2025.

Beyond the curious inclusion of Bimbo Akintola in this category, our choice is theatre veteran Ifeoma Fafunwa, whose first on-screen role delivers a memorable performance in Wingonia Ikpi’s second-chance romance The Lost Days, which the joke Silva-led jury might be drawn towards.

Linda Ejiofor – The Serpent’s Gift
Bimbo Akintola – To Kill A Monkey- Audience’s pick
Ifeoma Fafunwa – The Lost Days-  WKMUp’s pick
Ariyike Owolagba – Something About The Briggs
Sola Sobowale – Her Excellency
Scarlet Gomez – Behind The Scenes 
Genoveva Umeh – The Herd 
Gloria Anozie-Young – Mother Of The Brides

Best Writing TV Series

Our pick here is a faith-based series that set out to do what it intended in an unconventional way. Bold in its choices, even if some Christian audiences did not fully approve. The characters are allowed to make human, sometimes imperfect decisions rather than simply aligning with rigid expressions of faith. Yet, it remains grounded in its spiritual core, largely due to the writing. The audience likely sees what we see. It is worth knowing that this category has been awarded to a non-Nigerian project in the last two years.

The Wives – Donald Tombia, Timendu Aghahowa, Chiemeka Osuagwu- WKMUp’s & Audience’s Pick
MTV Shuga Mashariki – Annette Shadeya, Natasha Likimani, Mkamzee Mwatela, Arnold Mwanjila, Makgano Mamabolo
Our Husband – Xavier Ighorodje
Addis Fikir – Besufekade Mulu
Baba Oh – Temilola Balogun
The Party – Stephen Okonkwo
Gizat – Yednekachew Ayne

Best Writing in a Movie

A timely feature debut with a strong script. We think My Father’s Shadow misses out on Best Movie but is compensated with a win for Best Writing. The audience disagrees here, opting instead for another timely and more widely seen film.

The Herd – Lani Aisida- Audience’s pick
My Father’s Shadow – Wale Davies- WKMUp’s pick
Blackout – Ikenna Okpara
Cards On The Table – Shirleen Wangari
Gingerrr – Xavier Ighorodje
Suky – Isaac Ayodeji
3 Cold Dishes – Tomi Adesina

Best Director

The Herd, another feature debut from 2025, felt timely and drew strong performances from its cast, as reflected in the individual acting nominations. Its most compelling moments lie in the believable scenes involving the kidnappers, which make up a significant portion of the film. We simply see the AMVCA awarding this one to The Herd, honestly.

My Father’s Shadow – Akinola Davies Jr- Audience’s pick
Cordelia – Tunde Kelani
Osamede – James Kalu Omokwe
The Herd – Daniel Etim Effiong- WKMUp’s pick
Gingerrr – Yemi Filmboy Morafa
3 Cold Dishes – Asurf Amuwa Oluseyi

Best Movie

A decent film, safe even, but still somewhat surprising for a feature debut. The writing could have been stronger, but its popularity speaks for itself. The AMVCA may simply reward that. 

Gingerrr – Ope Ajayi, Bisola Aiyeola, Bukunmi Adeaga-Ilori, Wumi Toriola, Bolaji Ogunmola, Onyeka Nnama
The Herd – Daniel Etim Effiong, Efe Ejukoriem, Ulogo Chukwudi, Kene Okwuosa, Craig Shurn, And Ladun Awobokun- WKMUp’s & Audience’s Pick
My Father’s Shadow – Funmbi Ogunbanwo And Rachel Dargavel
3 Cold Dishes – Martial Dansou, Surf Amuwa Oluseyi and Ly Oumar
The Serpent’s Gift – Winifred Mena-Ajakpovi
Behind The Scenes – Funke Ayotunde Akindele And Wendy Uwadiae Imaseun

Voting for the public categories closed on April 26 ahead of the 12th edition of the awards ceremony, which will be held on May 9 in Lagos.

See the full nominations list here.

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