By Toochi Ejiofor
Edited by Bababunmi Agbebi
The 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards 2026 delivered a night of major wins, emotional moments and strong recognition for filmmakers and actors across Africa’s entertainment industry.
This year’s ceremony saw My Father’s Shadow emerge as one of the biggest winners of the night. The film won Best Overall Movie and Best Director, while also securing awards for cinematography, sound design and music score, cementing its position as one of the standout projects of the year.
In the acting categories, Linda Ejiofor had a massive night, taking home both Best Lead Actress for The Serpent’s Gift and Best Supporting Actress for The Herd. The first time in the history of the award that an individual wins the two categories on the same night.
Veteran actors Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo were also honoured with the Industry Merit Award for their long-standing contributions to African cinema.
Below is the full list of winners from the 2026 ceremony:
Performance Categories
- 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
Major Awards
- Best Overall Movie: My Father’s Shadow
- Best Director: Akinola Davies Jr. – My Father’s Shadow
- Best Short Film: Hussaini
- Best Documentary: Beyond Olympic Glory
Special Recognition Awards
- Trailblazer Award: Uche Montana
- Industry Merit Award: Sola Sobowale and Kanayo O. Kanayo
Technical Excellence
- Best Cinematography: Jermaine Edwards – My Father’s Shadow
- Best Editing: Daniel Anyiam – To Kill A Monkey
- Best Sound Design: Pius Fatoke, CJ Mirra – My Father’s Shadow
- Best Music Score: Duval Timothy, CJ Mirra – My Father’s Shadow
- Best Art Direction: Ajamolaya Bunmi – Colours Of Fire
- Best Costume Design: Valerie Okeke – Colours Of Fire
- Best Makeup: Hakeem Effect – Warlord
Writing & Series
- Best Writing (Movie): Wale Davies – My Father’s Shadow
- Best Writing (TV Series): MTV Shuga Mashariki
- Best Scripted Series: Inimba
- Best Unscripted Series: Nigerian Idol
- Best Scripted M-Net Original: The Low Priest
- Best Unscripted M-Net Original: Nigerian Idol S10
- Best Indigenous M-Net Original: Inimba
Indigenous Language Films
- West Africa: Lisabi: A Legend Is Born
- East Africa: Addis Fikir
- South Africa: Tlhaho Ya Mosadi
- North Africa: Artal Alhanin: Our Memories
- Central Africa: Mabanda
Digital & Social
- Best Digital Content Creator: Emmanuel Kanaga & Sophia Chisom
The 2026 AMVCA once again served as a showcase of the evolving strength of African storytelling, celebrating filmmakers, actors and creatives pushing the industry to wider continental and global audiences.
