Lateef Adedimeji, Tina Mba, Ruby Akubueze shine at 2025 AMAA awards

AMAA award winners

Lateef Adedimeji, Tina Mba, Ruby Akubueze shine at 2025 AMAA awards

The 2025 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) celebrated the best of African cinema on Sunday, honouring outstanding films and talents from across the continent at a glittering ceremony held at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

Now in its 21st edition, the prestigious awards night drew top filmmakers, actors, cultural icons, and international guests, reaffirming AMAA’s status as Africa’s biggest celebration of film excellence.

South Africa’s “The Heart Is a Muscle” emerged as the overall winner, clinching Best Film, along with awards for Cinematography, Editing, and Best Debut Feature for director Imran Hamdulay.

Nigeria’s “3 Cold Dishes”, a multilingual thriller co-produced by Burna Boy and Osas Ighodaro, also recorded multiple wins, including Best Nigerian Film and Best Young/Promising Actor for Ruby Akubueze.

Lateef Adedimeji received the Best Actor in a Leading Role award for his remarkable performance in Lisabi: The Uprising, while Tina Mba was honoured as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Serpent Gift.

Burkina Faso’s “Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions” won three major categories — Best Film in an African Language, Best Screenplay, and Best Costume Design — highlighting the growing influence of Francophone African cinema.

The ceremony also paid tribute to African film practitioners who passed away between January and November 2025 and featured lively musical performances that added colour to the night.

Full List of Winners

Best Nigerian Film (NFVCB Award): 3 Cold Dishes
Best Young/Promising Actor: Ruby Akubueze – 3 Cold Dishes
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Clemento Ashietey – Last Stop
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Tina Mba – The Serpent Gift
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Lateef Adedimeji – Lisabi: The Uprising
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Florence Mariserena – Small Gods
Best Debut Feature (Director): The Heart Is a Muscle – Imran Hamdulay
Best Director: Dany Kouyaté – Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)
Best Film: The Heart Is a Muscle – South Africa
Best Film in an African Language: Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions – Burkina Faso
Best Short Film (Eferé Ozako Award): The Missing Piece – Kenya
Best Animation (Jubril Malafia Award): Dawn – Cameroun
Best Documentary: The Journey East – DRC
Best Diaspora Short: Cartes – USA
Best Film by an African Living Abroad (Michael Anyiam Osigwe Award): Ancestral Visions of the Future – Lesotho/France/Germany
Achievement in Costume Design: Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions
Achievement in Sound: Algiers
Best Diaspora Documentary: Rediscovering Fenon – USA/Algeria/Martinique
Best Diaspora Narrative Feature: Romeo N Juliet 4EVA – Jamaica
Achievement in Production Design: 3 Cold Dishes
Achievement in Make-up: Lisabi: The Uprising
Achievement in Soundtrack: Old Righteous Blues
Achievement in Visual Effects: For Land, For Love, For Power
Achievement in Cinematography: The Heart Is a Muscle
Achievement in Editing: The Heart Is a Muscle
Achievement in Screenplay: Katanga: Dance of the Scorpions – Burkina Faso

The 2025 AMAA reaffirmed its reputation as a vital platform for celebrating African storytelling, inspiring filmmakers to push creative boundaries and amplify the continent’s cultural voice on the global stage.