“The Heart Is a Muscle”, “Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions”, “3 Cold Dishes” Lead 2025 AMAA Winners + Full List of Winners

South Africa’s The Heart Is a Muscle tied for the highest wins with Burkina Faso’s Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions. 

By Vivian Nneka Nwajiaku

The winners of the twenty-first edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) were announced in Lagos on Sunday night, 9th November, 2025, with seventeen films winning awards in a total of twenty-six categories.

South Africa’s The Heart Is a Muscle, directed by Imran Hamdulay, emerged as the biggest winner, with four awards: Best Film, Best Debut Feature by a Director, Achievement in Cinematography, and Achievement in Editing. The Heart Is a Muscle tied for the highest wins with Burkina Faso’s Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Katanga, la Danse des Scorpions), directed by Dani Kouyaté.

Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions, which led the nominations, won Best Director, Achievement in Screenplay, Achievement in Costume Design, and the Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language.

Following closely was 3 Cold Dishes, the pan-African film directed by Nigerian filmmaker Asurf Oluseyi, which earned Achievement in Production design and the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Award for Best Nigerian Film. Nigerian actor, Ruby Akubueze, also won Best Young/Promising Actor for her performance in 3 Cold Dishes, winning for the first time after being nominated in the same category at the 2024 AMAAs.

Nigeria’s Lisabi: The Uprising, directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, also stood out with two wins: Achievement in Makeup and Best Actor in a Leading Role, awarded to Adedimeji Lateef. In the other main acting categories, Uganda’s Florence Mariserena was named Best Actress in a Leading Role for Small Gods; Nigeria’s Tina Mba won Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Serpent’s Gift; and Ghana’s Clement Ashiteye took home Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Last Stop.

For the first time, a special honour called AMAA Connect was presented to five recipients for outstanding achievement in their respective fields. Nigerian dancer Dr. Kaffy (Kafayat Oluwatoyin Shafau) was recognised for dance and choreography; comedian Ali Baba for comedy; AFRIMA CEO Mike Dada for his work in creating platforms for African musicians; Ivorian football legend Didier Drogba for football and charity; and filmmaker Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen for his thirty years of contribution to the film industry.

Below is the full list of AMAA 2025 winners.

Efere Ozako Award for Best Short Film

• The Missing Piece (Kenya)
• Vandals (Mozambique)
• Echoes from the Past (Nigeria/UK)
• Abu Judy (Egypt)
• Chikha – Queen (Morocco)
• MIA (Burkina Faso)
• Stigma (Tunisia)
• Lees Waxul (Senegal) – Winner
• The Last Harvest (Cape Verde)

Jubril Malafia Award for Best Animation

• Dawn (Cameroon)
• My Brother, My Brother (Egypt/France/Germany)  – Winner
• The Travails of Ajadi (Nigeria)
• Nkizzi’s First Day (Uganda)
• Amara and the Spirit of Nyamagunda (Uganda)
• Monologue (Nigeria/UK)

Best Documentary

• The Journey East (Democratic Republic of Congo)
• Double Minority (Nigeria)
• The Empty Grave (Tanzania/UK)
• Khartoum (Sudan/UK) – Winner
• Ancestral Visions of the Future (Lesotho/France/Germany)

Best Diaspora Short Film

• Cartes (USA)
• Superman Doesn’t Steal (USA) – Winner
• Harvest (USA)

Best Diaspora Documentary

• The Billy Preston Story (USA)
• Carnival: They Can’t Steal Our Joy (Canada)
• Missing Rio Doce (Brazil/France)
• Rediscovering Fanon (US/Algeria/Martinique)  – Winner

Best Diaspora Narrative Feature

• Sistermaids (Brazil)
• Romeo N Juliet 4EVA (Jamaica)  – Winner
• The Model, The Mannequin and Me (USA)

Ousmane Sembene Award for Best Film in an African Language

• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso) – Winner
• Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• Lukas (Namibia)
• Lobola Man (South Africa)
• Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
• The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa)

Michael Anyiam Osigwe Award for Best Film by an African Living Abroad

• Ancestral Visions of the Future, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (Lesotho/France/Germany)  – Winner
• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions, Dani Kouyaté (Burkina Faso)
• Khartoum, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad (Sudan/UK)

Achievement in Production Design

• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)
• The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa)
• 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)  – Winner
• Last Stop (Ghana)
• Red Circle (Nigeria)

Achievement in Costume Design

• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)  – Winner

• The Lost Days (Nigeria)
• The Masked King (Nigeria)
• The Serpent’s Gift (Nigeria)
• Hunting Jessica Brok (South Africa)

Achievement in Makeup

• Spelonk (South Africa)
• Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria) – Winner
• Amanyanabo: The Eagle King (Nigeria)
• The Masked King (Nigeria)
• The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa)

Achievement in Soundtrack

• Recall (Nigeria)
• Freedom Way (Nigeria)
• Old Righteous Blues (South Africa)  – Winner
• Kites (South Africa)
• Le Pont – The Bridge (Tunisia)

Achievement in Visual Effect

• For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia) – Winner
• Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
• Spelonk (South Africa)
• Hunting Jessica Brok (South Africa)
• Amanyanabo: The Eagle King (Nigeria)

Achievement in Sound

• Algiers (Algeria) – Winner

• Old Righteous Blues (South Africa)
• Le Pont – The Bridge (Tunisia)
• Hunting Jessica Brok (South Africa)
• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)

Achievement in Cinematography

• 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)
• Old Righteous Blues (South Africa)
• Spelonk (South Africa)
• Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa) – Winner
• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)

Achievement in Editing

• For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• Spelonk (South Africa)
• The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa) – Winner
• 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)
• Algiers (Algeria)

Achievement in Screenplay

• Old Righteous Blues (South Africa)
• Le Pont – The Bridge (Tunisia)
• For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• Red Circle (Nigeria)
• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso) – Winner

National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Award for Best Nigerian Film

• Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
• Recall (Nigeria)
• Freedom Way (Nigeria)
• The Serpent’s Gift (Nigeria)
• Amanyanabo: The Eagle King (Nigeria)
• 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria) – Winner
• Red Circle (Nigeria)
• The Masked King (Nigeria)

Best Young/Promising Actor

• Alejandro Cooper, Lukas (Namibia)
• Turinayo Jotham, Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• Tiwalola Adebola-Walter, Freedom Way (Nigeria)
• Kosi Ogborueche, Kill Boro (Nigeria)
• Ruby Akubueze, 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria) – Winner

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Kojo Boakye, Two of a Kind (Ghana)
• Femi Jacobs, Freedom Way (Nigeria)
• Clement Ashiteye “Clemento Suarez”, Last Stop (Ghana) – Winner
• Abdulai Saidu Kamara, Code of Honour (Sierra Leone)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Zohra Chetioui, Le Pont – The Bridge (Tunisia)
• Tina Mba, The Serpent’s Gift (Nigeria) – Winner
• Fadela Brown, Old Righteous Blues (South Africa)
• Bukky Wright, Red Circle (Nigeria)

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Keenan Arrison, The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa)
• Debebe Eshetu, For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• Adjetey Anang, Last Stop (Ghana)
• Lateef Adedimeji, Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria) – Winner
• Ayden Croy, Old Righteous Blues (South Africa)
• Bizimana Hussain, Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• Mahamadi Nana, Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)
• Nabil Asli, Algiers (Algeria)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Linda Ejiofor-Suleiman, The Serpent’s Gift (Nigeria)
• Analisa Munyana, Mucoma: The Battle of the Couple (Rwanda)
• Shaffy Bello, The Masked King (Nigeria)
• Danica De La Ray Jones, Hunting Jessica Brok (South Africa)
• Getahun Hailu, For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• Florence Mariserena, Small Gods (Uganda/UK) – Winner
• Meriem Medjkane, Algiers (Algeria)
• Osas Ighodaro, Fat Toure and Maud Guerard, 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)

Best Debut Feature by a Director

• The Lost Days, Wingonia Ikpi (Nigeria)
• Small Gods, Asher Rosen (Uganda/UK)
• Algiers, Chakib Taleb-Bendiab (Algeria)
• Kill Boro, Obayuwana Courage (Nigeria)
• The Heart Is a Muscle, Imran Hamdulay (South Africa) – Winner
• Freedom Way, Afolabi Olalekan (Nigeria)

Best Director

• Niyi Akinmolayan, Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)
• Imran Hamdulay, The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa)
• Asurf Oluseyi, 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)
• Asher Rosen, Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• Theodros Teshome, For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• Dani Kouyaté, Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso) – Winner
• Kwabena Gyansah, Last Stop (Ghana)
• Chakib Taleb-Bendiab, Algiers (Algeria)

Best Film

• Algiers (Algeria)
• 3 Cold Dishes (Nigeria)
• The Heart Is a Muscle (South Africa) – Winner
• Small Gods (Uganda/UK)
• For Love, For Land, For Power (Ethiopia)
• Katanga: The Dance of the Scorpions (Burkina Faso)
• Last Stop (Ghana)
• Lisabi: The Uprising (Nigeria)