My Father's Shadow dominated the 12th Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA 2026), securing five major wins including Best Movie, Best Director, Best Writing in a Movie, Best Score/Music, and Best Sound/Sound Design. The film's clean sweep marked it as the night's most celebrated project. To Kill a Monkey and Colours of Fire followed closely, each claiming three awards. To Kill a Monkey won Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor, while Colours of Fire took home Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, and Best Lead Actor. Lisabi (A Legend Is Born) earned two wins, one of which was for Best Makeup, credited to Adeola Thelma Bamgboye. Inimba also secured two awards, including Best Art Direction for Thabiso Senne's work.
Valerie Okeke won Best Costume Design for her work on Colours of Fire, beating entries from The Serpent's Gift, The Real Housewives of Lagos (S3), Something About The Briggs, and To Kill a Monkey. Adeola Thelma Bamgboye was recognized again in Best Makeup, winning for Lisabi (A Legend Is Born) over competitors including Hakeem Onilogbo and Ruth Harcourt. Kabelo Thathe received Best Cinematography for To Kill a Monkey, edging out Jermaine Edwards of My Father's Shadow. The Best Writing TV Series award went to MTV Shuga Masahariki, credited to Annette Shadeya, Natasha Likimani, Mkamzee Mwatela, Arnold Mwanjila, and Makgano Mamabolo.
Pius Fatoke and CJ Mirra won Best Sound/Sound Design for My Father's Shadow, while Ajamolaya Bunmi took Best Art Direction for the same category on Colours of Fire. The Best Writing in a Movie award was won by the team behind My Father's Shadow, completing its quintet of victories.
My Father's Shadow swept five awards at AMVCA 2026, including Best Movie and Best Director, yet none of its wins acknowledged acting performances. The film's dominance in technical and creative categories exposes a gap between storytelling execution and on-screen delivery. An absence of acting nominations suggests the production prioritized craft over performance. This imbalance raises questions about how fully the film achieved its narrative ambitions.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
