AMAA 2026: What ‘To Adaego With Love’ and ‘The Herd’ Say About Nollywood’s Moment
To Adaego With Love and The Herd lead Nigeria’s AMAA 2026 Best Film bid as Nollywood’s cinema audience and box-office figures grow.
There is something encouraging about watching Nigerian films travel beyond the cinemas where they first meet their audiences. A story that begins with a local filmmaker, a familiar face, or a difficult Nigerian experience can eventually find itself competing for recognition across an entire continent.
This October, To Adaego With Love and The Herd have given Nollywood another reason to pay attention to the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), securing 11 and 10 nominations, respectively. Their recognition arrives as Nigerian cinema is attracting audiences and generating bigger box-office numbers, raising a question about what the industry is becoming.
Two Films, Different Stories, One Recognition
Directed by Nwamaka Chikezie, To Adaego With Love is a romantic drama set in post-Civil War Nigeria in 1975. It follows Adaego, an Igbo mathematics teacher, and her relationship with a Nigerian soldier, Major Balarobi Agkali. Beneath the romance lies a country still negotiating the wounds of war, mistrust and reconciliation. Its 11 nominations include Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role, recognising work across storytelling and performance.
The Herd, directed by Daniel Etim-Effiong, takes a different route. The crime thriller follows a group of friends whose celebration takes a terrifying turn when they are kidnapped by gunmen disguised as cattle herdsmen. Released in 2025, the film draws on a reality Nigerians know too well: the fear and disruption caused by kidnapping.
Its 10 nominations include Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role. The two films approach different subjects, but both demonstrate how Nigerian filmmakers are turning local histories and contemporary anxieties into cinema with wider relevance.
What AMAA and Nollywood’s Numbers Tell Us
Founded in 2005 by Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, AMAA recognises excellence in African filmmaking, including directing, acting, screenwriting and technical craft. It also creates a platform for films from different countries to compete for continental recognition.
This year, To Adaego With Love and The Herd are two of nine nominees for Best Film. They face productions including South Africa’s The Trek and Ben Made It, Ghana’s The Fisherman, Uganda’s Slum Bomber, and Kenya’s One Woman, One Bra. Uganda’s Slum Bomber and Kenya’s One Woman, One Bra lead the overall nomination count with 14 each.
The timing is notable. In January 2026, Oversabi Aunty crossed ₦1 billion at the Nigerian box office, while industry data reported that the top 10 films grossed approximately ₦2.26 billion in the first half of the year. Those figures suggest growing commercial potential, although box-office success alone does not guarantee sustainability for every filmmaker.
Nollywood’s moment, then, is about more than filling cinema seats. It is about making films that attract audiences, reward creative risks, and remain competitive beyond Nigeria. AMAA’s winners will be announced on November 15, 2026.
Whether either Nigerian contender takes home the top prize remains to be seen, but their nominations already offer a useful measure of the industry’s reach, and a reminder that its next chapter depends on the stories it chooses to tell.