There is a reason people say a great film starts with a great director.

The actors bring the characters to life, yes, but it is the director who decides what that life looks like, how a scene feels, what the camera lingers on and whether a story lands or falls flat.

At the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, the biggest film and television awards on the continent, the Best Director category carries that understanding. Winning it does not just celebrate a film, it celebrates a vision.

The12th edition of the AMVCA holds on 9 May 2026 in Lagos, and this year's Best Director shortlist is one of the most interesting in recent memory. What makes it stand out is the range, a living legend sharing a category with a first-time director, a quiet storyteller up against bold, high-scale filmmaking. Six nominees, very different paths and one award.

The Nominees

1. Tunde Kelani — Cordelia

If there is one name on this list that needs no introduction, it is Tunde Kelani.

Decades in the industry, a body of work that has helped define what Nigerian cinema looks like. His latest, Cordelia, an adaptation of Professor Femi Osofisan's work is exactly the kind of conscious, culturally rooted filmmaking TK has always been known for. A nomination for Tunde Kelani is not a surprise, it is just the work finding him, again.

2. Akinola Davies Jr — My Father's Shadow

Akinola Davies Jr.'s debut feature has been turning heads globally since its release, picking up awards and recognition on the international circuit. My Father's Shadow tells a deeply Nigerian story, and the fact that a debut film earned its director a Best Director nomination says everything about the quality of the work.

3. James Omokwe — Osamede

Osamede is ambitious – scale, history, and myth woven together into something that demands your full attention.James Omokwe has been around, but this nomination feels like a step into a bigger conversation.

4. Daniel Etim Effiong — The Herd

Most Nigerians know Daniel Etim Effiong as an actor.

The Herd is his directorial debut and it is already a Best Director nominee at the AMVCA. The film digs into the everyday realities that many Nigerians are currently living through, and the nomination proves that the transition from actor to director has been anything but ordinary.

5. Yemi Filmboy Morafa — Gingerrr

Yemi Filmboy Morafa took on a star-studded cast and a story about women, family dynamics, friendship, and betrayal and pulled it off. Gingerrr has an energy that feels very much alive, and directing that kind of film without letting it collapse under its own weight is no small thing.

6. Asurf Amuwa Oluseyi — 3 Cold Dishes

   

Asurf Oluseyi Amuwa works quietly, which is perhaps what makes his films hit differently.3 Cold Dishes follows three women from three different African countries, and his approach, mood-driven, character-first, letting silence carry weight earned him a spot in this category. A recognition that the industry's loudest voices are not always its most important ones.

Who Takes It Home?

Between a legend, two debut directors, and storytellers working at very different scales, this category is genuinely hard to call and that is exactly what makes it worth watching.

The 2026 AMVCA will be held on 9 May in Lagos and this is one of the nights' most compelling conversations.