Why Is Kannywood Falling Behind at the 2026 AMVCA Awards?

The 2026 (AMVCA) were held on Saturday, May 9, where the biggest stars and industry professionals gathered to celebrate the awards ceremony.

The (AMVCA) is the most prestigious entertainment event in Africa, hosted annually by Africa Magic.

The event was held at Eko Hotels and Suites and was attended by a large number of celebrities, some accepting awards and others in attendance to congratulate their colleagues.

The Nigerian film industry, known as , usually dominates the awards show, with its actors and films winning numerous awards.

However, there is one segment of the Nigerian film industry that is not seen playing its due role at the event — — the northern Nigerian film industry that mostly produces Hausa-language films.

Although millions of people in West Africa and around the world watch Kannywood movies every day, only one star from the industry was nominated in one of the award categories at this year’s ceremony.

Amal Umar’s Nomination

was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role in the English-language film , which was ultimately won by .

So why is Kannywood being left behind at the AMVCA awards?

Kannywood’s Challenges at the AMVCA

In the past, Kannywood films have won awards at the AMVCA, but they usually win the award reserved for Hausa films.

, a lecturer at the University of Cologne in Germany, said that “there are many problems facing the Kannywood industry both domestically and internationally, but the reason why Kannywood has not been successful at the AMVCA is an external problem, not a domestic one”.

Muhsin, who has been researching and analyzing films, especially Kannywood, said that the industry has failed to unite its forces to achieve the desired success.

“They should be collaborating with southern Nigerian filmmakers, because they are the strongest in all such national programs. Kannywood is still only viewed as a film from the North,” he said.

He said he thought there were big names in Kannywood who should have stepped forward to bridge the gap between Kannywood and Southern Nigerian films.

“However, there is still no tangible success. And until that is done, northerners will not be seen in such cases,” said Dr Muhsin.

Need for Better Collaboration

On what the industry should do to achieve the desired progress, Dr Muhsin said there was a need for Kannywood stakeholders to sit together and involve southerners to work together.

“It is not just Kannywood that needs to improve. Southern Nigerians and the organizers of such major awards should also understand the nature of Hausa films.”

He said that no matter how hard Kannywood actors try to gain recognition, they will not get the results they want unless they get the help of southerners.

“They should understand that there is a Kannywood culture and tradition. It is not necessary to hug and kiss for a film to be good. We cannot do every kind of film they have made. But if we understand each other, we will get more support,” he said.

What Is the Importance of the Awards?

Another interesting thing is how the award attracts attention, which makes some ask what is the point of the award?

In this regard, Dr Muhsin said that although there are film award organizers who give money, most of them are just to show their talent and talent in the film industry.

“And such awards are given all over the world. There are Oscars and others. And even in the future, if a person wins such awards, the filmmaker will always have investors and partners and others,” said Muhsin.

This Year’s Award Winners

This year’s awards ceremony was the 12th edition, and rising southern Nigerian actress was one of the biggest winners.

Winners at the 2026 AMVCA:

• Best Actor –
• Best Supporting Actress –
• Best Supporting Actor –
• Best Film –
• Best Director – for

Kannywood’s Successes in the Past

Previously, there was a special award for films in local languages, with awards for each language such as Hausa, Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, and others.

However, the award for local films has now shifted to Africa, with West Africa and Nigeria winning the award for the film .

In 2023, by won the award in the Hausa category.

In 2018, ’s won the award for Best Hausa Film.

At the 2025 event, the Hausa film was included in the West African local films selected by the AMVCA, but did not win the award later. The film then represented Nigeria at the Oscars.