Nollywood filmmaker and actress Funke Akindele left the 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards without a win despite her movie Behind the Scenes receiving four major nominations.
The film, which reportedly grossed over ₦2 billion at the Nigerian box office, was nominated in several key categories, including Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Lead Actress, and Best Movie.
However, the project failed to secure victory in any of the categories during Saturday’s ceremony held at Eko Hotel and Suites.
One of the biggest winners of the night was actress Linda Ejiofor, who took home two awards.
Linda won Best Lead Actress for her role in The Serpent’s Gift and also secured Best Supporting Actress for The Herd.
Meanwhile, Uzor Arukwe won Best Lead Actor for his performance in Colors of Fire, marking his first AMVCA victory.
Bucci Franklin clinched the Best Supporting Actor award for To Kill a Monkey, beating fellow nominees including Femi Adebayo for Agesinkole 2, Gabriel Afolayan for Colors of Fire, Uzor Arukwe for Behind the Scenes, and Lateef Adedimeji for Red Circle.
The highly coveted Best Movie award went to My Father’s Shadow, directed by Akinola Davies Jr.
The film had already made history earlier after becoming the first Nigerian production selected for the official competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Veteran actors Kanayo O. Kanayo and Sola Sobowale were honored with the Industry Merit Award for their long-standing contributions to Nollywood.
Actress Uche Montana received the Trailblazer Award, while makeup artiste Hakeem Onilogbo won Best Makeup.
Other notable winners included Lisabi: A Legend Is Born, produced by Lateef Adedimeji, which secured Best Indigenous Language Film (West Africa).
Leave To Live by Emmanuel Kanaga and Sophia Chisom also won Best Digital Content Creator.
Comedian Bovi Ugboma and South African actress Nomzamo Mbatha hosted the ceremony.
Despite leaving without a trophy, Behind the Scenes remained one of the most commercially successful and widely discussed films of the year, with many fans online arguing that its box office impact alone reflected its strong influence on Nollywood audiences.
