Your Weekend Watchlist: 5 AMVCA-Nominated Films You Need to See Now

Funke Akindele and Iyabo Ojo laughing in coordinated blue and gold traditional lace outfits with elaborate yellow geles for the film Behind The Scenes. Photo Credit: Funke Akindele/Instagram 

The 12th AMVCA ceremony is on 9 May 2026, which means we are well into that sweet spot of pre-awards season where everyone is catching up on the nominated films they missed. And the good news is that you do not need a cinema ticket for any of these five.

Whether you are on Netflix, Prime Video, or Kava TV, there is a nominated film waiting for you this weekend. So make your popcorn, clear your schedule, and start ticking them off.

The Herd — Netflix (9 nominations including Best Movie, Best Director and Best Lead Actress)

If you have not seen “The Herd” yet, this weekend is the moment. Directed by Daniel Etim Effiong in his feature directorial debut and produced by ToriTori Films and FilmOne Studios, the film opens on the happiest day of Derin and Fola’s lives — their wedding — and then in one swift, devastating turn, everything changes.

The newlyweds and their best man Gosi are ambushed and kidnapped by gunmen disguised as cattle herdsmen, and what unfolds is a tense, emotionally grounded thriller about survival, love, and the very specific fear of being trapped in a situation that no one prepared you for. Written by Lani Aisida, the film stars Daniel Etim Effiong, Genoveva Umeh, Linda Ejiofor, Kunle Remi, Mercy Aigbe, Lateef Adedimeji, Tina Mba, Deyemi Okanlawon, Norbert Young and Amal Umar. It arrived on Netflix in November 2025 after a successful cinema run.

To Kill A Monkey — Netflix (8 nominations including Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress and Best Series)

Kemi Adetiba does not make things halfway, and To Kill A Monkey is proof of that. Created, written, directed, and produced by Adetiba alongside her brother Remi Adetiba under the Kemi Adetiba Visuals banner, the eight-episode series follows Efemini, a desperate programmer who reconnects with an old friend and gets pulled into a dangerous world of cybercrime, fraud, and moral compromise. What makes this series so gripping is how it refuses to let you fully condemn its lead — you understand him, even when you cannot excuse him.

It stars William Benson, Bucci Franklin, Bimbo Akintola, Stella Damasus, Michael Ejoor, Chidi Mokeme, Teniola Aladese, and Lilian Afegbai.

Behind The Scenes — Netflix (5 nominations including Best Movie, Best Lead Actress and Best Supporting Actress)

Nollywood’s highest-grossing film of 2025 is now on Netflix and there is genuinely no excuse to have not seen it. Directed by Funke Akindele and Tunde Olaoye, and produced by Funke Akindele and Wendy Uwadiae Imasuen, the film follows Aderonke “Ronky-Fella” Faniran, a successful real estate entrepreneur whose generosity toward her family and friends begins to take a serious toll, forcing her to confront betrayal and rethink everything she thought she knew about the people around her.

The film stars Scarlet Gomez, Funke Akindele, Destiny Etiko, Ibrahim Chatta, Tobi Bakre, Uche Montana, and Iyabo Ojo, and it is the kind of film that will have you nodding along in recognition and then looking at your own circle of friends.

Her Excellency — Kava TV (2 nominations including Best Lead Actress for Sola Sobowale)

If you want something with political fire and a lead performance that absolutely refuses to be ignored, “Her Excellency” is your film this weekend. Directed by Adebayo Tijani and Tope Adebayo Salami, and co-produced by Hawks Studios, Ubee Media, and FilmOne Studios, the film follows the First Lady of the fictional Salim State whose obsessive need for control unravels when a murder investigation begins to expose the deadly secrets she has spent years keeping buried.

The film features Sola Sobowale, Femi Adebayo, Odunlade Adekola, Bimbo Ademoye, Yemi Solade, Kie Kie, Jide Kosoko, Faithia Williams, Muyiwa Ademola, and Aisha Lawal. Sola Sobowale is operating at the very top of her range here, and the film is also a tribute to the legendary Adebayo Salami’s six decades in Nollywood.

Red Circle — Kava TV (2 nominations including Best Lead Actor for Femi Branch)

“Red Circle” is the film that made 26-year-old Nora Awolowo the youngest Nigerian filmmaker to cross ₦100 million at the box office, and it earned every naira of it. Produced by Awolowo’s Rixel Studios, directed by Akay Mason, and written by Abdul Tijani–Ahmed, the film follows investigative journalist Fikayo Holloway as she risks her life to uncover a powerful Lagos crime syndicate, only to find herself drawn into a dangerous world that threatens everything around her.

The cast includes Folu Storms, Bukky Wright, Lateef Adedimeji, Timini Egbuson, Tobi Bakre, Femi Branch, Omowunmi Dada, and Mr Macaroni. It is a sharp, well-constructed thriller that announces a major new producing voice in Nollywood.

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