Regal Film Festival and Awards (REFFA) Unveils Nominees for 2026 Awards.

The Regal Film Festival and Awards (REFFA) announced its nominees for the 2026 edition last night at the Accra Marriott Hotel, putting some of the best of African cinema in the spotlight.

The announcement honours filmmakers from across the continent and the diaspora. A total of 314 submissions from 36 countries were reviewed by the Academy of Screeners and Jury to settle on the deserving nominees. These nominees would compete across categories that honour feature films, short films, documentaries, animation and African language films.

Speaking at the event, Selassie Ibrahim, Executive Director and Founder of REFFA, praised the quality of this year’s entries. “This second edition proves that the calibre of our filmmaking is reaching unstoppable heights”, she said.

REFFA made its debut in 2025, when its awards night at the Palms Convention Centre, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, drew filmmakers, actors and industry stakeholders from Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco and beyond. The festival has since positioned itself as a pan-African hub for creative exchange, combining film screenings, masterclasses and networking with its glamorous awards gala.

Among this year’s nominees are Kenya’s official submission to the Oscars, One Woman, One Bra.

The full list of nominees is below:

Best Student Documentary

• Shadows of the Past (Ghana)
• Fiashidi (Ghana)
• Asanti Nyuki (Kenya)
• Forged Scrap (Ghana)

Best Student Short Film

• Echoes from Home (Ghana)
• Her Dark Past (Nigeria)
• Rekiya (Nigeria)
• Blind Pursuit (United States)
• Unfinished Ride (Ghana)

Best Student Animation

• Nzo (Ghana)
• Smokes and Mirrors (Ghana)

Best YouTube / Web Film

• Monica (Nigeria)
• Me, You and Luna (Nigeria)
• Local Trouble (Nigeria)
• A Mother’s Bargain (Nigeria)
• Heaven Must Wait (Nigeria)
• Trails of Olaide (Nigeria)

Best Short Film

• 1992 (Kenya)
• The House That Never Sleeps (South Africa)
• Almost Forever (Ghana)
• Dictatrix (Ghana/United States)
• Mfuko the Duffle Bag (Uganda)
• Jimbi (Uganda)
• Ashes of Accra (Ghana)

Best Diasporan Film

• Echoes From The Past (United Kingdom)
• Dictatrix (United States)
• Destination Ghana – PIM (Belgium)
• Don’t Whistle at Night (Belgium)
• Dreaming of Serenada (Denmark)

Best International Film

• The Border (Italy)
• Blind Pursuit (United States)
• Dhakira (France)
• Ancheseliodio (Italy)

Most Promising Actor

• Jackline Nafula – Slum Bomber (Uganda)
• Gadede Segbefia – No Man of God (Ghana)
• Gbubemi Ejeye – Black Pepper (Nigeria)
• Michelle Lemuya Ikeny – Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• Evangelista Adjei – Amenfi (Ghana)
• Larabie Dimzoure – Unvirtous (Burkina Faso)
• Simon Peter Walusimbi – Nkinzi (Uganda)

Best Child Actor

• Lubowa Mayra Ariana – Nkinzi (Uganda)
• Michelle Lemuya Ikeny – Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• Joel Liwan – Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• Royal Aziomaku – Alechenu (Nigeria)
• Averie Dzama – No Man of God (Ghana)
• Ijelu Folajimi – Son of the Soil (Nigeria)

Best Animation

• Tumi (Ghana)
• Lion Gwoza (Nigeria)
• The Travials of Ajadi (Nigeria)
• Selase’s Adventure (Ghana)
• The Rusty Fish (Iran)
• Lice And Shine (Uganda)

Best Documentary

• Mama Nike: Queen of Adire (Nigeria)
• Prisoner in My Mind (South Africa)
• We Won’t Let You Poison Us (Ghana)
• The Journalist Who Never Came Home (Nigeria)
• Shining A Light on Lupus (Uganda)

Best Comedy Film

• Vibes – The Movie (Ghana)
• Family Brouhaha (Nigeria)
• Local Trouble (Nigeria)
• Boda Love (Kenya)
• Three for Trouble (Nigeria)
• Dorathy (Nigeria)

Best TV Series

• Damalie (Uganda)
• House of Klu (Ghana)
• La Coach (Côte d’Ivoire)
• Hustle (Nigeria)
• With You Every Moment (Ghana)
• Big Boys (Ghana)
• After The Ashes (Uganda)

Best Debut Film

• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Luc Gnepa
• Two (Ghana) – Nana Kofi Asihene
• Vibes – The Movie (Ghana) – Nicholas “Big Ghun” Nartey
• One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria) – Vincho Nchogu
• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Maureen Mona Jolly
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Ampong Kwaku Kwakye
• Somewhere Near Love (Nigeria) – Gbolahan Gafar

Best Indigenous Language Film

• Amenfi (Ghana)
• Adui (Uganda)
• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria)
• Sika Fra Mogya (Ghana)

Best Ghanaian Film

• No Man of God
• Two
• Amenfi
• Vibes – The Movie

Achievement in Casting

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Roman Pogorzelski
• Two (Ghana) – Nana Gyasi Owusu & Richmond Ofori
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Ampong Kwaku Kwakye
• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Maureen Mona Jolly
• Boda Love (Kenya) – Florence Nduta

Achievement in Costume Design

• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Valerie Okeke
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Raymonde Lozo
• Two (Ghana) – Aphua Larbi-Amoah
• One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria) – Vincho Nchogu, Fatuo Hassan, Neema Mbeti Ithea
• Amenfi (Ghana) – Lucy Opoku
• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Vivian Njeri Kimotho
• Evi (Nigeria) – Kingsley Okoye Rex

Achievement in Hair & Make-up

• Evi (Nigeria) – Tolu Obadipe & Carina Ojoko
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Alakpa Uduoghene Beautifly
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Madjeneba Diomande
• Amenfi (Ghana) – Frederick Boateng
• Adui (Uganda) – Micheal Wawuyo Snr
• Heaven Must Wait (Nigeria) – Maureen Ifezue

Achievement in Production Design

• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Suuna Abubakar
• Amenfi (Ghana) – Emanuel Owusu Sarpong
• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Erixon Kangethe
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Franck-Lionel Groude
• The Creek (Nigeria) – Toka Mcbaror
• Two (Ghana) – Nana Kofi Asihene
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Ayanmo Yakub

Achievement in Soundtrack

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Apuu Mourine & Amadeus Indetzki
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Gbenga Akinnola
• Evi (Nigeria) – Tolu Obanro
• Vibes – The Movie (Ghana) – Nicholas “Big Ghun” Nartey
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Tito Marshall Gomez

Achievement in Sound

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Roman Pogorzelski
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Adam Songbird
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Tito Marshall Gomez
• Vibes – The Movie (Ghana) – Nicholas “Big Ghun” Nartey
• Two (Ghana) – Ivan Ayitey
• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Andrew Ahuurra
• Son of the Soil (Nigeria) – Tolu Obanro

Achievement in Visual Effects

• The Creek (Nigeria)
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Peter Kojo Sampah
• Black Pepper (Nigeria) – Banjo Ayodele
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria)
• Son of the Soil (Nigeria) – Steve Askey

Achievement in Cinematography

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya, Nigeria) – Klaus Kneist, Mwende Renata
• Two (Ghana) – John Kwame Markin
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Kelly Doe & Eric Oppong Appiah
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Barnabas Emordi Barny
• The Creek (Nigeria) – Tolu Timilehin
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Mandione Laye Ka, Moussa Diallo, Elie Josue Dabire
• Evi (Nigeria) – Barnabas Emordi Barny

Achievement in Editing

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Tobias Schmutzler
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Dolapo Adigun
• Son of the Soil (Nigeria) – Alistair Cave
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Penda Ndiaye
• The Creek (Nigeria) – Toka Mcbaror
• Two (Ghana) – Mohammed Abdul Majeed
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Magdalene Morton

Achievement in Screenplay

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Kevin Schmutzler & Tobias Schmutzler
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Ampong Kwaku Kwakye
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Amadou Koné
• Unvirtous (Burkina Faso) – Chloé Aïcha Boro
• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Nanfuka Rehema & Musa Luswata
• Boda Love (Kenya) – Grace Irungu & Janet Wells
• One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria) – Vincho Nchogu

Best Supporting Actor (Female)

• Bamike Olawunmi – No Man of God (Ghana)
• Michelle Tiren – Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• Maud Guerard – Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire)
• Dela Seade – Two (Ghana)

Best Supporting Actor (Male)

• Adjetey Anang – No Man of God (Ghana)
• Uzor Arukwe – Evi (Nigeria)
• Samuel Kabugo – Slum Bomber (Uganda)
• Kelechi Udegbe – The Creek (Nigeria)
• Ochungo Obiero – Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• Senanu Gbedawo – Two (Ghana)

Best Actor (Female)

• Michelle Lemuya Ikeny – Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya)
• Gadede Segbefia – No Man of God (Ghana)
• Jackline Nafula – Slum Bomber (Uganda)
• Uche Montana – Monica (Nigeria)
• Armande Lo – Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire)
• Osas Ighodaro – Safari (Nigeria)
• Sarah Karei – One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria)

Best Actor (Male)

• Ephriam Oka Kouakou – Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire)
• Majid Michel – No Man of God (Ghana)
• Bucci Franklin – The Creek (Nigeria)
• Gideon Boakye – Two (Ghana)
• Murunyu Duncan Mungai – Boda Love (Kenya)
• Fredrick Leonard – Heaven Must Wait (Nigeria)
• Emmanuel Mugo – Safari (Nigeria)

Best Director

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler, Tobias Schmutzler
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Luc Gnepa
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Ampong Kwaku Kwakye
• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Maureen Mona Jolly
• One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria) – Vincho Nchogu
• Son of the Soil (Nigeria) – Chee Keong Cheung
• Two (Ghana) – Nana Kofi Asihene

Best Picture

• Nawi – Dear Future Me (Kenya) – Caroline Heim, Brizan Were, Lydia Wrensch
• No Man of God (Ghana) – Ampong Kwaku Kwakye
• Colors of Fire (Nigeria) – Osas Ighodaro
• Ebinto (Côte d’Ivoire) – Charly Kodjo
• One Woman One Bra (Kenya, Nigeria) – Josh Olaaluwa, Esther de Rothschild
• Two (Ghana) – Nana Kofi Asihene, Aphua Larbi-Amoah, Louis Lamis, Isaac “Yaw Skyface” Mensah, John “Kwame Black” Markin
• Slum Bomber (Uganda) – Maureen Mona Jolly

The festival and its programming under the theme ‘Reimagining Africa: Stories Beyond Borders’ kick off on the 8th of December with the opening ceremony. The winners will be revealed at the 2026 awards night on 12th December 2026 at the Palms Convention Centre, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel. Last year’s Best Picture winner took home a brand new car, and organisers have hinted at more surprising prizes for 2026 winners.

Beyond the awards, REFFA 2026 will include several industry and cultural events. The REFFA X Blue Pictures Entertainment Content Market will let filmmakers and producers showcase films, television series, documentaries, animation and digital content through exhibition booths. It will connect them with buyers, distributors, broadcasters, aggregators and investors.

A dedicated Regal Vault within the market will let producers with completed projects screen their work directly for industry decision-makers, helping them move toward distribution, broadcast, streaming and international markets. The festival will also host a Make a Deal Forum, where selected creators will pitch their projects to investors, financiers and other industry partners. For the cultural side of the festival, the REFFA Cultural Night will celebrate African heritage through music, dance, fashion and food on 11th of December 2026.

Filmmakers, fans and industry players can follow REFFA on social media / visit the website for updates, screening information and festival activities leading up to the big night.