REFFA Awards 2026 Unveils Nominees, Celebrates African Stories Beyond Borders

The Regal Film Festival and Awards (REFFA) has unveiled its 2026 nominees following its Nomination Announcement Night held on Friday, October 9, at the Accra Marriott Hotel in Accra.

Held under the theme “Reimagining Africa: Stories Beyond Borders,” the event marked another milestone in the festival’s effort to recognize outstanding storytelling, performances and technical achievements within African cinema and the diaspora.

The nominations span a wide range of categories, celebrating productions and creative professionals from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire and other countries, alongside international entries.

Ghanaian films featured prominently in the published nomination list, with No Man of God, Two, Amenfi and Vibes – The Movie appearing in the Best Ghanaian Film category.

The selection also recognizes achievements in areas such as directing, cinematography, screenplay, costume design, production design, sound, editing and visual effects, highlighting the range of creative and technical work that contributes to filmmaking.

In the Best Director category, the nominees include Nana Kofi Asihene for Two and Ampong Kwaku Kwakye for No Man of God, alongside filmmakers representing other African countries.

The Best Picture category features seven nominated productions, including Nawi – Dear Future Me from Kenya, No Man of God from Ghana, Colors of Fire from Nigeria and Ebinto from Côte d’Ivoire.

Beyond feature films, REFFA’s 2026 nominations cover student films, short films, documentaries, animation, comedy, television series and YouTube productions.

The Best TV Series category includes Ghanaian titles House of Klu, With You Every Moment and Big Boys, alongside productions from Uganda, Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria.

The Best Short Film category also features Ghanaian entries such as Almost Forever and Ashes of Accra, competing alongside productions from Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Individual recognition categories highlight performers across the continent. In the Best Actor (Male) category, Ghana’s Majid Michel is nominated for No Man of God, while Gideon Boakye earns a nomination for Two. Ghanaian actor Gadede Segbefia is also listed in the Best Actor (Female) category for No Man of God, as presented in the official nominations document.

The nominations extend to promising actors, child performers and supporting actors, reflecting the festival’s broad approach to recognising talent at different stages of creative development.

With the nominations now announced, attention turns to the festival’s upcoming screenings, industry engagements and awards ceremony, where the selected productions and professionals will compete for recognition.

Through its theme, Reimagining Africa: Stories Beyond Borders, REFFA continues to position African storytelling as a shared creative force capable of connecting audiences across countries, cultures and communities.