The nominees for this 10th edition were announced on March 24, 2024, with much fanfare.

Among the films that were nominated, Breath of Life, Over the Bridge, and Mami Wata emerged as front-runners.

In the acting categories, there are first-time nominees whose performances show great promise, especially as the voting process in these categories has been changed from public voting to select jury.

See below the first-time nominees in the acting categories ahead of the 2024 AMVCA on Saturday:

Acting is nothing new to Adedoyin, who has consistently put on a fantastic show in movies like October 1, The Bridge and Ile Owo. In Breath of Life, he portrayed young Timi, a talented and accomplished man whose life is cruelly turned upside down when he moves to Nigeria with his wife and daughter in the 1960s. For this role, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. BB Sasore is the director of the film, which is currently available on Prime Video.

Yekini, better known by his stage name Itele D Icon, started acting in 2000. He has been in numerous films, such as Omo Ghetto: The Saga and Jagun Jagun (The Warrior), in which he played Gbogunmi. For this role, he was nominated for the first time for an AMVCA in the Best Supporting Actor category. Moses Inwang is the director of the film, which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Chikere was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Legbe, in the Netflix film, Blood Vessel, directed by Moses Inwang. The film follows Legbe and five others as they desperately flee their oil-polluted and politically unstable town. In a bid for a brighter future, they had to hide on a ship smuggling stolen oil, unknowingly putting themselves in grave danger as they faced a treacherous journey across the Atlantic.

Beyond Ewenla’s work as a producer and a broadcaster, he has been featured in multiple films. This year he secured his first AMVCA nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Ayorode in the film, Over the Bridge. The film tells the story of a man’s journey while grappling with his emotional state and the quest to rediscover purpose in the midst of internal and external pressures.

Adelana’s role in the Netflix film, Ijogbon (The Chaos), directed by Kunle Afolayan, earned her a well-deserved nomination for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s AMVCA. The film tells the story of four teenagers living in a remote village called Oyo Oke, whose lives take an unexpected turn when they stumble upon a pouch containing uncut diamonds.

Onojaife has built a filmography showcasing her acting talents in films such as When The Living Is Dead, Brotherhood and Domitilla. Her portrayal of Ibukun in the film, The Origin: Madam Koi-Koi, which tells the tale of a vengeful spirit who haunts the hallways of boarding schools, marked a breakthrough moment for her. The performance earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at this year’s AMVCA.

Ezekiel’s performance as Abbey in the Netflix film Blood Vessels, directed by Inwang, earned him an AMVCA nomination for the first time in the Best Lead Actor category this year.

With her outstanding performance in the Netflix film Blood Vessels, Dibor was nominated for an AMVCA for Best Lead Actress, her first nomination. In the film, Dibor portrayed Oyin, the girlfriend of David Ezekiel‘s character Abbey, who becomes pregnant unexpectedly and has to deal with her father’s wrath.