To Adaego with Love has taken the overall Best Film award at the Africa Films for Impact Festival in Abuja, according to NTA’s report published early on 31 October 2026. The recognition brings fresh attention to a Nigerian drama concerned with the difficult relationship between private lives and the aftermath of war.

The festival, known as AFFIF, ran from 28 to 30 October. Its official website identifies its focus as human rights and social-justice filmmaking, combining screenings with professional development and opportunities for emerging filmmakers. That setting matters when interpreting an award: it tells audiences something about the conversation in which a film is being recognised.

The awards and the story

NTA reports that the film received the overall Best Film, Jury’s Choice, alongside narrative-film and cinematography honours. Its account also names Chisom Agoawuike and Adam Garba as the female and male acting winners, and reports a screenplay honour for Brenda Ogbukaa-Garba.

The broadcaster describes a story set after the Nigerian Civil War, following an army officer’s reconciliation assignment in Enugu and his relationship with a local teacher. That is a synopsis attributed to the reporting, not a claim that this article has independently reviewed the finished film.

The film’s subject places public reconciliation within an intimate relationship. As an analytical proposition, that combination can give audiences a way into a national history through the choices of individual characters. Whether a particular film succeeds artistically still requires an encounter with the work itself; an award announcement is not a substitute for criticism.

A separate awards conversation is already under way

BellaNaija reported on 21 October that To Adaego With Love, directed by Nwamaka Chikezie, received eleven nominations for the 2026 Africa Movie Academy Awards. Its published list includes Best Film and directing recognition.

Those are AMAA nominations, not additional wins at AFFIF. They belong to a different awards organisation and should remain distinct in reporting and promotional material. The new development is the Abuja festival result; the earlier nominations explain why the film was already attracting attention.

For a producer or distributor, that distinction has practical value. A clear account of which institution recognised which element of the work is more useful than a single inflated description of an award-winning film. It gives programmers and audiences a reliable basis for deciding what they want to explore.

Recognition can open a door to an audience

RIM’s analysis is that festival recognition becomes most useful when it supports an intelligible route to the film. An interested viewer needs to know where it can be seen, what languages or access arrangements are available, and whether a screening includes space for conversation.

The sources reviewed here do not establish a new distribution agreement arising from the AFFIF result. Nor does the award automatically indicate commercial performance. Recognition, availability and audience response are related stages, but they measure different things.

That matters particularly for historically rooted stories travelling across borders. Some viewers may know the relevant history closely; others may need context. A screening introduction or carefully prepared discussion can help without telling the audience what conclusion to reach.

RIM’s guide to planning an African film screening explores the audience-first approach behind that work. The question is not simply whether a film has a prize, but what kind of encounter a programme can create around it.

Beyond a single winning title

AFFIF’s stated combination of films, fellowship activity and discussion also points to the infrastructure behind recognition. Emerging practitioners need chances to develop projects and meet people who can engage with their work.

The immediate achievement belongs to the film and its credited team. The wider opportunity is to use that attention accurately: identify the story, acknowledge the people who made it and help audiences find a legitimate way to watch. That is how an awards headline can become the start of a longer conversation rather than its end.

Why this matters

A new festival result can help an African film reach programmers and audiences beyond its initial setting. To Adaego with Love’s reported AFFIF success is particularly relevant to conversations about cinema, historical memory and reconciliation. Its separate AMAA nominations add context but must not be presented as wins. The next meaningful measure is how audiences can access the work; no new distribution deal is established by the sources used here.

Sources

Topics: Nollywood · AFFIF · To Adaego with Love · African cinema · Film awards

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