Nwamaka Chikezie is a Nigerian filmmaker, screenwriter and director whose feature-film debut, To Adaego With Love, brought her wider recognition in Nollywood. The historical romance earned 11 nominations at the 2026 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), while Chikezie won Best Feature Director and Best First-Time Director at the 2026 Directors Guild of Nigeria (DGN) Awards.
Her journey into feature filmmaking involved several years of working across different areas of production. She developed experience as an assistant director and script supervisor, wrote for film and television, and directed short films before taking on her first feature. These experiences helped her build the practical and creative skills required to lead a full-length production.
Chikezie’s work explores Nigerian experiences, cultural identity and relationships. Her recognition in 2026 has brought attention to a filmmaker whose career began with smaller productions and gradually expanded into feature directing.
Nwamaka Chikezie’s Early Filmmaking Career
Chikezie developed her filmmaking experience through writing, production work and independent projects. Her work as an assistant director and script supervisor exposed her to the different responsibilities involved in bringing a film to the screen. These roles also gave her practical experience with production planning, continuity and collaboration between departments.
Writing formed another important part of her development. Her credits include projects such as Golden Rule, The Session, Tip of the Edge and Love’s Deceit. She also contributed to the Pan-African animated television series Bino and Fino.
Her interest in directing grew alongside this work. Rather than moving straight into feature filmmaking, she developed her skills through shorter productions and continued learning about the demands of directing actors and shaping stories for the screen.
Nwamaka Chikezie’s Short Films
Short films provided Chikezie with opportunities to develop her directing style and take responsibility for individual projects.
One of her notable works is My Mama Na Ashawo, an experimental short film released in 2022. The project received a nomination for Best Short Film at the 2022 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF). It later won the Audience Choice Award and Best Achievement in Juvenile Performance at the 2023 Accra Indie FilmFest Awards.
She also directed Help! and Choices. These projects formed part of her work in short filmmaking before she moved into feature production.
Short films played an important role in her development because they allowed her to explore storytelling on a smaller scale while gaining experience in directing performances and managing production requirements.
To Adaego With Love: Nwamaka Chikezie’s Feature-Film Debut
To Adaego With Love marked a defining stage in Chikezie’s career. Released in 2025, the historical romance was her first feature film as a director. Brenda Ogbukaa-Garuba wrote and produced the film.
Set in 1975, after the Nigerian Civil War, the story follows Major Balarabe Alkali, a Northern Nigerian soldier, and Adaego, an Igbo schoolteacher from the former Eastern region. Their relationship develops in a country still dealing with the consequences of war and deep cultural divisions.
The film uses their relationship to explore love, identity, family expectations and reconciliation. Its historical setting gives the story a wider context, but the central focus remains on the people navigating personal relationships in a society shaped by conflict.
Directing a period film also required attention to the social and cultural details of the time. Chikezie had to guide the performances and visual presentation while ensuring that the characters remained central to the story.
The film premiered at the 2025 Africa International Film Festival, where it won Best Feature Film and Best Screenplay. The recognition gave Chikezie an important milestone as she moved from short films into feature filmmaking.
Nwamaka Chikezie’s DGN Awards 2026 Wins
Chikezie received two major directing honours at the 2026 Directors Guild of Nigeria Awards for To Adaego With Love. She won Best Feature Director and Best First-Time Director at the ceremony held in Lagos on August 21, 2026.
Winning both awards at the same ceremony marked a significant achievement for the filmmaker, particularly because the film was her feature directorial debut. The honours recognised her work in leading the production and translating its historical story into a feature-length drama.
The awards also brought greater attention to her transition from short films and production roles into directing larger projects.
To Adaego With Love at the 2026 AMAA
The film received further recognition when the 2026 Africa Movie Academy Awards announced its nominations. To Adaego With Love earned 11 nominations, making it one of the year’s most recognised Nigerian productions.
Chikezie received nominations for Best Director and Best Debut Feature Film by a Director. The film also competed in the Best Film category, while Chisom Agoawuike earned a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
These nominations extended the film’s recognition beyond its festival premiere and DGN Awards success. They also placed Chikezie among the filmmakers receiving attention at one of Africa’s major film-awards events.
Nwamaka Chikezie’s Directing Style and Creative Interests
Chikezie’s work reflects an interest in stories about people, culture and the experiences that shape relationships. In To Adaego With Love, she explored the effects of historical divisions through the relationship between two people from different backgrounds.
Her experience in screenwriting also influences her approach to directing. Understanding how a story develops on the page helps her work with actors and production teams to communicate its themes on screen.
She has also spoken about the need for more opportunities for women directors, particularly access to larger productions and the resources required to develop ambitious projects. Her own move from short films into feature filmmaking forms part of a career built through different creative and production responsibilities.
Nwamaka Chikezie Films and Directing Credits
Chikezie’s work spans short films, television, animation and feature filmmaking. Her selected credits include:
Directing credits
- Help!
- My Mama Na Ashawo
- Choices
- To Adaego With Love
- Extra Love
Writing credits
- Golden Rule
- The Session
- Tip of the Edge
- Love’s Deceit
- Finding Idara
- Charlie and the Boys
- Bino and Fino
These projects reflect her involvement in different forms of screen storytelling and the development of her career beyond a single feature film.
Conclusion
Nwamaka Chikezie’s filmmaking journey has taken her from writing and production work to short-film directing and, eventually, her first feature. To Adaego With Love represents the most significant milestone in that progression, earning her two awards at the 2026 Directors Guild of Nigeria Awards and 11 nominations at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.
Her experience across screenwriting, assistant directing and independent filmmaking has contributed to her development as a director. As she continues working in film and television, her career offers an example of how practical production experience and sustained creative work can lead to opportunities in feature filmmaking.
