Adebimpe, Lateef Adedimeji speak on Lisabi’s wins at 2025 AMVCA

Nollywood actor Lateef Adedimeji and his wife, Adebimpe, expressed surprise at their big wins at the AMVCA 2025, where their movie “Lisabi: The Uprising” won three awards yesterday.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that “Lisabi: The Uprising” won three of its 10 nominations at the 2025 AMVCA. The movie was nominated in ten categories but won in three: the Best Indigenous Language (West Africa), Best Art Direction, and Best Make Up.

Lisabi the Uprising, directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, is a historical epic about Lisabi and the rise of the Egba people against the Oyo Empire. Although it is a biopic, it explores the themes of oppression, unity, hard work, and love. The film is loosely based on the historic 18th-century Lisabi Rebellion of Abeokuta.

The film was written by Lateef Adedimeji and Adebayo Tijani

In the post-award interview at the Eko Convention Centre, where the AMVCA 2025 was held, the couple told this newspaper that the win was a plus, attributing their wins to ‘Essence of working hard’.

According to Lateef, “Lisabi: The Uprising” did a good job, and the award motivates him to keep improving.

He said, “My joy knows no bounds tonight. The essence of working is to see the reward, which we have seen tonight. Out of ten, we got three. That is a plus, and that is a step forward.

“I just had that strong belief that anything can happen because I did a good job, and then we are happy that we are having it. This is a motivation to keep doing better.”

Beyond expectations

His wife, Adebimpe, further expressed her satisfaction, saying she never thought “Lisabi: The Uprising” would have a big win at the 11th edition of AMVCA.

While addressing questions on the couple’s expectations coming to the 2025 AMVCA, Adebimpe said, “I didn’t think about it at all. I did not know we would get three. We won the ‘Best Indigenous Movie, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup categories.

“I told him (Lateef Adedimeji) that if we get one or did not get at all, I am satisfied with the nominations alone because this is the first time we are doing a big movie together,” Adebimpe said.

Advising the up-and-coming talents in the movie industry, Lateef said, “As long as you believe in yourself, go for it. Don’t be scared of failure. Do it first, take the risk, and see the result. I took the risk, we took the risk, and this is the result.”

The couple’s win for “Lisabi: The Uprising” highlights the growing recognition of history and cultural representation in Nigerian cinema.

According to the movie, the people of Egba suffered heavy levies and oppression from the Oyo warriors. Lisabi, an Egba farmer, led the people of Egba to challenge Oyo’s oppression, which served as a point of liberation for the Egba people.

To this day, Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala is considered a legend and is celebrated annually among Egba people as a remembrance of his historic bravery and liberation from ancient oppression.

Seven Doors also shines in the awards tally

Despite losing Best Indigenous Movie (West Africa) to ‘Lisabi: The Uprising’, Femi Adebayo’s ‘Seven Doors’ also had notable shines at AMVCA 2025.

The film also won three awards, one for Best Score/Music, which Tolu Obanro won.

Femi won Best Lead Actor while Chioma Chukwuka won Best Lead Actress for their main roles in the historic movie Seven Doors.

Reacting to the win with a thread on his official Twitter page, Femi said he appreciated Chioma and the Seven Doors’ production team, saying their efforts made visions breathe.

Femi wrote: “From script to screen, we gave it our all, and tonight, you gave it back with love. Thank you to my phenomenal on-screen partner, Chioma.

“What a journey it’s been playing alongside you, love, conflict, passion, and power all through Seven Doors.“

“To my incredible production team, you made the vision breathe. To Africa Magic, thank you for creating this platform where African stories shine loud and proud,” he added.