Full List of African Winners at Gotham Awards 2025

Sopés Dìrísù, Abou Sangaré, Wunmi Mosaku, Akinola Davies Jr.

From lead acting to breakthrough directing — here are the African stars and films that claimed top honours at the 2025 Gotham Awards.

At the 2025 Gotham Awards in New York on December 1, African talent dominated the spotlight, taking home several of the night’s highest honours. 

• Sopés Dìrísù won Outstanding Lead Performance for his role in My Father’s Shadow. 

• Akinola Davies Jr. took home Breakthrough Director for the same film. 

• Wunmi Mosaku won Outstanding Supporting Performance for her role in Sinners. 

• Abou Sangaré was named Breakthrough Performer for his work in Souleymane’s Story. 

What’s The Deal!

• For My Father’s Shadow, the dual wins in lead acting and direction show the film’s strong international reception — a milestone for African-led indie cinema.

• The awards for Mosaku and Sangaré underline growing recognition of African talent across acting and emerging performers.

• Overall, the success signals that African films and artists are no longer marginal in global independent awards circles — they’re major players.