By Charles Mgbolu
The ninth edition of Africa’s most prominent and colourful film awards ceremony, the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) will take place from Thursday to Saturday in Lagos, Nigeria.
The event will start with a series of pre-show activities with the main event award set on Saturday.
In a statement ahead of the event, the Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice Nigeria, Busola Tejumola, noted that this year’s edition of the AMVCAs will up the ante from last year even though the same line up of events will be on the roll call.
“Last year, we had an eight-day line-up of activities leading to the award night. This year will be no different. We have decided to sustain the momentum by bringing back all the activities. The only difference is that they will all take place within three days”, the statement read.
The first day starts with a cultural event and on, Friday 19th, some pre-selected young, aspiring fashion designers will face-off in a runway battle.
Standing strong
The awards night on Saturday is the climax; it will honour a robust year of exceptional film releases from some of the finest film makers on the continent.
Every African region have cut large chunks from this gateau and are proudly showing it off for scrutiny under the keen eyes of Femi Odugbemi, a renowned Nigerian film director, producer, and writer, who serves as the lead judge on the awards panel.
Let’s see some standout nominees across board.
Ugandan actor and ‘Best male lead in a movie’ nominee Patriq Nkakalukanyi has been praised for his strong interpretations in the mental health movie Tembele.
Ghanaian actress Roselyn Ngissah is getting critical acclaim for her role in the comedy hit Red Carpet and a nomination for Best actress in a comedy.
Grace Wacuka from Kenya is also standing strong in this awards category for her impeccable performance in the romantic comedy – Married to Work.
It’s great to note the Kenyan film industry is celebrating its highest number of nominations yet at the esteemed show, with a total of 17 nominations.
From Tanzania, award winning director David Manege makes a strong showing in Mpiganaji under the Best Indigenous language movie/series category.
Nigeria’s Samuel Perry, known by his fans as ‘Brother Shaggi’ has successfully metamorphosed from a short comedy skit maker to a blockbuster knockout with two nominations in a single category – Best Actor in a Comedy.
Battle of the titans
“I feel so grateful for this. It’s just my obsession for hard work. I won this category last year, I am confident I can do it again this year”, Perry told TRT Afrika.
There is so much coming from Nigeria. Femi Adebayo’s film King of Thieves has been nominated in eight categories, making it one of the highlights of this year’s nominees.
Toyin Abraham, a Nollywood actor and filmmaker has received three nominations for her film Ijakumo, including Best Cinematography, Best Picture Editor, and Best Sound Editor.
The battle of the titans will perhaps be in the Best Overall Film category and it is f-i-e-r-c-e.
Anikulapo has the most nominations (16), followed by Brotherhood (11) and Shanty Town (11). Additional candidates are Ile Owo, Tembele, and Four Four Forty-Four.
Who wins is anyone’s guess.
Glitz and Glamour
This is where the ‘who is who’ in Africa’s fashion world loses sleep. In the hours before the main awards night, celebrities, clad in the latest designer fantasies will flick across the red carpet for photographs and also participate in an informal ‘best dressed’ battle.
The creations always leaves jaws on the floor. The immaculate, tapered appearances of the outfits takes months of hard work and yes, those alluring-fabric-perfections are worth every drop of designer-sweat.
This year, all eyes will be on Nigerian actress Osas Ighodaro who won the best-dressed female last year after stepping out in the creation of Nigerian fashion guru, Veekee James.
Ighodaro dazzled photographers in a silver-gold lace dress worn like a second skin and pouring with lushness as it escaped behind her, in a majestically feathered train.
There was also reality show star and actress Erica who captivated cameras in a sea storm green bodice dress and Denola Grey who was 31 but looked no older than 18. He wore a genteel three-piece beaded suit by designer by designer and fashion influencer Mai Atafo.
The list goes on…
But celebrities are known for stopping you cold in your tracks so it’s best to wait and see what the outcome will be on the red carpet.
But rest assured, it will be a colossal gathering of Africa’s finest film minds who have successfully exported Africa’s film culture to the rest of the globe.
