Nominations for the 10th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) were recently announced at a gala night at the Emperor Palace Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa. Films from Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana lead the awards scheduled to take place in Bayelsa State in May.
The films include Of Good Report and The Forgotten Kingdom, both from South Africa; Apaye, Omo Elemosho, Accident, A Mile from Home, Brother’s Keeper and Lagos Cougar from Nigeria made the list. From Ghana come Potomanto and Northern Affairs.
Chief executive officer of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, enjoined film-makers on the continent to unite and promote the best in Africa through their works.
“Our leaders should invest in our future and creative energy of the young people – be it in music, film, fashion and other areas – through appropriate funding and regulatory framework that will make the creative industry viable, just as the governments in India and United States did for their creative entrepreneurs,” she charged.
Director-general of Bayelsa State Tourism Development Agency, Mrs. Ebizi Brown, called on film-makers in Africa and beyond to shoot their movies in the state, adding that the state is ready to host the AMAA 10th anniversary edition.
There will be no award in the Best Film by an African Living Abroad category this year owing to quality of films received in the category.
Ramsey Nouah, Funso Adeolu, Fathia Balogun, Fred Amata, Paul Obazele, Segun Arinze, Fidelis Duker and Lydia Forson (from Ghana) were at the occasion as well as representatives of the government of South Africa and Namibia. The delegation from Malawi was led by the daughter of President Joyce Banda of Malawi, Mrs. Edith Akridge.
