False has emerged the Nigerian movie with the most nominations for the centenary edition of Nollywood Movies Awards (NMA).
This was made known in Lagos penultimate Saturday during a nominations party at the Civic Centre in Lagos.
With 11 nominations, including for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Lead Role (Male and Female), False is directed by Ike Nnaebue. Closely following with 10 nominations each are A Mile from Home directed by Eric Aghimien and Unforgivable, a Desmond Elliot film. The two are also contending in the Best Director category.
Other films nominated in the Best Director Category are Render to Caesar (Desmond Ovbiagele) and Flower Girl (Michelle Bello), which have nine nominations each, as well as Itoro (Moses Inwang) with seven nominations, Confusion na wa (Kenneth Gyang) and Torn (also by Inwang).
Finding Mercy may have seven nominations, but it is not among the films nominated in the Best Director category. Lagos Cougars has six ahead of The Accident which ties with Confusion na wa with five each.
Dipo Winsala and Alfred Soroh, who both run the Nollywood Movies channel on Sky Platform Channel 329 based in the United Kingdom and jointly addressed the gathering of Nollywood practitioners, gave many thanks to all those who made it to the event, while explaining that this year the award is to commemorate Nigeria’s centenary from the Amalgamation in 1914 to 2014.
“The award is created to celebrate excellence, outstanding achievement, promise and diversity in the Nigerian film industry,” said Soroh.
Winsala said: “Over the last two years, Nollywood Movies Awards has established itself as a movie award event par excellence, remained authentic and focussing exclusively on the Nollywood industry, while we pride ourselves as 100 per cent Nigerian, 100 per cent Nollywood.”
Creative Director of the award and Chairman of the nominations panel, Dr. Kola Munis, said the award has a 12-man international panel of men and women who share a great love for Nollywood.
Apart from the 22 categories and lifetime achievement award, which this year goes to filmmaker, Tunde Kelani, Munis said they are introducing something new this year.
“For the first time, this year we have a list of TV or web series, which will be selected by popular choice. They are not part of the nominations process, but will be available for you online to vote for TV or web series as well as popular choice for actor or actress,” he said.
Final results will be announced at the NMA ceremony on October 18 at the prestigious Intercontinental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
