Broadcast and Cinematography

The much awaited 2009 AMAA Awards has come and gone with all its expected glitz and glamour. With 24 categories awarded, it was sure another time for Africa to show to the world that they have come of age in the world’s movie industry.

Created some few years ago, and being led by AMAA C.E.O, Peace Anyiam-Fiberesima,the red-carpet event, which serves as a convocation for the crËme de la crËme of the African movie industry is set to reward the Director of the best overall film with 50,000 Euro, to be used for producing the next film. Wao ! it is sure “a prize to die for”.

This year’s event was sponsored by UBA, was held in Yenogoa, Capital City of Bayelsa state in Nigeria, and was anchored by Ace Comedian Julius Agwu and Nollywoood’s own Diva kate Henshaw.

According to the organisers of the event, the College of Screeners of the 2008 edition of AMAA met over 10 weeks to consider a total number of 304 movies that were entered for this year’s edition. Of this number, 220 were feature films, 34 documentaries (mostly from South Africa), while 50 were indigenous films drawn mostly from Nigeria, with five each from Cameroun and Uganda. Of the 220 feature films submitted, Africans in Diaspora entered two, while Nigerian based filmmakers had the highest number of entries with 191 movies in all. Ghana, Cameroun and Uganda accounted for the rest.

The AMAA College of Screeners made up of members from Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, and Uganda among others, consequently shortlisted the finalists from this lot as the nominees. It is from this list that the AMAA Jury, a panel of jurors with members drawn from Berlin Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, other international bodies, and Nigeria determined winners in the 24 categories of the award.

Kenya’s young and promising screenwriter and Director, Wanuri Kahiu, led the pack with 11 nominations out of the 24 categories being awarded, while “Arugba”, Nigeria’s own Tunde Kelani’s film, making waves in cinema houses across the country, competed with works from Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Egypt, thus vindicating AMAA as a true Pan-African award.

Below is the 2009 UBA-AMAA AWARDS 2009 WINNERS LIST

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

Coming of Age (Kenya)

Best Documentary (Feature)

Joint winners: For the Best and for the Onion (Niger) Malcom’s Echo (Nigeria)

Best Animation

Lolo (Burkina Faso)

AMAA Achievement in Sound

Seventh Heaven (Egypt)

AMAA Achievement in Editing

From a Whisper (Kenya)

AMAA Achievement in Art Direction

Small Boy – Michelle Bello (Nigeria)

AMAA Achievement in Make-Up

Live to Remember (Nigeria)

AMAA Achievement in Visual Effect

Battle of the Soul (Uganda)

Best Original in Soundtrack

From a whisper (Kenya)

Most Promising Actor

Litha Booi – Gugu and Andile (South Africa)

Most Promising Actress

Lungelo Dhladha – Gugu and Andile (South Africa)

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Richard Chukwuma – Small Boy (Nigeria)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Farouk Alfishawi – Seventh Heaven (Egypt)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Funke Akindele – Jenifa (Nigeria)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Joel Okuyo Prynce – Battle of the Soul (Uganda)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Mercy Johnson – Live to Remember (Nigeria)

Best Film in African Language

Gugu and Andile (South Africa)

AMAA Achievement in Cinematography

Cindy’s Note – Izu Ojukwu (Nigeria)

AMAA Achievement in Costume

Arugba (Nigeria)

Heart of Africa Award for Best Films from Nigeria

Arugba – Tunde Kelani

Best Screenplay

From a Whisper (Kenya)

Best Picture

From a Whisper (Kenya)

Best Director

Wanuri Kahiu – From a Whisper (Kenya)

However no winner was announced for best short film category.

For all the winners of this year’s award I say a big congratulations, and do hope that Nigeria Movie makers will move away from just commercial movie making to more high quality films in terms of creativity, effects, sound, costume and cinematography.