Rita Dominic receiving her award |
It was no doubt, the biggest night for African films and movies. In fact, SHOWBIZPLUS can proudly say that it was the historic night the whole of the continent gathered to celebrate and honour the best and brightest in the make believe world courtesy of the biggest movie award organizers-Multi-Choice in partnership with DStv.
There were standout musical performances
by some of Africa’s most gifted artistes, superstar red carpet arrivals that set
the mood for a brilliant gala event and an impressive line-up of guest
presenters but at the end of an incredible night (Saturday March 8), it was the
hugely deserving winners of the 2014
AFRICAMAGIC VIEWERS’ CHOICE AWARDS, once again held in association with MultiChoice
Africa and Amstel Malta, who fittingly captured the night’s most heartfelt applause.
Broadcast live from Lagos to
50 African countries watching on DStv and GOtv, the second ever AMVCA’s handed
out 29 awards in 27 categories, verified by the auditing firm of
SizweNtsalubaGobodo. Recognizing outstanding achievements in African film and
TV, awards on the night includedtop honours for rising star Michelle Bello
(TrailBlazer of the Year) and accomplished veteran Peter Enochie (Industry
Merit), who both also walked away with a Hyundai vehicle, courtesy of Stallion
Motors.Meanwhile dynamic and multi-talented icon Rita Dominic, who was named
the New Era award-winner, was the fortunate recipient of a Dubai cruise holiday
for 4, courtesy of World and TravelLand.
The night’s biggest winners
at the EKO Exhibition Centre wasContract
and Nairobi Half Life which scooped
no less than 4accolades each. Contract
won for Best Movie Director (Shirley Frimpong-Manso),
Best Movie (Shirley Frimpong Manso, Yvonne Okoro and
Ken Attoh), Best Video Editor (Shirley
Frimpong-Manso) and Best Writer (Shirley
Frimpong-Manso and Hertey Owusu). Nairobi
Half Life took home awards for Best Lighting Designer (Mohamed Zain), Best
Art Director (Barbara Minishi), Best
Cinematographer (Christian Almesberger) and
Best Make-Up Artist (Elayne Okaya).
Other notable winners
included the first-ever AMVCA awarded for Best New Media - Online Video,
heralding the arrival of a new generation of African storytellers. Walking away
with that coveted prize was Mother Tongue (Amarachukwu
Onoh). This year also marked the first ever AMVCA win for Best Documentary
which went toThe
Deadwood(Dr Gilbert Chigbo),who
impressed the judges for its imagery, technological standards and narrative
structure.
Judges for this year’s
AMVCA’s, ably led by the highly respected Executive Judge Femi Odugbemi, were
once again individuals of enormous stature in the African film and TV
community. They were: Deborah Odutayo, Huthy Phad Mutumba,
Jahman Anikulapo, Simon Ratcliffe, Steph Ogundele, Abraham Haile Biru, Zik Zulu
and Linus Abraham.
They didn’t have to do all
the hard work of the night though, because in 9 categories, viewer votes
determined the outcomes. The winners of these closely contested categories
were: A Wish by Elvis Chucks(Best Movie Comedy),The Price
by Frank Rajah Arase(Best Movie Drama),Osita Iheme for The
Hero(Best Actor in a Comedy Movie/TV Series),Tope Tedela for A Mile From
Home(Best Actor in a Drama Movie/TV Series),Funke
Akindele for The Return of Sheri
Koko(Best Actress in a Comedy Movie/TV Series),Nse
Ikpe-Etimfor Journey to Self(Best
Actress in a Drama Movie/TV Series),Desmond Elliot
for Finding Mercy(Best Supporting
Actor Movie/TV Series),Bikiya Graham-Douglas for Flower Girl(Best Supporting
Actress Movie/TV Series) plusBest New Media - Online Video.
During the event, skilfully hosted
by IK Osakioduwa, Osas Ighodaro and Vimbai Mutinhiri, with Eku Edewor and
Denrele Edun on the Red Carpet, a veritable galaxy of stars took on guest
presenter roles. They included Majid Michel, Mike Ezuronye, Mercy Johnson,
Gideon Okeke, Bimbo Manuel, Folake Coker and UtiNwachukwu. Meanwhile among those making their mark on the
ultra glamourous Red Carpet which preceded the all-important main eventwere:
Genevieve Nnaji, Rita Dominic, Uche Jombo, Mercy Aigbe, Kate Henshaw, Yvonne
Okoro, Jocelyn Dumas, Kunbi Oyelese, Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, Joseph Benjamin,
Alex Ekubo,IK Ogbonna, Jide Kosoko, Ramsey Nouah, Nick Mutuma, Sarah Hassan, Brian
Okwara, Juliet Ebrahim, Rukky Sanda, Jackie Appiah and Funke Akindele.
Amidst fast flashing lights
and interview ready camera crews, the polished style, creative flair and breath-taking
elegance of Africa’s fashionistas was undeniable. Also in the spotlight on the
design front was internationally renowned Vlisco whose coveted fabrics
beautifully adorned both of the female presenters on the night.
Performing at the event was
Davido, Flavour, Waje, Bez and Cobhams, along with award-winning Nigerian
musical Kakadu.
Commenting on the night’s celebrations,
M-Net Africa Director for Special Projects Biola Alabi paid tribute to both the
winners and the nominees. “We know that Africa’s film and TV industry is making
a powerful contribution to the social, economic and cultural development and
diversity of this continent.Tonight we must also recognize that this is only
possible because there are individuals who make it so. Men and women who work, who
create, who believe their art is impactful, entertaining and relevant. Whether
its comedy or drama, documentary or short film, each story speaks to myriad
lives committed to making that specific production possible. The nominees and winners
of the 2014 AMVCAs are ambassadors of that community and it is in their success
that we can see a bright future for the continent’s film and TV landscape. Of
course, this event benefits enormously from the ongoing support of our partners
MultiChoice Africa and AmstelMalta so we extend our thanks to both these fine
organizations for their collaboration.”
MultiChoice Africa, CEO Nico
Meyer said “We congratulate all the winners andnominees of this year’s event –
the impressive selection of original and exciting productions is truly
inspiring and we feel honoured to be able to deliver this standard of
programming to our DStv and GOtv subscribers on the Africa Magic channels. We are proud partners of the Africa Magic
Viewer’s Choice Awards, as we believe in acknowledging excellence in the film
and television industry is critical for its further growth and development.MultiChoice
is committed to delivering the best television to Africa and as such we are passionate
about ensuring that we contribute to creating world class television made in
Africa for Africa. We thus prioritise our
investment in promoting local film and television while collaborating and
supportingtelevision and film producers to further build this vibrant and
exciting industry.
MultiChoice remains committed
to the development of skills and talent and to ensuring that we deliver the
best possible television to Africa. We
wish to thank our subscribers for their dedication and participation in these
awards.”
On behalf of Amstel Malta,Walter
Drenth (MarketingDirector,
Nigerian Breweries PLC) said
that his organization believes that the AMVCAs are vital in recognizing the
efforts of outstanding individuals in the film and television community. He
went on to say that the awards align with Amstel’s brand belief of inspiration
and the celebration of talent. Further Mr.Drenth congratulated all the winners
and nominees saying that they can all be very proud of their achievements and
can be confident that their work is being seen, is valued and is appreciated.
He also expressed Amstel Malta’s desire to see these individuals continue to
apply their formidable talents to consistently create must-watch entertainment
spanning multiple genres. In conclusion, he stated thatall winners and
nomineesare contributing to making African film and TV as strong as content
found anywhere else on the globe.
The 2014 AMVCAs were screened
on AfricaMagic Entertainment, AfricaMagic and AfricaMagic World. For more
information on AfricaMagic channels and programs, visit www.africamagic.tv
21 comments:
Congrats
The event was awesome
well deserved winners
I had my reservation of the choice of winners, some were not deserving
Great event
My favorite moment was the Award given to Pete Edochie
You guys are doing a great job
Kudos to you given
I reserve my comments
Flawless Planning
Flawless Planning
AMVCA the oscar of Africa
Wonderful job guys
Una no give majid my guy any award. lols
Haters will always complain, good one Africa Magic
Una do well Africa Magic
Some of the Awards were given on sentiments
Enjoyed every bit of it
No dull moments. it was really thrilling
Loved it all the way
Cant wait 4 the next edition. loved it
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