Ghana makes no-show at eleventh AMAA

The Boardwalk Hotel in Port Elizabeth, or what the local people prefer to refer to as Nelson Mandela Bay, was the meeting grounds for a large contingent of Africa’s movie glitterati last Saturday night.

The occasion was a gathering to honour actors, actresses and other professionals in African movie industry at the 11th Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA). It was the first time that the prestigious pan-continental film industry awards was taking place outside of the country of its birth, Nigeria.

The stylishly elegant premises of the five-star The Boardwalk was bustling with activity as some of the big name actors on the continent including the likes of Ghana’s Juliet Ibrahim and Lydia Forson, Nigeria’s Segun Arinze, Desmond Elliot, O.C. Ukeje, Bob Manuel Udokwu and Kunle Afolayan, Ethiopia’s Theodros Teshome Kedebe and Samson Tesede.

In spite of this turn out, many other actors and actresses and other film industry professionals were unable to make it to the event because of difficulties in acquiring visas from the various African countries into South Africa. 

Consequently, the founder of AMAA Peace Anyiam-Osigwe in her opening speech at the event called on African leaders in general and South Africa in particular to remove the boundaries that divides Africans and makes it impossible for citizens from other African countries to visit their neighbours.

Anyiam-Osigwe did not hide her anger and frustration at the difficulty that many actors and actresses, especially from West Africa, faced in acquiring visas to attend the event. She said the Europeans who met in Berlin to create the artificial boundaries that divide Africa have now removed their own boundaries and Africans needed to take a cue and remove theirs as well.

At the event itself Ghana had three nominations in the 2015 AMAA but failed to win any of them. There were nominations for Joselyn Dumas for Best Actress in a Leading Role in “Silver Rain”, Ama Ampofo Best Actress in a Supporting Role in “Devil in a Detail” and “Agorkorli” for Best Animation and yet none of them was able to win in their respective categories.

Among the biggest awards on the night were Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Actress in a Leading Role which respectively went to Nigerian Sadiq Daba for his role in Kunle Afalayan’s “October 1” and Angolan Lesliana Pereira for her role in “NJINGA: Queen of Angola”. Joselyn Dumas along with Ini Edo, Queen Nwokoye and Aida Wang lost to Pereira.

Ghanaian actress Ama Ampofo, Toulou Kiki, Reina Salicoulibaly, Prossy Rukundo who were all nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role lost to Nigerian actress Hilda Dokubo for her role in the movie “Stigma”.

The award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role went to Ethiopian actor Samson Tadese for his role in “Triangle Going to America” to beat OC Ukeje (Love or Something Like That), Chumani Pan (“Silver Rain”), Pual Obazale (“Iyore”) and Israel Makoe (“iNumber Number”).

Among the other awards given and received on the night were Best Comedy Film “30 Days in Atlanta”, Best Animation “Legacy of Rubies”, Best Documentary “Egypt Modern Pharaoh”, Best Film in African Language “Timbuktu”, Achievement in Screenplay “le President”, Best Child Actor Layla Walet Mohammed and Mehdi A.G. Mohammmed for “Timbuktu” and Best Young/Promising Kemi Lala Akindoju (“Dazzling Mirage”)/Hassan Spike Insingoma (“Boda Boda Thieves”).

Others are Best Film by an Africa Living Abroad “Fevers from Morocco”, Best Diasporan Short Film “Sound of Tears”, Best Diasporan Documentary “Black Panthers, Vanguard of Revolution, Best Diasporan Feature Film “Supremacy” and Best Feature Film by a Director Destiny Ekaragha “Gone Too Far”.

The rest are Achievement in Production Design “iNumber Number”, Achievement in Costume Design “October 1”, Achievement in Make Up “NJINGA: Queen of Angola”, Achievement in Soundtrack “Triangle Going to America”, Achievement on Sound “Lobras Khan”, Achievement in Visual Effect “iNumber Number”, Achievement in Cinematography “Lobras Khan” and Achievement in Editing “Timbuktu”.

The award for Best Director went to Nigeria’s Kunle Afolayan for “October 1”, the award Best Film went to “Timbuktu” while the Jury Prize for the 2015 AMAA went to Cameroonian director Jean Pierre Bekelo for “Le President” and Ethiopian director Theodros Teshone Kebede for “Triangle Going to America”.

Though the event drew some of the big names from Africa and South Africa its organization could have been better. The sound was not good enough for the auditorium of The Boardwalk Hotel and the programme itself was all over the place.

Being the eleventh in the series, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe and her technical and production team could have done better in the organization than they did at the Nelson Mandela Bay last Saturday. Hopefully, they will take the lessons and improve on the next Africa Movie Academy Awards.