The Nation Newspaper

Tag: AMAA

  • FRED AMATA RECOVERS MISSING PHONE

    FRED AMATA RECOVERS MISSING PHONE

    TOP Nollywood actor, Fred Amata, last Sunday, lost his phone on his way back from Yenagoa to Lagos en route Port-Harcourt Airport, River State.

    The bubbly actor didn’t realise he had left his phone in the bus that convened him and other Nollywood stars to Port-Harcourt, the following day after AMAA.

    While waiting to board his flight, the actor suddenly realised he was not with his Samsung Galaxy S4 phone.

    The actor, who immediately said raised the alarm, said he forgot his phone in the bus that convened him and other stars. A call was quickly put through to the AMAA protocols, who reached out to the bus driver. The bus driver, however, said he had picked other passengers on his way back to Yenagoa and couldn’t tell if anyone of them had picked the phone.

    For some reason, the actor was calm, in spite of the losts. His major concern, according to him, were the pieces of information in the phone.

    However, when The Nation called a source close to the actor on the phone to verify the model of the missing phone, the source revealed that it had been recovered and sent to Fred, four days after the awards ceremony in Yenagoa.

  • ‘Why we partner AMAA’

    ‘Why we partner AMAA’

    IT is a fact that the 10th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) attracted unprecedented sponsorship from corporate Nigeria,

    One of the sponsors of this year’s AMAA was Sterling Bank. For the first time, it threw its weight behind the continental brand, which is known to celebrate excellence in African cinema.

    Speaking on why Sterling Bank backed the 2014 AMAA Awards, the Group Head, Strategy and Communication, Shina Atilola, said: “Sterling Bank means excellence; so, the best way is to collaborate with such people.”

    Atilola further stated: “The organisation was perfect; the synchronisation was perfect and each of the activities was well organised.”

    He also praised the decision of the CEO of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, to step aside as CEO of AMAA after 10 years, a development which she first made known to the creative industry at the AMAA 2014 nomination party in South Africa on April 2.

    When asked to speak further on the partnership, he said: “For Sterling, we believe in continuity; we believe in a long hug and we don’t do anything short-term. That is why our long-term aim or vision is to build an institution that will last beyond the present managers of the business. So, for us, we believe in that relationship, inasmuch as AMAA still believes in excellence.

    “At Sterling Bank, most of the things we do are unique; they are not common to banks. That is why we try to encourage innovation and improve in anything we do. Basically, that’s why AMAA is the best organisation to collaborate with.”

  • Clarion Chukwura’s day with history

    Clarion Chukwura’s day with history

    FOR the greater part of the evening, there was tension in the hall, particularly because Apaye seemed not to have had a favourable outing. However, when the moment came for the Best Actress in a Leading Role category to be announced, the air inside the hall stiffened, as Nigerians and fans of the actress earnestly wished that she would clinch the covetous award. Immediately she was announced the winner, the hall literally rose and tumbled. The delectable actress didn’t disappoint her fans when she stepped out to receive her award. The actress duly appreciated her fans who returned her love with a loud ovation. She also appreciated the role of women in every sphere of life.  “No matter what we are going through, no matter what I say, we must stick together and overcome. That is one thing my role in the movie, Apaye, has taught me,” she said as she walked backstage with her head held high.

    Clarion Chukwura’s emergence as the Best Actress in a Leading Role was one of the highpoints of this year’s AMAA. Her role in Apaye did the magic for her.

    Apaye was nominated in several categories, including Achievement in Production Design, Achievement in Costume, Achievement in Makeup, Achievement in Soundtrack, Bayelsa State Government Endowed Award for Best Nigerian Film and Best Actress in a Leading Role. It, however, didn’t scoop any award in the other categories.

  • Thrills, frills at AMAA 2014

    Thrills, frills at AMAA 2014

    IT was, without doubt, another momentous occasion, at the weekend, when the 2014 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) held at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Yenagoa, amidst pomp and circumstance.

    The organisers, indeed, made no mean efforts to put up an awards show that has since remained the talk of the town; a glamorous event that has continually been rewarding excellence in African cinema in the last 10 years.

    Every year, AMAA attracts the largest constellation of stars, filmmakers, film critics, internationally acclaimed movie and music artistes, top government functionaries in Africa and the Diaspora as well as dignitaries from all walks of life.

    However, the last Saturday event remains the most glamorous so far in the annals of AMAA. Not a few lamented that the hall, for the first time, was too small for the invited guests, mostly fun lovers who wanted to be part of the historic night. The show could be compared to any other in the world. From production to sound, lightening and presentation, among others, the show lived up to its billing.

    It was a day of glory for South Africa, as it won 10 awards. It was followed by Nigeria, which won eight awards. In particular, it was a good outing for South Africa’s Of Good Report, which won the Best Film award.

    Jamil X.T Quebeka, the director of Of Good Report also won the Best Director award. Other winners include Clarion Chukwura, who won the Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Apaye. Patient Ozorkwo clinched the Best Actress in a Supporting Role’ while Teco Benson’s Accident won the Bayelsa State Government Endowed Award for Best Nigeria Film.

  • Thumbs up for Bayray McNwizu, Eniola Badmus, Ibinabo

    THERE is so much that can be said about  the AMAA 2014 red carpet. The stars spared no expense in stepping out in designer outfits. The trio of Bayray McNwizu, Eniola Badmus (Gbogbo Bigz Girls) and Ibinabo Fiberesima were among the award presenters for the night that got tongues wagging over their ravishing evening dresses.

    Bayray, who rocked an Orange jumpsuit, looked radiant as she stood on the stage to present the first award for the night. Many of her fans couldn’t stop musing over her looks, while others wanted to know what she had been up to, acting- wise. The Cindy’s Note and Tales of Eve star has certainly not done badly for herself; otherwise, she wouldn’t be found on the AMAA stage.

    The big, bold and beautiful Eniola Badmus, who spotted a white evening dress, got heads turning her way. Gbogbo Bigz Girls, as she is fondly called, was welcomed on the stage with a loud ovation by her fans and colleagues. And when she opened her mouth to speak, it was breathtaking! Lovely diction and a rare baritone voice were some of the adjectives many used in describing the actress. Recently, she revealed another side of her when she launched her own radio programme,’Your Head Dey there’ on Wazobia and Naija FM stations.

    Nollywood’s ‘First Lady’, Ibinabo Fiberesima, seemed to have vowed that she will never be caught wanting on the red carpet. The ageless beauty, popularly called IB, mingled freely in a red sequin dress.

  • Peace Anyiam- Osigwe eulogises Amaka Igwe

    Peace Anyiam- Osigwe eulogises Amaka Igwe

    IT has never been done in the history of AMAA to open the awards ceremony with a eulogy. But the situation was peculiar last Saturday. How?  On April 28, the Nigerian creative industry woke up to the news of the passing on of one of its celebrated filmmakers, Amaka Igwe, who lost the battle to an asthma attack while working on a new movie project.

    Almost a month after her death, the CEO of AMAA, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, got Nollywood stars teary, as she broke down, while recalling some moments with the late Amaka Igwe, whom she constantly referred to as Okosisi( an Igbo word which means a ‘big tree’.

    The eulogy, which she delivered almost in Igbo language, was one of the speeches that tugged at the heartstrings of the audience.

    “Amaka Igwe ran the longest running soap on Nigerian TV, Fuji House of Commotion. She did Violated and Rattle Snake. How many things can we remember ‘Big sis’ for? At the time our sister was setting up her TV station, ‘Cube’, she went to Enugu. Amaka had been planning this Igbo soap. For her, it was the biggest insult that there was no Igbo Channel on DSTV. She built her set for over a year and a half. And the week she was about to start, she had an asthma attack and was rushed to the hospital. But the doctors at the UNTH were on strike. Our sister died!”

    “Ngbada, (The Antelope) that’s my nickname for her and she would always call me Eyin (My friend). We had our differences, but we had one thing in common. We believed that Nollywood was the greatest thing to happen to Nigeria,” she said, before observing a minute silent for the late Amake Igwe.

  • Tears of joy

    EFERE Ozako Endowed Award for Best Short Film’ was the category that opened the presentation for the night.  Dialemi, a first-time entry movie from Gabon, bagged the award.

    The recipient of the award, who could hardly find her voice, was overwhelmed receiving the AMAA plaque. It was even more emotional when she timidly admitted that she couldn’t express herself fluently in English; so, she suddenly switched from English to French.

    Though most of the guests could not understand what she was saying, everyone felt her joy, as she wiped the tears from her eyes before she eventually turned and walked away.

  • Short film not for trainees, says Prof. Ekwuazi

    Short film not for trainees, says Prof. Ekwuazi

    Challenging the general attitude of filmmakers towards the short film genre, a professor of film and media studies at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Ibadan and former Managing Director of Nigerian Film Corporation, Professor Hyginus Ekwuazi, has decried the impression that the genre is less important to a feature-length film.

    Ekwuazi, a jury member of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), during a press conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, at the weekend, said it is not right to see short films as a training ground for people who want to make a feature-length film.

    “I think we are a bit too serious about this, in terms of defining what a short film is,” he said. “I remember a teacher of mine saying that the length of a film should be tailored towards the endurance of the human’s bladder. So, you make a short film for people whose bladder cannot take a long film. But more seriously, what that means is that there is a whole technique in making a short film. But it is from the film school that you start making a short film. As such, a short film, by your definition, is a students’ film.  So, people think that a short film is a training ground for people who want to make a feature length film,” he added.

    The issue of the genre has been a concern among filmmakers worldwide.

    For example, First Light, a United Kingdom’s education charity, was created to put film at the hearts of children and young people’s learning and cultural experiences.

    Ekwuazi, who likened the genre to books on short stories, said: “It is said that if somebody has a terminal illness, he starts reading a short story because he wouldn’t have the time to finish a full novel. But you see, what this humour underlines is that these stories have their own techniques and that they are full works of arts in their own right. So, it is not right to say that because it is a short film, it is deserving of less attention than the other ones.”

    Ekwuazi’s analysis was not too different from what Keith Phillips, Director, Ideal Films Ltd., Swindon, said: “At their best, short films capture the essence of story-telling, without the encumbrance of pop-psychology and over-developed characterizations and without the unnecessary weight of meaningful sub-plots and subtexts.”

    Although there was a dearth of short films by Nigerians at the last AMAA, Ekwuazi praised other African countries who have taken the genre seriously. “I think it is remarkable that this year, AMAA has this harvest of short films and it’s going to continue that way,” he said.

    The film, Dialemi, from Gabon, won the Best Short Film at the AMAAs, beating others such as Haunted Soul (Kenya), Siriya Mtungi (Tanzania), New Horizon (Nigeria), Nandy l’orpheline  (Mali), Living Funeral (Nigeria) and Phindile’s Heart (South Africa).

    However, it is noteworthy that New Horizon received the Special Jury Prize, while Living Funeral was the only Nigerian entry at the Short Film Corner of the just concluded Cannes Film Festival in France.

    Ekwuazi, who touched on the credibility of AMAA, described the scheme as a trail blazer in African cinema. “For me, AMAA has been a very good thing, being in the Academy and sitting on the jury as I do. It has become an endorsement, even in the academic circles, that they want to look at the movies that have made it at the AMAAs, and these are the films they want to take seriously.”

    According to the university teacher, the scheme has evolved into a big brand that should be supported by all. “I have gained a lot sitting on the jury. I am an eternal student. I learn so much when I see those films. AMAA is a big brand. That is why when anybody establishes a film award, he goes to contact members of the AMAA panel. I know how many invitations I get to come and sit on this jury or that jury. So, I think the AMAA brand has become a brand to be reckoned with 10 years down the line,” he explained.

     

  • South Africa leads AMAA 2014

    South Africa leads AMAA 2014

    It was a glitzy evening at the weekend when the 10th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Award (AMAA) held at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre in Yenogoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.

    The awards show, which rewards excellence in African cinema, was graced by dignatories from Africa and the Diaspora. There was a huge turnout of filmmakers, actors, actresses as well as top officials from Bayelsa State government.

    This year, the colourful event attracted over 500 entries, including short films, documentaries, features and animation. Interestingly, there were new additions to the existing categories: The Madiba Award, which recognises any movie that foregrounds the principle of the late freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela and the Joyce Banda Award, which recognizes women empowerment.

    The 10th anniversary of AMAA was headed by one of Nigeria’s best known film and art critics, Steve Ayorinde.  Other panelists include: Ayuko Babu, Dorothee Wenner, Asantewa Olatunji, June Givanni, Prof. Hyginus Ozoemen Ekwuazi, John Akomefrah and Keith Shiri.

    The event, which has been described as the best in history of AMAA, scored a plus in so many ways.

    Although it has come and gone, winners in different categories will, for a long time, treasure the memory.

    In particular, South Africa literally stole the day, as a number of creative works from her movie industry clinched the highest number of awards at the ceremony.

     

  • Clarion Chukwurah is AMAA Actress of the Year

    Clarion Chukwurah is AMAA Actress of the Year

    Nollywood actress Clarion Chukwurah has emerged the Actress of the Year at the just concluded 2014 edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) held at the Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Yenogoa, Bayelsa State.

    She won the award for her role in Emem Isong’s movie, Apaye.

    The veteran actress emerged the winner in the category, beating the likes of Uche Nnadili( B For Boy), Linda Sokhulu( Felix), Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha( Accident), Joselyn Dumas( Northern Affair) as well as Uche Jombo- Rodriguez, Monalisa Chinda and Daniella Okeke( Lagos Cougars).

    An elated Clarion, who dedicated the award to Nigeria, said: “I dedicate this award to my country, Nigeria, because the role I played in Apaye was the role of a woman who, despite all odds, became triumphant. So, I dedicate this award to Nigeria.”

    Other winners include: South Africa’s Mothusi Magano as Best Actor in a Leading Role for the movie, Of Good Report; Nigeria’s Patience Ozokwo as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the movie, After the Proposal; Lebohang Ntsane as Best Child Actor for the movie, Forgotten Kingdom; Petronella Tshuma, as Best Young/Promising Actor for the movie, Of Good Report; Harrikirishna and Sharvan Anenden as Best Feature Film By A Director with the movie, The Children of Troumaron. Nigerian-born Bob Manuel Udokwu clinched the Special Jury Award.