AMAA: Ini Edo, Joselyn Dumas contend for ‘Best Actress’

They were both nominees for the same category last year. Nominees for the 28 categories of the award for motion picture practitioners in Africa, and the Diaspora was released by the jury at a nominations gala night in Los Angeles, United States. Leading the pack with the number of films from the countries in competition […]

They were both nominees for the same category last year.
Nominees for the 28 categories of the award for motion picture practitioners in Africa, and the Diaspora was released by the jury at a nominations gala night in Los Angeles, United States.
Leading the pack with the number of films from the countries in competition are Mauritania, Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia and Angola. The U.S. leads with the films from Africans in the Diaspora.
Nigerian films in the competition include, ‘October 1,’ ‘Cheetanah,’ ‘Iyore,’ and ‘Dazzling Mirage,’ There is also ‘Triangle Going to America’ (Ethiopia), ‘Timbuktu’ (Mauritius) and ‘Queen of Angola’ (Angola) which are very strong in various categories of the award.
Demola Adedoyin for his role in Kunle Afolayan’s ‘October 1’ and Kemi Lala Akindoju for her role in Tunde Kelani’s ‘Dazzling Mirage,’ are contending for the ‘Most Promising Actor/Actress’ category.
Chairman of the College of Screeners and member of the jury, Mr. Shaibu Husseini, noted the improvement in the quality of films AMAA receives annually in its 11 year history, with the team receiving 800 entries from over 50 countries of the world within and outside Africa covering feature films, short films, animations and documentaries.
“It is gratifying to note that filmmakers from the continent and beyond are investing more into their trade and the evidence of their investments is the quality films we see even though there will always be room for improvements,” Husseini said.
AMAA boos, Dayo Ogunyemi, informed that the leadership of the award decided that the nominations ceremony would hold in Hollywood this year to begin the concrete step of taking African cinema to the home of global cinema for a mutually and economically viable cooperation.
“A unique aspect of the nomination event this year is that AMAA’s parent organisation, the Africa Film Academy (whose advisory board Danny Glover co-chairs) is developing a slate of 10 films that will be co-productions between black filmmakers across the globe,” he said.
“The stories to be pitched within this slate will have a global appeal but will speak to the aspirations and stories of the global black community. Accordingly, the attendees for this event have been selected with a view to ensuring the highest level of returns and enhancing the global value chain for black filmmakers,” added Ogunyemi.
An award night will hold in South Africa in September, making it the first time the event will hold outside Nigeria.