Buzz by Olumide Iyanda
Email: oiyanda@yahoo.com Twitter: @mightyng
It was the night Nigerian artistes shone like a million stars. If you were not at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) 2015, then your name is not on the Nollywood A-list. Probably not on the B or C-list either, as anybody who was somebody in the Nigerian film industry was at this year’s edition of the award ceremony held on Saturday, March 7 at Eko Hotel in Lagos.
Actors came with their spouses, side chicks or longsuffering managers. Men and women looked like they just stepped out of a glamorous fashion magazine. Genevieve Nnaji, Dakore Akande, Omoni Oboli, Omowunmi Akinnifesi and co were a sight for sore eyes. Predictably, Denrele Edun was an inspiration to aspiring loonies all over the world.
That is the stuff showbiz award ceremonies are made of, and AMVCA 2015 had them in trailer load. IK Osakioduwa and Vimbai Mutinhiri returned as hosts with one of them looking better this year than in 2014.
Osas Ighodaro proved to her harshest critics that she was more than just a face with her opening performance. The Mavins (sans Tiwa Savage and Dr Sid), 2face Idibia, Lola Rae, Diamond Platinumz and P-Square also got on stage. Eddie Kandie from Congo and Nigeria’s Basket Mouth were comedians on the night.
Thirty-three gold statuettes were presented in 30 categories, tabulated and verified by auditing firm SizweNtsalubaGobodo, and the event was broadcast live to 50 African countries watching on DStv and GOtv on all Africa Magic channels.
M-Net West Africa Regional Director, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, paid tribute to both the winners and the nominees. “Each year we have hosted this event, it has become more evident that Africa has truly carved its own mark and identity in the global film and TV industry. Tonight’s event recognised all the talented individuals who continue to grow this industry. We’re very honoured that we could reward them for their exceptional work. A special thank you to our partners MultiChoice Africa and Amstel for their continued support in making sure that African talent is well and truly recognised in style,” she said.
“Organisers have always delivered a world class award show and 2015 was not an exception,” said a popular entertainment writer who spoke anonymously. He continued: “I didn’t expect anything less from them knowing that they are an international television company with a track record of putting up good shows. So this year’s award show was a class act.”
AMVCA 2015 eventually became the Kunle Afolayan show. His October 1 emerge the biggest winner, running away with nine awards from a total of 13 nominations. The honours include Best Actress in a Drama for Kehinde Bankole, Best Drama Writer for Tunde Babalola, Best Movie Director for Kunle Afolayan and the biggest one, Best Movie for Kunle Afolayan.
The Meeting, a collaboration between Mildred Okwo and Rita Dominic, was the other big winner with five gongs. They include Best Actress in Comedy (Rita Dominic), Best Actor in Comedy (Femi Jacobs) and Best Comedy Movie.
Steve Gukas’ A Place in the Stars was named Best Movie (Drama) while Amstel Malta Box Office (AMBO) 2 winner, Okechukwu (OC) Ukeje, was named Best Actor in a Drama. For all its box office success and record sales by bootleggers, Ayo Makun (AY) got the consolation New Era Award for his high grossing 30 Days in Atlanta.
For the sponsor, Amstel Malta, AMVCA 2015 was further demonstration of its support for Nollywood. Kunle Afolayan, O.C Ukeje, Kehinde Bankole and Steve Gukas were rewarded with a million naira each.
“I’m very excited about my win especially for the fact that October1 won in various categories. The AMVCA plaque is a real honour and the cash prize from Amstel Malta makes it so much of great news. We will keep doing our best to boost the growth of the industry in every way we can,” said Kunle Afolayan, who got the cash prize for winning the Best Movie category.
A sour note for AMVCA, however, is that it does not have a clearly defined entry period for films. Some critics also do not understand the rationale behind pitting old films – some released three years ago – like Confusion Na Wa and The Meeting with those produced last year. Besides if it is really an audience choice award, it can be argued that the films that were awarded would have been shown on African Magic so people can vote for the films.
“I am not aware that these films have been shown so widely that the real viewers of Africa Magic could make informed choices about the ones they vote for, so I wonder how it is viewers’ choice,” a movie producer told me. “They need to be clear about entry periods, otherwise it will remain a popularity contest and only those that are popular or those who can solicit for votes will continue to win.”
Another filmmaker said, “It comes down to just glamour and providing content for Africa Magic. One does not even know what criteria they use because even if popularity or box office showing are anything to go by, 30 Days in Atlanta should have done better than it did. If it is about what we see on Africa Magic, some of the winning movies should not have made the cut because viewers who pay to watch Africa Magic have not seen them.”
While congratulating the AMNVCA winners, MultiChoice Africa, CEO Nico Meyer, said: “The amount of talent and exciting productions we’ve witnessed tonight keeps inspiring and motivating us to continue to deliver quality programming to our DStv and GOtv subscribers on the Africa Magic channels.” Chances are, however, that most of those who voted did so because of social media campaigns, not what they saw on DStv or GOtv.
AMVCA can certainly do better without losing its glamour and credibility. Having a clearly defined entry period is a good point to start from. If it is truly for Africa Magic viewers, then it stands to reason that the films nominated must have been on Africa Magic for a defined period under review, not DStv Box Office or at the cinema. Else take out the viewers from the name.
In this seller’s market, and given MultiChoice’s vice-like grip on pay TV in Nigeria, I expect that precious little – if anything – will change next year on the eligibility of films nominated for the award. After all, Nollywood – described by Mba-Uzoukwu as the cradle of African cinema – now has its own “Oscar”, and key stakeholders are not complaining.
