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| Proud winner of Best Actor in Leading Role |
“Telling the story of Africa by Africans” – the mantra that run through African Movie Academy Awards 2012, celebrating once again African creativity and achievement through the very immense and lucrative film industry. Held at Eko Hotel & Suites, the AMAA 2012 became the lamp that drew African filmmakers across Africa and in the Diaspora to celebrate the incredible art of filmmaking.
Film screening, exclusive parties, music performances in eleven locations across Africa were the exciting forerunners to the main event held on the 22nd of April. The Red carpet event which commenced activities for the night was sizzling hot with huge African film personalities from Kenya, USA, South Africa, Ghana, Cameroun, Guinea, Germany, Uganda, Jamaica, Canada, France, Tanzania with Nigerian filmmakers in the majority. It was a lovely gathering of African achievers, of colossally creative minds coming together to shake the African continent. A bit of Hollywood was also present at the awards, insinuating the beginnings of a bridge being built between the African film industry and Hollywood. Personalities such as Rockmund Dunbar, Morris Chestnut, Maya Gilbert, Lynn Whitfield and Jimmy Jean Louis (who were also to present awards) definitely gave a Hollywood glamour to the event. The pool of talent in Eko Hotel and Suites was simply astounding.
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| Best Actress in Leading role |
Jimmy Jean Louis and O.C Ukeje were hosts for the evening, which commenced with excellent jazz, and an emotional rendition of the Nigerian National Anthem, a duet with the saxophone. Events then really took off with the opening speech by Asantewaa Olatunji, chairperson of the jury, who introduced all members of the jury and announced an inclusion this year of the Special Jury Award. The jury for this AMAA 2012 were Berni Goldbat, filmmaker from Burkina Faso, Steve Ayorinde, Nigerian film and art critic, John Akomfrah, Keith Shiri, international film curator and writer, Asantewaa Olatunji herself, lawyer and member of the Board of the Pan African Film Festival in LA and Ayuku Babu, international legal, cultural and political consultant. Asantewaa Olatunji also struck the heart strings of the AMAA when she commended African filmmakers for their very important role in the decolonization of African films and urged for unity of English, Francophone, Lusophone Africa and in the diaspora.
This very invigorating speech was followed by an extremely uplifting and pan-African speech by the CEO of the AMAA awards herself who reiterated the strong spirit of the African Movie Academy Awards, “telling our own story in our own way and in our own words”, urging the need for “our histories to be told by ourselves” and no other. She ended quite powerfully with a call to all African leaders to remove all borders in Africa and make Africa one. The rousing applause and ovation she received was testament to the fact that she had sown some seeds of inspiration in her audience.
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| Jimmy Jean Louis |
To cool off the heat the next session was a musical performance by Yinka Davies who took her audience on a jazzy, Nigerian trip. Her confidence, playful creativity was warm and connectable. The night was graced with more remarkable talent with performances like Edge from Kenya, who threw in some fun Afropop (the band was simply awesome) , a beautiful singer form Senegal who complemented her stage performance with very talented dancers. O.C Ukeje’s introduction of the great Asa was an amazing forerunner to the electrifying performance she put up on stage. Singing his own rendition of the “Jailor”, O.C proved he was a man of many talents. The world-class, and African success story in the form of Asa, looked great in a white knee-length dress, ornamented with a black bow hanging from her shoulder and red pumps, which she kicked off her feet in the heat of her performance. Dancing, twisting, jumping, running, the cameras definitely had a difficult time trying to keep up with her energy, drawing her audience into her and the message she sung about. 2face’s performance was equally electrifying if not more so. He had people on their feet with their fingers up in the air before he stepped on stage. Preaching the message of “One love”, the walls of Eko Hotel & Suites were definitely shaking with the powerful unity of voices singing along with the BET award winner. Crowds of people rushed up near the stage to shake his hand during his performance.
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| Yvonne Okoro |
The competition this year seemed to be largely between the Nigerian film Adesuwa, South Africa’s How to Steal 2 million, and Otelo Burning. Below is the list of winners for AMAA 2012
Best Short Film
Braids on a Bald Head
Best Documentary
African Election
Best Diaspora Feature
Toussaint Louverture
Best Documentary in Diaspora
The Education of Auma Obama
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| Tiwa Savage |
Best Diaspora Short Film
White Sugar in a Black Pot
Best Animation
The Legend of Ngog Hills
Best Film by an African Living Abroad
Mystery of Birds
Achievement in Production Design
Phone Swap: Pat Nebo
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| Rockmund dunbar to present award |
Achievement in Costume Design
Adesuwa – Iyen Agbonifo
Achievement in Make-up
Shattered – Sarah Wanjiru
Achievement in Soundtraack
Alero’s Symphony – Chibuzor Oji
Achievement in Visual Effects
Adesuwa – Victor Ehi-Amedu
Achievement in Sound
State of Violence (S.A) - Jim Patrick
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| Lynn Whitfield |
Achievement in Cinematography
Otelo Burning – Lance Gewer
Achievement in Editing
How to Steal 2 Million – Mick Audsley
Achievement in Screenplay
Ties that Bind
Best Nigerian Film
Adesuwa – Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen
Best Film in an African Language
State of Violence – DV8
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| Ama K. |
Best Child Actor
Tshepang Mohlomi (Ntwe) - Otelo Burning
Best Young/Promising Actor
Ivie Okujaye (Alero) – Aler’s Symphony
Best Actor in Supporting Role
Fano Mokoena (Man on Ground)
Best Actress in Supporting Role
Terry Pheto – How to Steal 2 Million
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| Morris Chestnut |
Best Actor in Leading Role
Majid Michel – Somewhere in Africa
Best Actress in Leading Role
Rita Dominic – Shattered
Best Director
Charlie Vundla – How to Steal 2 Million
Best Movie
How to Steal 2 Million
A very special CONGRATULATIONS to Majid Michel and Leila Dzansi for lighting Ghana’s beacon throughout Africa. Majid, who had been a frequent attendee to the AMAA awards long before he began his trip of four years of nominations, finally won the crown this year, and promised in his very charismatic way, “AMAA, I’ll be back”.
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| Leila Dzansi, proud winner of Best Screenplay |
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